Recommended Age:
10
+
Ideal for independent readers who enjoy character-driven, imaginative stories with immersive fantasy elements.
About the Book
Oscar works as a hand in a magician's shop on a magical island and is happiest among the herbs and catalogs; when children on the island begin falling mysteriously ill and the magicians begin dying, Oscar must confront both the external threat and his own neurodivergent way of experiencing the world. A gentle, beautifully observed novel with an implicitly autistic protagonist at its center.
Content Ratings
💡
Moderate Themes
The book is a tender and thoughtful exploration of neurodivergence as a different — not deficient — way of engaging with the world. The social isolation the main character experiences is handled with great compassion.
⚔️
Mild Violence
A magical illness threatens children and mysterious deaths of magicians create sustained danger. Violence is in a fairy tale register.
Engagement:
Genre:
Fantasy
Published:
2013
Page Count:
316
