Oscar From Elsewhere

by Jaclyn Moriarty

Overview

A unique blend of humor, suspense, and magic, unfolding through the instantly recognizable rivalries, affections and foibles of her characters, from Jaclyn Moriarty

During a sleepover, a letter comes to five children begging for the urgent assistance of Esther Mettlestone-Staranise, the newly-realized Rain Weaver; she must arrive before 10am on Monday to save an entire town of elves. When they arrive, the children find two incredibly odd things: first, the town of elves, buried under layers of silver; and second, a regular-size boy who, soon after seeing the children, dies.

Oscar is that boy who skipped school in our world on Monday to skate, and found himself in the city of the elves at just the wrong moment: He fled as fast as he could, but not fast enough because the silver wave struck him and he fell down dead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646141906
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Series:	Kingdoms and Empires
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	24 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Jaclyn Moriarty is the award-winning author of uniquely creative and readable books for adults and young readers including The Year of Secret Assignments, the Colors of Madeleine trilogy, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, and The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst. One of the talented and popular Moriarty sisters (including Liane and Nicola), Jaclyn lives in Sydney, Australia. She is very fond of chocolate, blueberries, and sleep.

Editorial Reviews

[STAR] “The fourth installment of the villainously underrated Kingdoms and Empires series brings back an ensemble of beloved past characters while introducing 12-year-old Oscar, a new protagonist from neither Kingdom nor Empire, who joins the others after being teleported from elsewhere (Sydney, Australia) to the Elven city of Dun-sorey-lo-vay-lo-hey…As always, Moriarty leans into the humor of her Pratchettesque world and its absurdities while managing to craft lovable characters and nail down poignant moments of heart. A furiously fun adventure.”

– Booklist (starred)

"Moriarty’s fantasy is an intricate confection of a fairyland, busy with good-humored, imaginative invention. The personable, confiding voices of the two narrators, Imogen and Oscar, propel the novel along with a style as breathless with emotion as it is with unpredictable adventuring." —Horn Book

“Readers will enjoy the quirky questing tasks, including a high-stakes playground game, and the tricky vicissitudes of bright magic that opposes harmful shadow magic but has abundant quirks of its own. Grounding the fun is a more serious thread in which Oscar and Imogen realize the extent to which they have each been failed by adults in their lives and learn that it is okay to be taken care of instead of constantly caring for others' needs. The group makes a loving found family through their obvious affection and admiration for one another and much cousinly squabbling.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Nail-bitingly suspenseful and refreshingly witty.” —Kirkus

From the Publisher

2022-08-31
Accidentally slipping into a parallel world, 12-year-old Oscar from Sydney, Australia, finds himself involved in an elaborate quest to save a town of Elves.

One Monday morning at the skate park, Oscar Banetti gazes into a mirror and finds himself transported to another skate park where a giant silver wave is speeding toward him. That same day, 13-year-old Imogen Mettlestone-Staranise, her two sisters, a cousin, and another boy are summoned to the Elven city that is buried beneath a blanket of silver. Witches have placed all the Elves under a sleeping spell. Imogen and the children also witness Oscar apparently being killed by the silver wave. In fact, Oscar’s not dead—though he’s now stranded in this magical world until the Elves are freed. In order for this to happen, the six young people must become questers, deciphering enigmatic clues to find nine pieces of a key held by different key keepers, unlock a spell, and set the Elven city free within five days—or the Elves will die. Organized by the advancing days of the week to heighten the tension, the complex, fast-paced plot unfolds in Oscar’s and Imogen’s droll, alternating voices. On this endlessly surprising, often precarious, sometimes frustrating, and seemingly doomed quest, the children encounter magical creatures, including a Genie, Radish Gnomes, Crystal Faeries, and Water Sprites as their “tricky, tricksy trip” becomes a true journey of self-discovery. Oscar has Italian, Scottish, and Chilean heritage; Imogen reads White.

Nail-bitingly suspenseful and refreshingly witty. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews