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shayemiller's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t quite know what to expect since McKay is a new-to-me author, but what a wonderful magical realism middle grade book! It was an especially nice escape from the current pandemic and polarized political climate we’re currently facing. In a nutshell, it’s the story of two broken families merging as one. Taking on step parents and step siblings already isn’t easy, but combine that with financial concerns and attempting to find a new home and it can be quit trying. But these step siblings slowly begin to work together, understand one another, and protect each other with fierce devotion. When they find their perfect home to be a large ivy-covered house, off the beaten path, unusual things begin to happen.
At times, this felt like an older book, with lyrical phrases that yearn to be spoken aloud. However, it was clearly set in modern day (with mentions of things like the iPhone 4, etc.). There are also fun nods to other important works of fantasy, such as Narnia and Harry Potter, which will especially be fun for children who are well-read.
The description of the relationships and concern for others is so very realistic, therefore it was easy to feel an attachment to each character. For example, I felt the young romantic urges of Max and the story made me believe there really are Granny Graces out there who aren’t biologically related to you, but who would sacrifice their livelihood to raise you in love (and who would, undoubtedly, give their life for yours). There was also depth in the discussion of mistakes and consequences when two boys damage their relationship and the pain lingers and continues to make life far more difficult than it should be. Overall, the story was ominous, magical, sometime dark, but very hopeful.
One thing to know about Hilary McKay is that she started out life as a voracious reader. After university training in Botany and Zoology, she became a biochemist in an Analysis Department. She only quit work when she decided to spend more time with her children and she had a burning desire to WRITE! I share this because it helps me better understand her beautifully crafted world in this story — she’s studied far outside the realm of children’s literature and it is quite evident in her writing.
My thanks to Netgalley, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and Hilary McKay for providing me with an e-ARC so that I could review this book and write an honest review. I’m happy to recommend this book and it is currently available in bookstores and online.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
At times, this felt like an older book, with lyrical phrases that yearn to be spoken aloud. However, it was clearly set in modern day (with mentions of things like the iPhone 4, etc.). There are also fun nods to other important works of fantasy, such as Narnia and Harry Potter, which will especially be fun for children who are well-read.
The description of the relationships and concern for others is so very realistic, therefore it was easy to feel an attachment to each character. For example, I felt the young romantic urges of Max and the story made me believe there really are Granny Graces out there who aren’t biologically related to you, but who would sacrifice their livelihood to raise you in love (and who would, undoubtedly, give their life for yours). There was also depth in the discussion of mistakes and consequences when two boys damage their relationship and the pain lingers and continues to make life far more difficult than it should be. Overall, the story was ominous, magical, sometime dark, but very hopeful.
One thing to know about Hilary McKay is that she started out life as a voracious reader. After university training in Botany and Zoology, she became a biochemist in an Analysis Department. She only quit work when she decided to spend more time with her children and she had a burning desire to WRITE! I share this because it helps me better understand her beautifully crafted world in this story — she’s studied far outside the realm of children’s literature and it is quite evident in her writing.
My thanks to Netgalley, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and Hilary McKay for providing me with an e-ARC so that I could review this book and write an honest review. I’m happy to recommend this book and it is currently available in bookstores and online.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
jennvreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was very disappointed in this book. I was really hoping for a true fantasy, but its very much magical realism. I feel like there was a lack of description in some places because I found myself going back to see what was going on-and while I found where it should be I still couldn't find it. The ending was anticlimactic. I also found that while Louis was well developed, the other characters weren't as much.
smitinghedgehog's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent fantasy that can be appreciated by adults and children.
I loved the excellent character development and world building.
The story is well plotted and kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I loved the excellent character development and world building.
The story is well plotted and kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
squaresofliving's review against another edition
5.0
I think this was simply magical!
The characters were fleshed out and felt real, and the challenge of becoming a new family also felt very real. I adored Louise because he was just lovable instead of being annoying, which six year olds sometimes are... ☺️
The characters were fleshed out and felt real, and the challenge of becoming a new family also felt very real. I adored Louise because he was just lovable instead of being annoying, which six year olds sometimes are... ☺️
dmtcer's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book I would have loved as a child. Abi and her father (Theo) and grandmother (Granny Grace) are living a quiet life until THEO meets Polly and they decide to marry. Granny Grace leaves to go home, and Abi is forced into ready-made family life with her new family, including two step-brothers. Soon the landlord decides to sell their apartment, forcing a house hunt. One day they stumble upon an old tumbledown house covered with green ivy. Abi falls in love with it, and after much juggling of finances, the family ends up living in the ivy covered house.
Strange things begin happening whenever Abi finds herself absorbed in a book - a parrot emerges, a raft in the middle of a vast sea, bison come from a paint book, and Abi knows some how the house is filled with green magic. Little Louis conjures an imaginary friend - a cross between a tame cat and a wild beast. For a while he thinks the cat, Iffen, is his alone and no one can see him, until Abi catches him unaware.
Life in the ivy covered house is not tranquil. The children bicker and vie for attention of their respective parent, until Polly has to go away for time for her job, leaving Theo in charge. Tensions escalate, and even easy going Theo has a difficult time with it. This is the story of a family made up of all kinds of personalities and what it means to be accepted as you are for who you are always. This is a beautiful tale which centers around books and the magical worlds they can create.
Strange things begin happening whenever Abi finds herself absorbed in a book - a parrot emerges, a raft in the middle of a vast sea, bison come from a paint book, and Abi knows some how the house is filled with green magic. Little Louis conjures an imaginary friend - a cross between a tame cat and a wild beast. For a while he thinks the cat, Iffen, is his alone and no one can see him, until Abi catches him unaware.
Life in the ivy covered house is not tranquil. The children bicker and vie for attention of their respective parent, until Polly has to go away for time for her job, leaving Theo in charge. Tensions escalate, and even easy going Theo has a difficult time with it. This is the story of a family made up of all kinds of personalities and what it means to be accepted as you are for who you are always. This is a beautiful tale which centers around books and the magical worlds they can create.
tashrow's review against another edition
5.0
When Abi’s father starts to date and then marries Max and Louis’ mom, her entire life is upended. The best part though is that they move into a very special house together, where Abi has her own room, there is a cemetery with foxes, and Abi can have a bit of space. Still, she does have to put up with a new mother, a rather dirty little brother, and become a middle child instead of being an only child. The house the family moves into, after a long search for a home they can afford, is covered with ivy and soon strange things start to happen. When Abi, who loves to read, truly becomes engrossed in a book, she actually enters it, returning covered in salt spray or with parrots flashing across the room. Louis finds a new friend who emerges from the ivy, a cat-like thing that becomes larger as time goes by. It’s all beautiful and enchanting, until suddenly the danger becomes real and the three children must figure out how to save themselves from the magic of the house.
I have always adored McKay’s books about realistic families who tumble through life in a mash of spilled book bags, beloved stories, messy rooms, and lots of love. McKay uses that same template here, providing readers with a blended family just barely making things work with damp school uniforms, a French babysitter more interested in art, and three new siblings finding their way at school and home. Here though, she injects a burst of real magic that takes the story directly into magical realism and fantasy, something she is incredible good at as well.
As always, it is McKay’s characters who are at the center of her book and story. Here we have the quiet and deep Abi, Max who is in a desperate fight with his best friend at school, and Louis who is looking for comfort. Take their blended family and remove the mother to work for a few months and you have a teetering story full of adoration, messes and wonder.
A marvelous venture into fantasy by an acclaimed author, this is worth entering the green ivy for. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
I have always adored McKay’s books about realistic families who tumble through life in a mash of spilled book bags, beloved stories, messy rooms, and lots of love. McKay uses that same template here, providing readers with a blended family just barely making things work with damp school uniforms, a French babysitter more interested in art, and three new siblings finding their way at school and home. Here though, she injects a burst of real magic that takes the story directly into magical realism and fantasy, something she is incredible good at as well.
As always, it is McKay’s characters who are at the center of her book and story. Here we have the quiet and deep Abi, Max who is in a desperate fight with his best friend at school, and Louis who is looking for comfort. Take their blended family and remove the mother to work for a few months and you have a teetering story full of adoration, messes and wonder.
A marvelous venture into fantasy by an acclaimed author, this is worth entering the green ivy for. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
readasaurus_rex's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A very sweet middle grade! This is the kind of book that made me fall in love with reading when I was a kid. It suddenly made me wish I had a kid in my life that I could read aloud to.
ellielabbett's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful, transportative read. McKay's story is a one of magic and discovery, involving three children moving into a narrow house encased with ivy, who begin to notice unbelievable things happening when they are on their own. A story with strong elements of fantasy, but also one of transition and adapting to new family circumstances, as two single parents marry and their children find themselves having to negotiate a chaotic and originally unwanted new home life.
A story that is easy to fall for from the offset. Abi, Max and Louis are three strong willed characters, each with vulnerabilities and I would be surprised if readers were unable to see either themselves or someone they are close to within at least one of them. The interactions between these characters was just excellent, and I loved the way that they were able to navigate through the real and the fantasy in this story.
McKay's narrative read just as seamlessly as The Skylark's War but I think The Time of Green Magic possibly topped it. Something about this growing family sold it for me, and the shimmers of humour and love between the three characters leave such warmth when the story is finished.
A story that is easy to fall for from the offset. Abi, Max and Louis are three strong willed characters, each with vulnerabilities and I would be surprised if readers were unable to see either themselves or someone they are close to within at least one of them. The interactions between these characters was just excellent, and I loved the way that they were able to navigate through the real and the fantasy in this story.
McKay's narrative read just as seamlessly as The Skylark's War but I think The Time of Green Magic possibly topped it. Something about this growing family sold it for me, and the shimmers of humour and love between the three characters leave such warmth when the story is finished.