  | Atana and the firebird Author: Zhou, Vivian | |
| Price: $21.18 | ||
Summary:
When Atana the mermaid encounters Ren the firebird, a species not seen for hundreds of years, it prompts her to go on an adventure to both protect Ren and find out answers about herself which places them in the path of the secretive Witch Queen who offers them protection and who may hold the key to Atana's past. But will the Witch Queen's help be costly to them? In graphic novel format.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (10/01/23)
School Library Journal (11/01/23)
Booklist (11/01/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/12/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2023 Gr 5 Up—When Ren, a Firebird, falls to the Earth, she meets Atana, a mermaid living in solitude away from her flock. Together they set out to explore the world but are pursued by magic hunters. They are rescued by the Queen's guardsmen and spirited away to her castle for refuge. There, Ren agrees to aid the Queen in experiments that will help balance the Earth's magic force. But Ren is unaware of how far the Queen will go to pursue her goal. There are many twists and turns as well as characters that emerge who are pivotal to the plot. At times, the magical worldbuilding seems vague, hard to grasp, and not integrated well. But it eventually comes together. This graphic novel adventure is clearly a set-up for future titles, though the story does come to a satisfying conclusion. The artwork, with quiet lines and subtle soft pastel colors, almost underrates the adventure and intrigue that builds in the story. VERDICT Readers looking for a magical story will be satisfied.—Esther Keller - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
