Pied
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Nevermoor, join Rim on a musical adventure, inspired by the Pied Piper fairy tale, as he discovers his lost magical culture and finds his place in a new world.
Rim Wickford has never ridden in a flying ferry boat, had a tornado clean his room, or gotten in mounds of trouble by a mischievous weasel, because Rim is the kind of kid who always does what he is told and never gets into trouble. Until one day when he plays a musical pipe and his entire school falls to the ground, like their souls were snatched from their bodies.
With one note, the secret his uncle kept from him for years is out, and Rim is quickly swept into the quirky and colorful hidden world of Pipers, persons who can turn melody into magic.
But Rim soon learns he is different, even among Pipers, because he is a Pied Piper, the kind of Piper that’s vilified and targeted in the Piper world. His best chance of blending in is acceptance into an exclusive Piper Association where all members are protected from harm.
Forced to hide his Pied identity while mastering his new powers, Rim must pass a series of magical, musical trials. But what he is hiding just might be the very thing he needs to succeed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Lee's debut fantastical reimagining of German legend "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," 11-year-old "fully color-blind" Rim Wickford, who has olive skin, is under strict instructions from his uncle to wear noise-canceling headphones around music. When playing a pipe allows him to see color, his uncle confesses that the stories Rim's grandmother told him of magical Pipers are true. Eager to learn more about turning music into magic, Rim is whisked away to the Piper realm, where he hopes to train under the guidance of the grumpy and retired elder Wooster. The further he becomes enmeshed in this new world, however, the more he uncovers about his family history and the dangers of being a Piper. What's more, Rim is rare among his people: he's a Pied Piper, feared for his ability to control all animals through his playing. The compelling premise is sometimes hampered by too many intersecting plot threads. Musical references integrated throughout ground this well-paced adventure in a timeless feeling contemporary setting, even as Lee builds out the Pipers' intriguing fantasy realm. Ages 10–up.
