A Wilder Magic by Juliana Brandt

Abstract

Reviewed by: A Wilder Magic by Juliana Brandt Natalie Berglind Brandt, Juliana A Wilder Magic. Sourcebooks, 2021 [272p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781728209647 $16.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781728245737 $7.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781728209654 $7.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-7 The first time the Tennessee Valley Authority came to Sybaline’s valley, her father was drafted into the military, so the second time they show up she knows it’s bad news. The dam they’re building will soon be finished and the valley that gives Sybaline’s family their nature magic will flood, so the government is claiming the family’s land under eminent domain and relocating them. Sybaline plots with one of her cousins to stay, tricking the adults and using a magic wall to keep the flooding away, but historically, using the valley magic for selfish purposes will slowly transform the user into nature (i.e., a tree). Though the mention of the TVA pinpoints this story’s timeframe as World War II, there is little period context, leaving the setting unmoored. The narrative takes a turn into a survival story when Sybaline and her cousins are stuck inside the bubble of the valley, which brings some life to this novel even if it does depart from the magical. The universality of the themes of growing up and hometown identity may transcend some of the setting vagueness for readers, and kids expecting a big move may find comfort in Sybaline’s eventual acceptance of her need to leave the valley. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois