Marina and the Kraken

September 1, 2022
Grades 3-5 The Mythics saga begins in the land of Terrafamiliar, where humans have familiars, creatures with which they have a special bond. At the age of 10, all the kids attend a great pairing ceremony to meet their lifelong familiars. When it's Marina's turn, though, no familiar comes to meet her. As it turns out, Marina, as well as four other girls from different parts of Terrafamiliar, are in the same boat, which means they are a legendary team called the Mythics, who are destined to have mythical familiars and awesome powers to protect their land. Cute cartoon drawings appear throughout the book to bring extra life to the adventure, which takes readers through the anxious Marina's feat of courage to claim her mythic familiar, the kraken. There is a great deal of world building, and the girls face many hardships throughout their search for the other familiars. The overall tone is positive, focusing on teamwork, building each other up, and problem-solving. This swashbuckling adventure is the perfect entry point into a new literary world.

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September 15, 2022
A young girl seeks her animal familiar. In the land of Terrafamiliar, everyone has an animal companion, or familiar, with whom they're matched up. On Pairing Day, 10-year-olds like Marina all discover their familiars and begin the rest of their lives together. Marina worries that she'll match with a scary or difficult animal. Puzzlingly, however, she doesn't connect with any animal at all and soon discovers that she and a handful of other 10-year-old girls from across Terrafamiliar have similarly been left solo, an unprecedented phenomenon. Marina and the others learn that they are Mythics--special kids who have mythical creatures, aka Mythies, as their familiars--and that they must find them in the wild as a team. Marina and the others set out on a journey to reveal her Mythie first. Infused with a mild dose of peril, this straightforward story unfolds with a satisfying earnestness that pays off with an expected but entertaining ending. Readers with anxiety will see themselves in Marina, who deals with stomachaches and racing thoughts throughout the journey. Ember, a Mythic with dark skin and curly hair, was born with one arm, which is addressed in the story. Marina and her family have brown skin and straight hair. A fun first installment in a new series that will prime readers for more. (Fantasy. 7-10)

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