Finished books 18 and 19 over the holiday…

Finished books 18 and 19 over the holiday weekend. Enjoyed both — especially book 18. It’s innovative, it’s in the vein of a sub-genre that I have grown to really appreciate and I label it Fantastica Americana. Fantastica Americana is rooted in some time and somewhere in the United States, usually rural areas where people are still quite connected to the land. Some fantastic elements are interwoven into the daily lives of the characters and everyone takes that magic for granted. N.D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards series and Ingrid Law’s Savvy series fit the bill of this sub genre. Book 18 has a great and quite convincing magical element, explained aptly and kept consistent throughout the story. The resolution is not easily expected but better than the expectation. There is so much gentleness, so much love and care: about nature and about the people — and even a couple of sympathetic villains with more than 2 dimensions. It’s also an easy book to talk about — I just summarize it with a couple of sentences and the central concept grabs any kid reader I mentioned it to. I am waiting to hear some feedback from young readers.