April 15, 2024
Thirteen-year-old orphaned Hattie Swift, a maid-in-training, has spent her life at Majestica, a resort home to Ridgewell’s Fantastical Creature Park, a magical wildlife preserve where her gamekeeper father worked until his death when she was six. When she’s assigned as a replacement maid for the spoiled hotel owner’s niece Evelyn Ridgewell, also 13, and must accompany Evelyn on a guided tour of the preserve, neither girl is happy. After disaster strands the tour members in a wilderness full of mystical creatures, ruthless hunters, and other hazards, Hattie and Evelyn form an unlikely alliance to survive on their way back to the hotel. Along their journey, they discover that there are dark secrets surrounding the park’s origins and true purpose and resolve to protect the preserve’s inhabitants from further danger. As Hattie and Evelyn contend with supernatural creatures—including three-headed “trigers” and dragons—they must also navigate interpersonal challenges stemming from their family legacies and disparate social standings. Via the girls’ alternating POVs and evocative descriptions of the park’s natural setting, Tolcser (Whisper of the Tide) delivers a pulse-pounding adventure that examines themes of conservation, exploitation, and responsibility. Hattie and Evelyn read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Susan Hawk, Upstart Crow Literary.
May 15, 2024
Grades 4-7 Hattie only knows life at Majestica, having grown up at the luxury resort in the vast nature preserve for magical flora and fauna. She's eager to become a full-fledged employee, but complications arise in the form of the owner's arrogant niece, who needs a servant to accompany her on the preserve's train tour. A reluctant Hattie accepts the assignment, but things go from uncomfortable to unfathomable when something shuts down the mysterious mechanism keeping the park in working order. The stranded girls clock that the adults aren't taking the situation seriously, and it's up to them to navigate the dangerous park and save everyone--and every animal--in the nature preserve. The riveting romp takes a Jurassic Park-like approach to the proceedings, but the marvelous magical menagerie and Victorian details make it feel terrifically fresh. There is danger, daring, and mounting mystery aplenty, but quiet moments of introspection give the suspenseful story room to breathe, and it's a thrill to watch the girls determinedly take control of their own destiny. An epic adventure sure to enthrall and inspire.
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Starred review from May 15, 2024
Young teens face fearful challenges as they try to right the wrongs of others. Thirteen-year-old orphan Hattie Swift lives and works in the magical paradise of Hotel Majestica, a resort located in a sanctuary for fantastical creatures in the land of Ruava. When Evelyn Ridgewell, the disagreeable niece of the hotel's owner, arrives for a wilderness tour--a treat for her 13th birthday--Hattie ends up serving as her personal attendant. The girls encounter Jacob Threadborne, a boy from the land of Marchwild who's traveling as the apprentice to the country's interior secretary, who's on a mission to reclaim the Gem of the Evening, a powerful ancient relic that Marchwilders hold the Ridgewell family responsible for stealing. What was meant to be a luxurious train tour through the park turns into a treacherous survival mission when the train is sabotaged, and passengers are left scattered in the jungle. Dark secrets are revealed as the three young people work together to survive and save Majestica's wondrous inhabitants. The rich worldbuilding will draw readers into an immersive adventure among the animal preserve's biomes. Tolcser combines themes of conservation and the repatriation of cultural artifacts with unexpected friendships to create a fast-paced fantasy. Caparo's exquisite art adds to the magic. Hattie and Evelyn are cued white; Jacob reads Black, and there's additional racial diversity among secondary characters. Charming characters abound in this tale that's thoughtfully grounded in ethics. (map, bestiary, character list) (Fantasy. 9-13)
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September 27, 2024
Gr 4-8-Thirteen-year-old Hattie Swift feels stuck as the only a maid-in-training at Majestica, a resort for rare, magical flora and fauna, and the most wonderful place in the world to her. Hattie wishes to be older and to feel a part of something. Due to certain events, Hattie is asked to accompany snobby Evelyn Ridgewell, niece of the hotel owner, as her chaperone on a famous wilderness train excursion. Soon Hattie is caught up in a whirlwind of drama, complete with an apprentice magician named Jacob, a train breakdown in a dangerous area, poachers, dragons on the loose, and more. The only way for Hattie to make it back to Majestica safely is to team up with Evelyn and Jacob. This is a delightful tale full of magic, fantastical creatures and plants, and, of course, adventure. It has a historical fiction feel due to the setting. It's fast paced and has well-developed characters and complex budding friendships. Also included is an opening map, a cast list of characters and creatures, and illustrated chapter headings. VERDICT A fantastical animal adventure perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures and Eric Kahn Gale's The Zoo at the Edge of the World.-Maeve Dodds
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