The School Between Winter and Fairyland
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A fresh and exciting twist on magical boarding schools, the well-loved Chosen One trope, and the nature of true heroism—from the author of The Language of Ghosts and Ember and the Ice Dragons. Perfect for fans of middle grade fantasies including the Serafina series by Robert Beatty and Neil Gaiman's Coraline.
Twelve-year-old Autumn Malog is a servant at the enchanting Inglenook School, where young magicians study to become the king’s future monster-hunters. Along with her Gran and three too many older brothers, she works as a beastkeeper, tending to Inglenook’s menagerie of terrifying monsters.
But when she isn’t mucking out the wyvern stalls or coaxing the resident boggart to behave, Autumn searches for clues about her twin brother’s mysterious disappearance. Everyone else thinks he was devoured by the feared Hollow Dragon, but Autumn is convinced she’s heard—and glimpsed—him calling to her from within the castle walls. But who will believe a lowly servant?
So when Cai Morrigan, the “Chosen One” prophesied to one day destroy the Hollow Dragon, comes to her for help, Autumn agrees on one condition: Together, they’ll search for her brother and uncover the dark truth at the heart of enchanting Inglenook School once and for all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ever since her twin brother Winter vanished last year, cued-white Autumn Malog, 12, whose family serves as beastkeepers for the Inglenook School of Magic, has been unwilling to accept his purported death. Then she encounters brown-skinned Cai Morrigan, 12, the school's most famous student, whom prophecies claim will slay the dread Hollow Dragon, which has for years terrorized the bordering Gentlewood. Though staff and students are discouraged from socializing, Cai makes a bargain with Autumn: he'll use his knowledge of Inglenook to assist her in finding Winter, whom she believes may be magically trapped in the school, if she helps Cai overcome his fear of dragons. But as their quest takes them into the property's dark secrets, they begin to suspect there's more to Cai and the prophecy than anyone expected. In this lively fantasy, Fawcett (The Language of Ghosts) plays with familiar tropes (magical schools, chosen ones), centering a female protagonist, a fresh take on heroics, and a clearly built world layered with history and an interesting magical system. Ages 8–12.
Customer Reviews
One of my favorites
I love this book! The plot twists were perfection, the writing was exceptional, the storyline was intriguing and kept me reading, and the characters were likable and very relatable. Autumn’s feeling toward Cai changed just as normal humans do, giving you a way to connect better. The author wrote the characters as real humans, extremely well. After rereading and finishing it again today, I realized I had forgotten so much, leaving my enjoyment like brand new. It never gets old, and may or may not have made me tear up at the end. It comes highly recommended by me, so take my word for it and stop reading the reviews and read the book!! -Bee <3