MARCH 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kathleen McInerney delivers all the heavy tween emotions writer Anne Ursu serves up in this empowering story of magical realism for middle grades. Fifth-grade twins Iris and Lark feel lost when they are placed in separate classrooms for the first time. Outspoken Iris tries to define herself while worrying that no one will stand up for sensitive Lark. McInerney paints the girls with starkly different tones, brash and combative for Iris but soft and vulnerable for Lark. The Midwestern vowels in some of the adult voices complement the Minnesota setting. As items around town go missing, the school-day turmoil the girls face is eclipsed by something far more frightening and mystical. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Monica Edinger
Capturing with piercing accuracy Iris's evolving anguish, Ursu…ends this passionate and complex story with a celebration of sibling autonomy, youthful agency and the power of friends.
Publishers Weekly
★ 11/19/2018
Twin sisters Iris and Lark are “identical, but not the same.” Iris is down-to-earth; Lark has her head in the clouds. The girls have always looked after each other, and when they are placed in different classrooms and after-school activities (art camp for Lark, a library girls’ group for Iris) during fifth grade, they are devastated. Nothing feels right to Iris, whose dismay is exacerbated by a series of unsettling events: meeting the peculiar owner of an antique shop who claims he’s doing magic, noticing objects gone missing from the twins’ home, and being followed by a giant crow. The occurrences connect to a dark secret that proves dangerous to Iris and could separate the twins forever. As intriguing as it is eerie, this imaginative tale by Ursu (The Real Boy) is told from the point of view of the crow, who observes Iris’s actions and emotions as she faces life and peril, for the first time without her sister. This suspenseful mystery offers a story of empowerment, showing how one girl with the help of others can triumph. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Ursu ends this passionate and complex story with a celebration of sibling autonomy, youthful agency and the power of friends.” — New York Times Book Review
★“National Book Award nominee Ursu laces her story with fairy-tale elements and real-life monsters, while taking great care to cast girls in an empowering light and as authors (and heroes) of their own stories. It is a layered, mysterious tale that will speak to many.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
★“As intriguing as it is eerie… This suspenseful mystery offers a story of empowerment, showing how one girl with the help of others can triumph.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★”The sense of adventure and mystery make this appealing to a wide audience. A beautiful, timeless tale of love conquering darkness in the midst of mystery and the angst of change. A must-have for any middle grade collection.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Ursu unleashes a sharp, timely, age-appropriate critique of the myriad ways in which patriarchal culture devalues female agency, especially that of young girls. The novel finely balances the importance of self-reliance with the power of collective action.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Ursu’s fans will find much to love.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A magical story of sisterly love and loss and friendship.” — Tulsa Book Review
Tulsa Book Review
A magical story of sisterly love and loss and friendship.
ALA Booklist (starred review)
★“National Book Award nominee Ursu laces her story with fairy-tale elements and real-life monsters, while taking great care to cast girls in an empowering light and as authors (and heroes) of their own stories. It is a layered, mysterious tale that will speak to many.
New York Times Book Review
Ursu ends this passionate and complex story with a celebration of sibling autonomy, youthful agency and the power of friends.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Ursu unleashes a sharp, timely, age-appropriate critique of the myriad ways in which patriarchal culture devalues female agency, especially that of young girls. The novel finely balances the importance of self-reliance with the power of collective action.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Ursu unleashes a sharp, timely, age-appropriate critique of the myriad ways in which patriarchal culture devalues female agency, especially that of young girls. The novel finely balances the importance of self-reliance with the power of collective action.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Ursu unleashes a sharp, timely, age-appropriate critique of the myriad ways in which patriarchal culture devalues female agency, especially that of young girls. The novel finely balances the importance of self-reliance with the power of collective action.
School Library Journal
★ 12/01/2018
Gr 3–6—Ursu's latest novel follows the story of Iris and Lark as they start fifth grade. Iris prides herself on her knowledge, rationality, and assertiveness while Lark is more dreamy and artistic. When they find out that they have been assigned different teachers for the first time ever, their world is shaken. Lark's shyness and anxiety seem to make her wilt and Iris has difficulty connecting to her new classmates while worrying about her twin. Meanwhile, a new store called "Treasure Hunters" sets up shop in their Minneapolis neighborhood. The odd messages on the sign intrigue the sisters, setting Iris on the trail of an ominous mystery as Lark retreats inside herself. Although the sisters initially seem to be too purposely disparate in character, the characterization is not all that it seems. In fact, the magical realism of the book allows an almost metaphoric view of the world as Iris grapples with both supernatural and psychological threats. The style of the novel echoes the mysteriousness of the plot: the viewpoint shifts between Iris, an unnamed observer, and the omniscient chronicler of the disappearance of state treasures. The prose is lovely, unafraid to echo the mysterious questions posed or Iris's comforting refrain that she and Lark have better outcomes when they are together. The sense of adventure and mystery make this appealing to a wide audience. VERDICT A beautiful, timeless tale of love conquering darkness in the midst of mystery and the angst of change. A must-have for any middle grade collection.—Erin Reilly-Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison
MARCH 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kathleen McInerney delivers all the heavy tween emotions writer Anne Ursu serves up in this empowering story of magical realism for middle grades. Fifth-grade twins Iris and Lark feel lost when they are placed in separate classrooms for the first time. Outspoken Iris tries to define herself while worrying that no one will stand up for sensitive Lark. McInerney paints the girls with starkly different tones, brash and combative for Iris but soft and vulnerable for Lark. The Midwestern vowels in some of the adult voices complement the Minnesota setting. As items around town go missing, the school-day turmoil the girls face is eclipsed by something far more frightening and mystical. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-11-21
How will identical twins survive separation for the first time, especially when there's a monster in their Minneapolis neighborhood?
Fifth grade is full of big changes for white identical twins Iris and Lark when they discover they will not only have different teachers, but different after-school activities. A third-person—although not omniscient—narrator recounts the twins' story. Identifying this narrator is the start of many mysteries. And although the plot revolves around the girls' burgeoning independence, Ursu focuses most on the separation's effect on Iris. Having watched her sister face multiple illnesses, she's become Lark's protector and remains reluctant to give up this role. Grounded in spot-on twin truths, the mysterious story is also a modern-day fantasy with myriad components: local art heists and an antiques store with cryptic signs; the store owner's magical experiments and missing sister; Lark's own missing items and fondness for crows; Iris' Pied Piper dreams and folktale musings; Iris' after-school program at the library and its diverse group of girls, who explore self-esteem and feminism. The details are astounding, but the overall effect is overly ambitious. When the monster finally appears, the finale feels rushed as the girls work to defeat him. But the process allows the twins to realize that growing up doesn't mean growing apart. Charming illustrations throughout reflect both the girls' subtle physical differences and larger adventures.
Ursu's fans will find much to love. (Fantasy. 8-12)
