Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Author Amanda Foody has successfully ventured from the YA books to middle grade fantasy with The Accidental Apprentice (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021). I’m excited to see there’s already a sequel planned in the Wilderlore series for next year.
Orphan Barclay Thorne is happy to be an apprentice to the village mushroom farmer. But when he is scared off the path into the Woods he meets a Lore Keeper looking for the same mushroom he needs. The girl is trying to bond with a Beast but it goes horribly wrong and Barclay is bonded with a Lufthund. Driven away from home, Barclay’s goal is to break the bond so he can return home. To do so he must journey to the city of the Lore Keepers who think these monsters are their friends and pets. But does he really fit with his rule-laden village?
Read about Amanda and her other books here. Enjoy several interviews with her about this book here and here.
The cover illustration is by Petur Antonsson–see more of his art here.
Looks like one to keep in mind!
Definitely!
I’d seen this one but didn’t know what it was about. Thanks for filling me in! Sounds like my kind of story.
Great!
This sounds like an exciting read. What a great cover! Thanks for sharing!
I really liked the main character.
I do love the idea of a mushroom farmer. (I’m part hobbit in that respect.)
That made me laugh.
I don’t read much fantasy, but I have some young friends who might like this. Thanks for the review.
You bet!
This sounds like a great new fantasy story. Thanks for letting us know about it.
This sounds like an exciting beginning to a series! Thanks so much for sharing it!