From the Publisher:
Riley Oh can't wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she's a saram--a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she's ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.
My Thoughts:
This is another Rick Riordan presents book like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, except this one, by Graci Kim, weaves in Korean mythology into her tale of magic clans living amongst the saram (muggles in Rowling world or people without magic). Ms. Kim checks all the boxes for a tween best selling adventure story: a character or characters that feel like outcasts, misunderstood, odd balls and a very important quest that relies on loyalty, sacrifice and bravery.
Riley reminds me of Chaya from The Girl Who Stole an Elephant. Like Chaya, Riley is headstrong, stubborn, and very brave. She has fiercely loyal friends (including a sister, Hattie, in Riley's case) and she puts them in danger. However, true to contemporary Disney princess form, Riley (and Chaya) does everything they can to save their friends and repair the disasters that they caused, including, in Riley's case, sacrificing herself. This is another great read aloud for the 5th, 6th grade classroom as well as a middle level enrichment class. I hope to see more of Riley. I think she has a Percy Jackson like series of adventures in front of her.
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