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I received an ARC of this title, but it took me a while to get around to reading it - mostly because I knew right away that I was going to purchase it! It's a middle grade fantasy that is just under 150 pages long. A rare gem indeed!
The story opens with Plum happily tending to her grandparents' garden on their remote island and quickly segues to her bewildered shock when she finds out they have applied for her to attend the elite Guardian Academy on Lotus Island. She's scared of leaving her family and trying something new, but determined to shine and make her grandparents, and her deceased mother, proud. Unfortunately, the things that come so easily to the other students seem impossible to her. There are bullies who look down on her because of her poverty and snooty rich kids. She also discovers that not everyone appreciates and honors the Guardians!
As Plum makes friends and explores the island, she continues to struggle over her biggest challenge - transforming into an amazing animal that will protect and serve the land and its creatures. Does she have the inner magic she needs for this challenge or will she be unable to transform and sent home a failure?
This is a pure delight from start to finish. Brisk pacing, fantasy elements infused with Asian culture, magical creatures, and suspicious secrets abound. There are stereotypical kids who turn out to be more nuanced and enough excitement and adventure to keep kids reading breathlessly and eagerly awaiting the next volume.
Verdict: This fills a huge gap in library collections - middle grade for younger readers who can't, or don't want to - read massive 400 page tomes. Soontornvat in her introductory note says she wrote this for kids aging out of beginning chapters but not ready for the big epic fantasies and it absolutely hits the target. A must-have for every library collection.
ISBN: 9781338759150; Published March 2023 by Scholastic; ARC provided by publisher; Purchased for the library
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