Lostus Island: City of Wishes by Christina Soontornvat – Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Book Jacket Synopsis:

During the New Year’s  break, Plum and her friends travel to fancy, fashionable Nakhon Island to stay with Sam and his mother, the powerful Lady Ubon. The New Year always brings food, parties and the grand old tradition of making a wish..

At first, Plum is dazzled by the big Nakhon City is. She’s never experienced anything like it! But under the glittering surface, secrets lurk. Mysterious tremors that shake the ground are growing worse by the day. Nakhon’s troubles give Plum a chance to fulfill her own New Year’s wish: To do something big and meaningful with her Guardian powers. But how far will she have to go, and what will she have to give up, to make that wish come true?

From three-time Newbery honor recipient Christina Soontornvat comes a compelling new young middle grade fantasy series for readers who love stories about animals, magic, and kids like them embracing their power to change the world.

What I like about City of Wishes:

City of Wishes is another engaging sequel in the Lotus Island series. The plot thickens and ancient history becomes a little more apparent, as well as the direction of future novels. But, the story is also more contemporary, with robots and high-tech equipment that can be used for good or evil.

The story has the same cast of central characters with some new addition joining the journey. This is a tight group of friends, each with their own guardian form and powers/talents. Plum transforms into a roan (large deer with ruby horns). Mikko becomes a huge field sloth,. Sam turns into a gray wolfhound, Salan becomes a large blue whybird. Cherry becomes a very large gillybear with cream-colored fur and webbed paws. Their powers fall into the categories of: Hand Guardians who are physically powerful; Breath Guardians who have keen powers of sense; and Heart Guards who possess healing powers. Plum still feels out of place because she doesn’t seem to fit any of the categories, but she does posess an unusual talent.

With each book, the plot continues to deepen, whether it is saving the trees in an ancient forest or trying to figure out what is causing the very larger tremors felt in Nakhon Island. It is solid with many elements of danger the will keep readers turning pages. Soontornvat teases her readers with the first chapter of Book 4, Temple of Secrets, which is out September 17, 2024.

I must add how thrilled I am to read this series. Five of my great grand children and great nieces and nephews range from 6- 10. It is a great way to introduce them to fantasy and challenge them to want to read more sophisticated novels. And they will be delighted with a shorter reading length, more sophisticated storytelling, and the wonderful Kevin Hong illustrations scattered through. Just look at that cover!

Christina Soontornvat is the bestselling author of two Newbery Honor books, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team. She is also the author of The Last Mapmaker, and Scholastic’s beloved fantasy series Diary of an Ice Princess, the graphic novel The Tryout,  as well as the  picture books, The Ramble Shamble Children, and To Change a Planet.  As a child, Christina spent most of her time at her parents’ Thai restaurant with her nose stuck in a book. These days, she loves nothing better than spending a day hiking and swimming in the creeks and swimming holes around Austin, Texas, with her husband and two daughters. You can learn more about her work at her website.

Greg Pattridge hosts Marvelous Middle Grade Monday https://wp.me/p2uXDl-5WY posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the link to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.

*Reviewed from a library copy.