Book Title: The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1)
Author: Christina Soontornvat
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Number of Pages: 160
Genre: middle grade, fantasy, adventure, fiction, childrens, magic
Release Date: March 7, 2023
From two-time Newbery honor recipient Christina Soontornvat comes a compelling new young middle grade fantasy series for readers who love stories about animals, magic, and kids like them embracing their power to change the world.
Young Plum is shocked to discover that she’s been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians, magical creatures who are sworn to protect the natural world. The Guardian masters teach Plum and her friends how to communicate with animals and how to use meditation to strengthen their minds and bodies. All the kids also learn to fight, so they can protect the defenseless if needed.
To her dismay, Plum struggles at school. While her classmates begin to transform into amazing creatures, Plum can’t even seem to magic up a single feather! If she can’t embrace her inner animal form soon, she’ll have to leave school ― and lose the first group of real friends she’s ever known.
Favorite Quotes:
“These types of worries had started to spin in my brain all the time, even when I lay down to sleep.”
She shook her head and pointed a finger at me. “No. You hear my words, but you don’t follow them. Your body is breathing, but you let your mind run around like a racehorse. I can see it.”
“”Plum, if you are meant to be a guardian, then your Guardian form is already inside you, waiting. There is no shortcut to becoming what you already are. Don’t try to be powerful, be strong, be magical. You cannot be a Guardian- you cannot be anything– if you cannot just be.“
“A dream amulet. Its an old tradition on Nakhon Island. Parents whisper their dreams for their children into a charm or a stone and give it to them for luck…”
My Review:
5/5 stars
This is the first middle grade I have read and actually really enjoyed it. I am assuming the author incorporated elements of her Thai background/being around her parents Thai restaurant growing up in Texas. There are familiar elements from other books I have read, but the first book in the series is also unique.
I sometimes find it challenging getting into fantasy books with the different names/elements but the author wrote this book in such a way that it didn’t take away from the plot or character development. I think my favorite aspect of this book is how the author wrote the main characters inner monologue about what she is going through and how she sees herself. Even as an adult reading this, I was able to see a little bit of myself in the main character Plum. To me, she is confident in her abilities to speak to plants and animals, but only revealing this to those she is comfortable with, otherwise, she hides her unique abilities to those she may not fully trust.
I am looking forward to reading Christina Soontornvat’s second book in Legends of Lotus Island #2 Into the Shadow Mist.
Stay tuned for my interview with Christina Soontornvat!
About the Author and Websites:
High-Res Headshot, credit: Sam Bond Photography
Christina Soontornvat is an award-winning author, engineer, and STEM educator. Her many works for children include picture books, chapter books, and the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series, The Tryout. She is a three-time Newbery Honor recipient, most recently for The Last Mapmaker, which was also named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times.
Christina is represented by Jodi Reamer at Writers House
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