The Little Grey Girl (The Wild Magic Trilogy, Book Two)

September 1, 2019

Gr 3-6-This second installment of the "Wild Magic" trilogy picks up directly after the ending of Begone the Raggedy Witches. Now that Mup's mother, Stella, has defeated the tyrant Queen and her army, Mup and her family move to the Glittering Land with the hope of creating a unified democracy. They soon learn that restoring peace takes more than eliminating oppression. This title shines a light on a topic not usually addressed in middle grade fantasy: the confusing, turbulent, and fearful time after the fall of a regime. The residents of the Glittering Land still cower under the threat of the old Queen, and lifelong prejudices will not be turned off like a switch. The ordinary folk who suffered the most under the old Queen's cruelty view those who worked in the castle as silent accomplices. Mup is still a heroine whose fierce hope, love, and loyalty have the power to bridge worlds. Even while admiring the castle's coziness, she remembers that beneath her are the dungeons in which she was once caged. These painful memories only strengthen her determination to embrace happiness where she finds it. Now, Mup must overcome a vengeful ghost who orchestrates a deadly reckoning. VERDICT A strong and satisfying follow-up that continues to explore timely, real-world issues in a highly engaging fantasy setting.-Sophie Kenney, Delray Beach Public Library, FL

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Starred review from August 15, 2019
Mup Taylor returns to the Glittering Land to find that happy endings are not as simple as they seem. The old queen has been defeated, and nothing will ever be the same. Mup, Mam, Dad, and Tipper have left the mundane world behind to live in the Glittering Land, where Mam is expected to take her place as her mother's heir. Mam, however, rejects crown and title with plans for a more equitable structure, and her support and subjects' confidence begin to crack apart. Mup doesn't understand it--how can the people be so resistant to change and even fear using their own magic freely at last? But change after years of tyranny proves not so simple, and when a little grey ghost girl begins unleashing a storm of fury and pain on the castle, cracks become chasms brimming with pain and reckoning. In this sequel to Begone the Raggedy Witches (2018), Kiernan digs into the trope of the fairy-tale ending to expose its messy tangle of roots. There is admirable trust placed in readers to grapple alongside Mup with both her desire to end a kingdom's suffering and the complex processes of bearing witness and healing. Mup's mixed racial identity (her human dad's black, and her magical mother presents white) takes a back seat to her magical one here, but consistent characterization and thoughtful development continues. A breath-stealing second installment to read and reread in anticipation of the third. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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