Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
By Yumo Jiang
"The kitchen cat was dead, and Morrigan was to blame.” Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born on in the city of Jackalfax. As a cursed child, she is the bane of her family, and the locals blame her for every unfortunate event, from a hailstorm to a spoiled batch of marmalade. To top it all off, Morrigan is fated to die on her eleventh birthday.
Morrigan goes with her father, the chancellor, to Bid Day, when children get educational or apprenticeship bids from patrons based on talent(and sometimes wealth). Morrigan is offered an apprenticeship with Ezra Squall, the second most powerful man in the country; however, being a cursed child, Morrigan’s father does not allow Morrigan to accept any bids, and so she declines.
As Eventide lurks around the corner, a mysterious man named Jupiter North rescues her from her upcoming doom and takes her to a secret city called Nevermoor. It’s completely different from boring, gloomy Jackalfax, the only place Morrigan has ever known. Morrigan explores the Hotel Deucalion, which Jupiter owns, meets new people, and learns the reason why Jupiter brought her to Nevermoor.
Morrigan must compete in four trials to gain admission to the Wunderous Society, the most prestigious organization in Nevermoor. People who enter have a certain ‘knack’ that separates them from ordinary people. Along the way, Morrigan meets Hawthorne Swift, a trouble-making dragon-rider, Jack, Jupiter’s stuck-up nephew, and many other wonderful people who help and support her through her journey. She meets some…special people too, like Noelle Devereaux, a bully and cheater with the voice of an angel, and her odious patron, Baz Charlton. Mr. Jones, Ezra Squall’s assistant, is also somehow in Nevermoor, even though it’s supposed to be a secret city, and continues to tell her to reconsider Squall’s apprenticeship.
People keep asking her what her knack is, but Morrigan honestly has no idea. However, as she continues to stay in Nevermoor, odd and unfortunate things happen, like the chandelier falling in the Hotel Deucalion, accidents on the Wunderground, and an odd humming ghost in the South Wing of the hotel. Did Morrigan’s curse follow her from Jackalfax? Or is the curse simply her knack? And who in the world is the Wundersmith, and why is everyone so afraid of him?
Morrigan faces many challenges and mysteries, but the biggest of them all is that Jupiter seems to be hiding something from her. Why won’t he tell her what her knack is? Can Morrigan push through these hardships and succeed in getting into the Wunderous Society? Or will she fail the trials and be forced to go back to Jackalfax, back to a life of scorn and contempt? Find out in Nevermoor, the trials of Morrigan Crow, the first book of the Nevermoor series.
I love this book series because it is a lot like the Harry Potter series and has plenty of magical elements. The main character is funny and interesting, and the plot has many mysteries that all tie together satisfyingly at the end. This book is about the adventures of a cursed girl who finds a new, loving family and realizes many things about herself in the magical city of Nevermoor.
The Front Desk by Kelly Yang
By Marguerite Underdown
What would you do if you ran the front desk of a motel? That is what Mia Tang, manager of the Calivista Motel is doing! Mia came to the United States from China when was eight years old, and she and her parents are working as the staff for the Calivista Motel, in Anaheim, California. Mia is very proud to manage the front desk, from giving keys away to talking to the weeklies. Unfortunately, Mia and her parents are working for Mr. Yao, the motel manager whose heart is as hard as coal. Mr. Yao is unfair and always rips her parents off of their hard-earned money cleaning the motel. He also has an annoying son named Jason, who seems to think he is better than she is, and is in her 5th grade class.
However, she can push all these problems aside for now, because she is starting her first day of school! She can't wait to learn math, hang out with friends and not grumpy customers, and act like a normal American girl! Mia is pretty good at math, just like her mom wants her to be, but would rather be good at English! She could write for newspapers, travel all over the USA, and maybe visit China, where her whole life was, with her cousin Shen and grandparents. She has got a pen, and she can't wait to use it! On her way home, she meets Lupe Garcia, a Mexican girl who seems really smart, and the typical American girl. Mia feels left out, with her parents washing and cleaning the motel rooms, and not owning a house or a dog. She wants to fit in, just like the cool girls, Bethany Brett and all the rest. She doesn’t wear cool jeans on her legs or a fancy house with a million servants. But what if there was a way to change all that?
There is an old couple who live in Vermont, and who are having an essay contest to see who would own their motel! This could be Mia’s chance to get off the poor rollercoaster, and onto the rich rollercoaster! This essay could not only help her and her family living the American Dream, but help her with her English and be known as not just the Chinese girl, but the cool girl who always fits in. As Mia struggles through school as a first generation immigrant, trying to keep her head above the surface while her classmates are swimming lengths. Can she manage all of her school classes, and help out with the motel, all while keeping her family together?
I love this story because it shows the life of a 10 year old girl who is trying to learn how to fit in, even as life throws many obstacles in her way. Mia will have to get through all the people who say her writing will never be good enough, and learn more about immigrants, and how hard they have to work to live the dream. This book is a heartwarming story about how one girl will change so many people’s minds, all while staying true to herself.