River Magic
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Magic moves in next door in this hilarious and heartfelt middle grade fantasy about a resourceful girl battling a temperamental thunder wizard.
Donna's always liked her life by the river--that is, until her beloved aunt Annabelle died in a tragic kayaking accident. Now money's tight, her mom works all the time, and her best friend, Rachel, would rather hang out with her basketball teammates than with Donna. When a strange old woman moves in next door and hires Donna to clean part-time, she figures this is the perfect chance to get over her friendship troubles and help her family out--especially since the woman pays in gold. Turns out, Donna's new neighbor is an ancient, ornery thunder mage, and it doesn't take much to make her angry. Before Donna knows it, Rachel is in danger and Donna's family is about to lose their home. To save the day, Donna will need the help of a quirky new friend and the basketball team . . . plus the mysterious, powerful creature lurking in the river.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Donna Landon grew up riverside near "a teeny little Maine town" with her white carpenter mother, older sister Janice, and beloved aunt Annabelle. But nine months after Annabelle drowns in a kayaking accident, Donna begins hearing Annabelle's voice in her head—or someone who sounds a lot like her ("The thing to do with anger is blow it out your nose and hope it hits somebody"). It's a comfort to the girl, whose mother is working three jobs to offset debt, and whose sister, now 16, has "nothing good to say" about Donna. Worse, Donna's best friend, Rachel, also white, has abandoned her for basketball teammates. Afraid she'll be sent to live with wealthier "Cousin Betty, plus her Evil Boy Twins," Donna jumps at the chance to clean peculiar new neighbor Vilma Bliksem's house, especially when Vilma pays in gold. But when Vilma reveals she's a thunder mage who's holding a grudge, Donna must step up to set things right. A dense emotional core, resonant voice, and themes of grief, shifting friendships, and family enliven Booraem's (Texting the Underworld) contemporary fantasy, reminding readers that "hope is everywhere." Ages 10–up.
