A Wilder Magic

July 23, 2021

Gr 4-6-Sybaline Shaw and her family live in the most beautiful valley in all of Appalachia. In addition to the natural beauty, their home in the gorgeous Smokey Mountains is endowed with magic. When the Tennessee Valley Authority builds a dam (built between 1933 and 1944) that would support the war in which Sybaline's father is fighting, Sybaline and her cousin Nettle decide not to leave their home. With a bit of planning and a few lies, the girls use magic to stay. The warm, tingly magic that Sybaline feels comes with its own rules, however. If used in ways that are contrary to nature, the magic turns people into trees-several family members have experienced that firsthand. As the girls seek to protect their way of life they are joined by Nettle's little sisters, and a curious boy whose father has helped build the dam. But the water bubble in which they find themselves is not at all what they thought it would be and they must use magic to get out. The children's escape is fast-paced and compelling as Sybaline and Nettle find themselves changing into a laurel tree and ginseng root until they reach the surface. Eventually, the girls learn that home is more than a place and that sometimes change isn't all bad. Lush descriptions of the valley and its slow underwater deterioration create a strong sense of place and build tension. Characters are likable and the action is quick. Sybaline and her family are cued as white. VERDICT A highly readable look at family, home, and the importance of being true to oneself. For general purchase in school and public libraries.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 23, 2021
In this gentle rural fantasy set in WWII-era Tennessee, Sybaline Shaw attempts to save her family home from destruction by wielding the natural magic that flows throughout the valley. The Tennessee Valley Authority is evicting everyone so they can construct another dam to assist the war effort, drowning the only place Sybaline has ever called home. Determined to stay, Sybaline evades her implied-white family during the move, and, joined by her cousin Nettle, uses magic to keep the rising waters at bay. After a short period of relief, however, the water keeps coming, eventually covering their refuge and trapping them in a bubble under the growing lake. Now they must escape, but magic has a price: using it unwisely will transform them into trees. Sybaline’s yearning for stability and familiarity is relatable, even if her methods prove predictably shortsighted. The relationship between magic, nature, and intent adds a thoughtful level of complexity and cost to this sophomore novel by Brandt (The Wolf of Cape Fen), adding to the poignant blend of loss and optimism as readers empathize with Sybaline’s rebellion against inevitable change. Ages 8–12. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary Agency.

March 15, 2021
A young Appalachian girl uses magic to try and save her home. Sybaline Shaw's family has known for years that their magical valley in the Appalachian foothills would be flooded when the nearby Tennessee Valley Authority dam was complete. Her father is off fighting in World War II, but Momma has already packed up their household. Sybaline alone of her family can't accept this. Everyone in the Lark bloodline can use magic within the valley to shape the natural world, but they risk transforming themselves into plants or trees--a danger Sybaline and her cousins regularly ignore. After lying to their parents shortly before everyone moves away, Sybaline and her cousin Nettle--each claiming to be going to stay with the other--remain behind and create a bubble around Sybaline's home, which soon turns into a dark, dank prison on the bottom of the newly formed lake. Now Sybaline and Nettle are becoming trees--how will they escape? Told from Sybaline's point of view with matter-of-factness, the novel blends fantasy and reality with worldbuilding that leaves unanswered questions. Brief mentions of aluminum plants supporting the war effort, riots by White men over Black construction workers, and the Trail of Tears contrast with the Edenlike imagery of the lush, unspoiled valley and its sheltered occupants living off the land in yet another Appalachian story supporting the trope that technology is predominantly bad. Main characters are assumed to be White. Inconsistent and messy. (Historical fantasy. 8-12)

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