The Evil Wizard Smallbone, by Delia Sherman. 2016.
Candlewick Press, 99 Dover Street, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA 02144
This book was lots of fun. It starts like the usual YA quest fantasy, with the orphan runaway encountering magic, but the way it goes on is rather different. For those who are familiar with Maine, there's a strong hint that something is up when we're told that there are no mosquitoes and no black flies in the lands around Smallbone Cove. Some of the twists along the way were a little less surprising to me as a hardened fantasy reader than they might have been to someone younger, but I didn't guess everything either. No one is described by race but I think I spotted some hints that a few characters might be PoC.
Candlewick Press, 99 Dover Street, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA 02144
This book was lots of fun. It starts like the usual YA quest fantasy, with the orphan runaway encountering magic, but the way it goes on is rather different. For those who are familiar with Maine, there's a strong hint that something is up when we're told that there are no mosquitoes and no black flies in the lands around Smallbone Cove. Some of the twists along the way were a little less surprising to me as a hardened fantasy reader than they might have been to someone younger, but I didn't guess everything either. No one is described by race but I think I spotted some hints that a few characters might be PoC.