The Verdigris Pawn
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION!
A boy who underestimates his power . . .
A girl with a gift long thought lost . . .
A Land ready for revolution . . .
The heir to the Land should be strong. Fierce. Ruthless. At least, that’s what Beau’s father has been telling him his whole life, since Beau is the exact opposite of what the heir should be. With little control over his future, Beau is kept locked away, just another pawn in his father’s quest for ultimate power.
That is, until Beau meets a girl who shows him the secrets his father has kept hidden. For the first time, Beau begins to question everything he’s ever been told and sets off in search of a rebel who might hold the key to setting things right.
Teaming up with a fiery runaway boy, their mission quickly turns into something far greater as sinister forces long lurking in the shadows prepare to make their final move—no matter what the cost. But it just might be Beau who wields the power he seeks . . . if he can go from pawn to player before the Land tears itself apart.
Political Intrigue: Beau’s father demands a ruthless heir, but the key to saving the Land may lie with the rebels he’s been taught to fear.Secrets and Lies: A mysterious girl reveals the truth about his father’s rule, forcing Beau to question everything he’s ever known.Found Family: To uncover the truth, Beau must team up with a gifted girl and a fiery runaway, forming an alliance that could change the world.Magic System: Featuring a world of ‘charmers’ and gifts long thought lost, where hidden powers could be the ultimate weapon in the coming revolution.Coming of Age: A thrilling story about one boy’s journey from a powerless pawn to a player who holds the fate of his kingdom in his hands.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wishingrad explores the nature of privilege and the dangers of generational bias in this fantastical middle grade debut with a game at its center. All his life, 13-year-old Beau, progeny of gray-eyed Himself, has failed to live up to the expectations of his cruel, oligarchical father. Though Beau has been tasked with following in Himself's footsteps, ruling the Land from the Manor, he's neither aggressive like his father nor a magical charmer like his deceased mother—an inclination that would allow him to cure the fever that's ravaging the countryside. After his tutor dies from that plague, a chance encounter with nursemaid's assistant Cressi opens Beau's eyes to the inequality and systemic abuse of his family's reign, including Mastery House, which churns out child laborers for the most dangerous, least desirable tasks. Determined to right these wrongs and face the inaccuracies of his education, Beau flees the Manor. While Cressi is confined there, attempting to master her own strange abilities, Beau, accompanied by 13-year-old orphan Nate, a Mastery House runaway, journeys into the Land's most dangerous reaches to foment rebellion. Though a fictional chess-like game informs much of the narrative structure, its strategy paralleling character dynamics and plot, details about its rules and gameplay are lacking, robbing it of its full weight. Nevertheless, Wishingrad's cued-white characters are engaging and well-rounded, helping to propel the story. Ages 8–12.
