Claire M. Caterer is the author of The Key & the Flame and its sequel The Wand & the Sea. She lives in Kansas with her family. Visit her at ClaireCaterer.com.
"A fun-filled read... a solid fantasy in the classic tradition. The
multi-threaded narrative offers a variety of young heroes for
readers to root for, and it's jam-packed with memorable secondary
characters of the magical sort, like sleek leogryffs, tricky
fairies, and a talking cat."-- "The Bulletin"
Filled with swordfights, spells, and an endearing cast of
creatures, Holly's journey makes for a rousing adventure.
Chronicles of Narnia fans will rally around this debut fantasy
novel and ask for the forthcoming sequel.-- "Library Media
Connection"
Gr 4-7-Eleven-year-old Holly Shepard hungers for adventure, but she's stuck in Middle America. When her mother's law firm sends the family to Oxford, England, Holly rejoices even as her younger brother, Ben, frets about high-speed Internet access. Once the family is settled into their new home, Holly receives a mysterious key and a cryptic riddle from their cottage caretaker. Holly, Ben, and their neighbor Everett enter the woods and use the key to open a doorway to Anglielle, an alternative, magical England. When Ben and Everett become the prisoners of Prince Avery, Holly finds help from the members of a hidden community that wishes to overthrow the current regime and release magic users and creatures from oppression. They claim she is an "Adept," someone who can wield great magic, and she must access her new powers to help free the boys. Meanwhile, Everett's decision to steal another key has repercussions for them all. Caterer presents an intriguing magical world that is unfortunately diminished by conventional plotting and dialogue. Anglielle's denizens are numerous and memorable, and detailed descriptions of the forest and castle enliven the prose, but the inorganic plot elements sometimes seem prescribed. For example, Everett telegraphs, carries out, and rehashes his decision to betray Holly in such an obvious fashion, it may engender eye rolling. Readers of Angie Sage's Magyk (HarperCollins, 2005) or Bruce Coville's Into the Land of the Unicorns (Scholastic, 1994) will want to follow Holly's adventures even if uninspired plotting prevents an intriguing idea from reaching its full potential.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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