The Silver Arrow

by Lev Grossman

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Lev Grossman is best known for his bestselling adult works, but his middle grade debut is undoubtedly one for the ages as well. When Kate’s eccentric uncle gifts her with a magical train for her birthday, she sets off on an adventure with her younger brother, Tom, through faraway lands accompanied by an assortment of talking animals. This rollicking tale with an important message is perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and The Phantom Tollbooth.

Kate's humdrum life is transformed when her eccentric Uncle Herbert brings her a colossal locomotive train, the Silver Arrow, as her eleventh birthday gift, leading her and her younger brother on a mysterious quest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316539548
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lev Grossman is the author of five novels including the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy, which has been published in thirty countries. A TV adaptation of the trilogy is now in its fifth season as the top-rated show on Syfy. Grossman is also an award-winning journalist who spent fifteen years as the book critic and lead technology writer at Time magazine, where he published more than twenty cover stories. In addition he has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, the Believer, the Village Voice, NPR, Salon, Slate, and Buzzfeed, among many others. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.

Editorial Reviews

The same delightful type of genre deconstruction that animates Grossman's young adult Magicians trilogy is at work in The Silver Arrow…an eco-fable that addresses a serious global crisis (climate change, though the term is never used) with whimsy: It's easier to get kids interested in theoretical scientific concepts if you charm them with talking animals…While in The Magicians magic provides unhappy people with a way out, in The Silver Arrow it shows Kate she need not escape into a fantasy world when there's more rewarding work to be done in this one than she'd ever imagined.

The New York Times Book Review - Anya Jaremko-Greenwold

Praise for The Silver Arrow:


"I loved it. Completely unpredictable and completely charming. A perfect book to cuddle up with and savor—and even better to read aloud with someone you love." —Adam Gidwitz, bestselling and Newbery honor-winning author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and The Inquisitor's Tale

*"Both cozy and inspiring, this eco-fable conveys both grim truths and a defiant call to action."—Kirkus, starred review

*"Grossman's gorgeous middle-grade debut is vivid and amusing... it's a world all its own."—Booklist, starred review

"...whimsical details and well-wrought moments of adventure are nevertheless certain to draw young readers."—Publishers Weekly

"...one that's sure to become a classic all its own."—Barnes & Noble Reads

"[A] scrumptious fantasy confection."—Horn Book

"Fans of classic talking-animal tales such as the Chronicles of Narnia will want to pick up a copy."—BCCB

"I loved every page. This is middle grade fiction at its best."—Ann Patchett

From the Publisher

★ 2020-06-30
The best birthday present is a magical train full of talking animals—and a new job.

On Kate’s 11th birthday, she’s surprised by the arrival of rich Uncle Herbert. Uncle Herbert bears a gift: a train. Not a toy train, a 102.36-ton steam engine, with cars that come later. When Kate and her brother, Tom, both white, play in the cab of the Silver Arrow, the train starts up, zooming to a platform packed with animals holding tickets. Thus begins Kate and Tom’s hard work: They learn to conduct the train and feed the fire box, instructed by the Silver Arrow, which speaks via printed paper tape. The Silver Arrow is a glorious playground: The library car is chockablock with books while the candy car is brimful of gobstoppers and gummy bears. But amid the excitement of whistle-blowing and train conducting, Kate and Tom learn quiet messages from their animal friends. Some species, like gray squirrels and starlings, are “invaders.” The too-thin polar bear’s train platform has melted, leaving it almost drowned. Their new calling is more than just feeding the coal box—they need to find a new balance in a damaged world. “Feeling guilty doesn’t help anything,” the mamba tells them. Humans have survived so effectively they’ve taken over the world; now, he says, “you just have to take care of it.” (Illustrations not seen.)

Both cozy and inspiring, this eco-fable conveys both grim truths and a defiant call to action. (Fantasy. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews