Category: Magic Realism

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

March 5, 2024

Catfish Rolling is not here to provide us with all the answers, but to remind us that there are multiple ways to exist and understand reality. Temporality is such a captivating and sometimes frightening subject, and I was completely invested in Sora and her father’s obsession with figuring out how the zones work. Ultimately though, the message of Catfish Rolling is that trying to control time instead of simply trying to understand it has dire consequences. … More Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

August 3, 2023

Have you ever seen a gnome? Perhaps you have noticed the squishing of mud, the rustling of leaves, or the faint humming of something familiar that you cannot quite recall. If you look closely enough, you might find there is a whole other world right under your nose. Maybe those slight disturbances are Minoletta on an adventurous day out, or Abel Potter tinkering with a new nut conveyor belt, his fellow accomplice Billy Buttons by his side. According to the Hidden World of Gnomes, the level of activity of the gnomes is largely dependent on the cycle of the moon. If you are wandering in the daytime, you might find some busy, working gnomes during the Bursting Moon, or some partying gnomes during the Frog Moon. These are only a few examples in a tremendously rich world filled with gnomes. … More The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

June 8, 2023

What if you weren’t at all who you thought you were?

Iris Hollow and her two sisters Vivi and Grey went missing mysteriously ten years ago. When they returned home one month later, their dark hair turned white, their eyes went black, and strange, magical things started happening around them. No one knows what happened to them during the month they were gone, and neither do the three girls. One day, Grey disappears again, leaving her sisters a cryptic note. Iris and Vivi set out in search of her, but the clues reveal that Grey and their parents have been keeping a much more dark and ominous secret from them. … More House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan

January 26, 2021

Review by Logaine Navascués

Max doesn’t feel like a regular 11-year-old boy in his hometown of Santa María. His dad won’t let him join the other kids for fútbol practice in a nearby town—even though making it to the local team is Max’s greatest dream—because he’s worried something might happen to him. That he will also disappear, just as his Mother did when he was still a baby. … More Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan