Free-spirited Marabel must defy expectations to rescue her brother–and their kingdom–in this charming, action-packed, and magical story perfect for fans of Ella Enchanted and Dealing with Dragons.
In Magikos, life is dictated by the Book of Fate’s ancient predictions, including the birth of a royal Chosen One who will save the realm. Princess Marabel has grown up in the shadow of her twin brother, Marco, who everyone assumes is the true Chosen One. While Marco is adored and given every opportunity, Marabel is overlooked and has to practice her sword fighting in secret.
But on the night of their thirteenth birthday, Marco is kidnapped by an evil queen, and Marabel runs to his rescue. Outside the castle walls for the first time, accompanied by her best friend and a very smug unicorn, Marabel embarks on a daring mission that brings her face-to-face with fairies, trolls, giants–and the possibility that all is not as it seems in Magikos.
Hott Review:
I’m always on the lookout for books to share with my sheltered under 15 family. As soon as I saw Marabel and the Book of Fate I was positive I’d found a winner.
I have to admit, I loved this story. Marabel is a terrific character!! Her parents aren’t so amazing. But honestly, she’s a girl we’d want our daughters to emulate. She’s flawed but honest, driven but filled with grace, and fiece but loving.
Plus, this adventure is wonderful! This is something I’d love to have read to the kids when they were little. (Yes, I’m picturing The intro to The Princess Bride.) Marabel and the Book of Fate is fun, it doesn’t drag, and it’ll keep their imaginations moving!
The only thing I didn’t LOVE was The Book of Fate. While this was cleared up for me at the end, sort of, I’d suggest that if you’re a conservative Christian, you read Marabel and the Book of Fate before sharing it with your youngsters.
More…
| Author: | Tracy Barrett | ||
| Source: | I borrowed Marabel and the Book of Fate from NetGalley because I wanted to read it and share it with you. | ||
| Publisher & Date: | February 6th 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | ||
| Genre: | Middle-Grade Fantasy | ||
| ISBN: | 0316433993 (ISBN13: 9780316433990) | ||
| Pages: | 304 | ||
| Grade: | A | ||
| Ages: | 6+ | ||
| Steam: | None | ||
| Setting: | The Land of Magikos | ||
Excerpt:
Author Bio:
Tracy Barrett is the author of numerous books and magazine articles for young readers.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree with honors in Classics-Archaeology from Brown University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Italian Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarly interests in the ancient and medieval worlds overlap in her fiction and nonfiction works.
A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study medieval women writers led to the writing of her first novel, the award-winning Anna of Byzantium (Delacorte). Her most recent publications are The Song of Orpheus: The Greatest Greek Myths You Never Heard, a collection of little-known Greek myths; a retelling of Cinderella entitled The Stepsister’s Tale; and the popular middle-grade series The Sherlock Files.
From 1999 to 2009 Tracy Barrett was the Regional Advisor for the Midsouth (Tennessee and Kentucky) with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is now SCBWI’s Regional Advisor Coordinator.
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