Beginning with A Great and Terrible Beauty, this trilogy centers around a freshly turned sixteen-year-old girl who has recently lost her mother and been forced to transition from life in India to a boarding school in England. The best way I can describe this is like if Mean Girls was set in Victorian England at Harry Potter's Hogwart's Academy. I say this because Gemma is slowly learning about her mother's secret past: that of a sorceress in the most powerful coven ever, The Order. Needless to say, Gemma is severely irritated and disappointed that her mother never bothered to share this information with her, and now, unfortunately, it is too late for her mother to impart any guidance. Having no one to turn to for help, Gemma decides to share her secrets, and eventually her magic, with a small group of friends. They are amazed at the possibilities this new world, called the Realms, can bring to their fingertips, but are also enamored with the power that magic can provide. Each girl has a situation they would like to be expelled from: Ann is penniless and unwanted. Her life after school involves becoming a governess for her cousin's children. Felicity has powerful and well respected father, but a mother who has brought shame to their family. All is not as it seems in her family, and she wants power over her own life and identity. Pippa's family is at risk of losing their wealth and title in society, unless, of course, they marry her off to the highest bidder. And Gemma just wants life to go back to normal. These desires for change put Gemma in a bad situation, because she holds the magic, and therefore, the power.
Other conflicts arise as well, though. The magic in the realms has been absent for decades, until Gemma's arrival. Things are shifting in the realms, changing in unpredictable, sometimes dangerous ways. Gemma doesn't know who to trust or what to do. The trilogy offers a new antagonist in each novel; oftentimes, you do not know exactly who it is until closer to the end. The books (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing) offer an interesting perspective on magic, as well as a conversation of Victorian life for a young girl; Gemma is often frustrated that the topics that girls are forced to study and discuss are nothing more than fluff- she has real problems, but they are painting still lifes and talking about tea parties. As for a selected audience, I think this one is mostly for the ladies, and I would suggest 8th grade readers. Some of the family situations can get intense, so please keep that in mind. We have all three in our school's library.
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Note From Ms. PIt will probably come as no surprise that I am an avid reader. I have also been spending a lot of time in the Dawn Hodges Library here at WAAS evaluating what books we can add to have students really READING. Some of you already read on your own, which is great because reading opens your mind to new ideas and possibilities you might not otherwise think of. It helps you to imagine and live in a new world for a little while, which is something we all need sometimes. Archives
February 2019
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