Anne Ursu

Orphaned Oscar works as a hand - a sort of scullery maid / under-apprentice - for the magician Caleb in this engaging, thought-provoking middle-grade fantasy from Anne Ursu. Far from the prying eyes of the residents of Barrow Village, or the Shining People from the City of Asteri, he gathers herbs and other plants from Caleb's gardens in the nearby forest, and prepares them in Caleb's cellar. Oscar likes set routines, and has difficulty interacting with people and interpreting their words show more and actions, so this quiet life suits him. Then Caleb's apprentice is killed, while Caleb himself is off on the Continent on business, and Oscar finds himself catapulted into an adventure he never imagined and doesn't desire. Something is very wrong on the magical island of Aletheia - something to do with the very magic that sets it apart - and together with the healer's apprentice Callie, Oscar is the only one capable of figuring it all out...

I enjoyed so many things about The Real Boy that it's difficult to know where to begin, in enumerating them. Oscar himself is an engaging protagonist, and I thought it was fascinating to see him try to work out what the people around him were really trying to say, and what their actions meant. It's quite rare to see an autistic character in a fantasy, rather than a more realistic story, so I appreciated that as well. The mistake Oscar makes, in trying to uncover who he truly is - his belief that Caleb carved him from wizard-wood, and that is why he is not like other people - was quite poignant. I also really loved Callie, who manages to be a believable, well-rounded character, one who is prickly at times but still sympathetic and goodhearted. The five cats who keep Oscar company throughout - Cat, Bear, Crow, Map and Pebble - also added a lot for me, probably because I do love the felines. In addition to the cast, the story itself was really quite interesting, even if I guessed one or two developments ahead of time. A lot of thorny questions are raised through the story, from what makes a person "real" to the ethical use of magic (or any power, really) in pursing one's desires. The role of history and memory, in shaping our behavior, the power of the past to warp our views, these are all incorporated here, as are the ideas of self-sacrifice and love, and the destructive potential of the natural world, especially when abused. The form the 'monster' takes, toward the end of the book, put me strongly in mind of the fabled Golem of legend, which was also quite fascinating. Finally, in addition to loving the characters, enjoying the story, and appreciating the philosophical depth here, I also found the book really well written. There were numerous sentences and phrases I had to read over again, to savor their insight or beauty. When Oscar refers to the sections of Caleb's library as "well-ordered countries of knowledge," I got a little thrill. When he observed that Callie "covered her meanings in cushions and invited people to settle back into them," I chuckled.

In sum: I greatly enjoyed The Real Boy, and thought it was a well-crafted fantasy adventure and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. Recommended to anyone looking for good middle-grade fantasy! show less

Middle schooler Violet's dad left when she was three, and when her older sister Mia was in middle school, she underwent a personality change and now wants nothing to do with Violet. Now, the family - Violet, Mia, their little brother Owen, their mom, and their stepdad Eliot - is moving into a new house that will fit their new family, and Violet gets stuck with the creepy attic bedroom, with its ugly, scary wallpaper.

This would be plenty, but then Violet's best friends Paige and Ally insist show more they need to expand their friend group to have a "squad," and Paige's desire to impress Kennedy causes her to be a bad friend to Violet, despite their pod-mate history (during COVID, Violet, Paige, and Ally were in a pod together, in first grade). Then Violet gets sick - and doesn't get better. And one doctor and then another doesn't believe her. And, there seems to be something in the wallpaper that is trying to get out - something that wants to take over Violet's body, no matter how broken it is.

Violet has a few things on her side: a cat, Trixie, who materializes on moving day and can sense the ghost; her loving little brother; her mom and stepdad, who love her and believe her; even Mia is willing to call people buttheads if they're mean to Violet. And, there's Will, a new kid at school who has been homeschooled before and is doing a project on ghosts in Minnesota. Violet starts to help him with his project, and they become friends - and it's one of his dads, a pediatrician, who ultimately promises hope for Violet...after she has dealt with the thing in her walls all by herself.

A mysterious, chronic illness that doesn't appear on lab reports fits perfectly into the horror genre, despite being perfectly real: it's isolating, terrifying, uncontrollable and unpredictable. The ghost (or not quite a ghost) layer on top of that increases the tension and fear. We never do get the ghost's story; it's gone, and that's the important thing.

Sad and unsettling, but ultimately hopeful on multiple fronts: the ghost is gone, Violet is getting appropriate medical help, and although she's lost Paige and Ally, Quinn and Kennedy want to be friends, and Will already is.

See also: Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn; "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Quotes

...but change was not bad, necessarily, not if you looked at it like an adventure. And if you pretended you were the sort of person who liked adventures. (4)

"It's just the patriarchy....the system that keeps girls so worried about their appearances that they don't use their brain power to take over the world." (Quinn, 106)

It was hard to fix something when you didn't know what had broken. (135)

"I believe the people who have experiences that can't be explained." (Will, 141)

It was hard. There was so much going on, and yet it felt like nothing at all. She was so tired. She hurt....it was like the world had turned to near-solid goo and she still had to move through it, like the air was trying to crush her from every direction, like her body was made of weights, like some vacuum had sucked most of the life out of her. Like she was broken. (174)

No one understood....And if no one understood, no one would be able to help. She was alone. (183)

...at least up here, she could have feelings without worrying about anyone else's feelings. (189)

Nobody could [understand]. They could not feel what she was feeling, could not know what it was to be in this body.
And so, she was alone.
The truth of it pressed against her so hard, it felt like she might drown in the couch. She was alone, and she was sick, and she was haunted, and there was nothing she could do about any of it. (223)

"You have to understand that some people are the kinds that leave. There's nothing any of us can do about that. We just need to find the kind of people who stay." (Violet's mom, 269) show less

Is Violet's new house haunted—or is her mind betraying her, in addition to her body (which is suddenly less capable after an illness), and possibly all her friends (who she finds her relationships with changing as they all start middle school)? I really didn't expect this much horror from a middle grade horror novel! It was really affecting, since the main horror of the story is based around medical realities that are all too possible in 2024. I was expecting more fantastical spooks, and show more less realistic ones that will actually keep me up at night! show less

This is a delightful story with a plot set in the context of magical adventure. The story has great originality in carrying a subtle feminist theme underpinning a novel written for the Middle-Grade crowd. It can also be a compelling tale for adults who enjoy reading about young people discovering their capabilities, learning the wisdom of critically examining the pronouncements by those in charge of their schooling, and overcoming the dysfunctional aspects of a society holding them back. show more

Marya is an engaging female protagonist, downtrodden and undervalued by unlikable parents. Sisters with pesky, overindulged brothers will especially appreciate her trials as a twelve-year-old on the brink of becoming a young adult and discovering her talents. Her sibling rivalries with Luka will especially resonate for girls who feel overlooked in their own lives. The family dynamics were well-drawn by Author Ursu.

An especially endearing supporting character for Marya is the mother in her neighbouring family. Lucille Bandu is a master weaver and exquisite embroiderer. She carries an aura of affection and safety for Marya and strives to show her that she does have value and opportunities. From Madame Bandu, Marya learns many new ideas along with learning to read: the secrets woven into tapestries, the strength to follow your own insights and, to trust yourself to know when the people around you "speak pretty words, with hidden meanings". She learns, when an adult in charge proclaims a suspect truth that she ask herself the question: "Who does the story serve?" show less