the 13th reality the journal of curious letters

In this sequel to a prequel, a third candidate for School Master brings simmering tensions between twins Rhian and Rafal to a boil. Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish). This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. Gradually-too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic-it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all.

When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. 10 & up)Ĭhainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.Įvery four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. But it all holds together remarkably well, encouraging suspension of disbelief to make way for glorious flights of imagination.

Readers will be as puzzled as the characters, who tumble from one complex and outrageous situation to the next, rescued from each at the last minute-sometimes with no explanation. They race across surrealistic landscapes drawn from an imagination that crosses Salvador Dalí with Baum’s Land of Oz. They’re whisked away into another reality…but was it Master George who did the whisking? The Realities are crumbling around the edges, and it is up to the trio to save the day. A message from Master George tells them to meet in the woods for transportation to headquarters and their next assignment. They’ve spent the summer relaxing with building anticipation for their next call to action. Tick, Paul and Sophia were brought together to solve a set of clues that led them into other dimensions in The Journal of Curious Letters (2008), the first installment in this intriguing series.

The 13th reality the journal of curious letters