Unseen Magic

December 15, 2021
A tween accidentally unleashes a monster made of tea. After constantly relocating, Finley Barnes and her mother stay awhile with Fin's aunt and cousin, Eddie, in Aldermere. Tourists may clamor for hikes or seek cryptids around the Northern California town, but only the locals know about the real magic--including the vanishing tea shop. For the price of a whispered memory immediately forgotten, the shop's tea temporarily changes people. Fin exchanges her memories to ease her debilitating anxiety, but when misfortune befalls its owner, the tea shop abruptly closes. The tea's addictive reprieve from mental anguish motivates Fin to mess with magic and brew it herself. Unfortunately, a misstep in the process brings the tea leaves to life, and they morph into Fin's likeness. Can Fin and Eddie stop Teafin before it's too late? Lloyd-Jones' middle-grade debut blends memorable characters, rich descriptions, and a dash of magical mischief to create an original tale. Firmly grounded by Fin's third-person point of view and a strong sense of place, the tight narrative luxuriates in its slow revelation of the central mysteries. Layered, sophisticated storytelling plants clues for careful readers and gives heart-wrenching depth to characters' trauma and resilience. Most characters default to White; names and passing references cue some diversity in ethnicity and family structure. The ending hints at a possible sequel. A deliciously atmospheric, full-bodied magical brew. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 3, 2022
“The Tea shop tended to vanish” begins Lloyd-Jones’s (The Bone Houses) middle grade debut, immediately immersing readers in the magic-infused town of Aldermere, Calif., situated at the edge of a redwood forest. In order to avoid releasing dangerous magic, the town’s residents follow a number of rules: “Doors must be labeled or they can lead anywhere. Pay the ravens or keep your garbage bins inside. Never keep a knife that’s tasted your blood.” Eleven-year-old Finley Barnes has lived in Aldermere for three years, since her mother decided they should settle in her hometown after a life on the move. It’s the first place Fin’s felt at home, but she’s still bothered by her crayon-scrawled list of “things that were to be avoided at all costs.” For the price of one memory, though, Aldermere’s tea shop will give her a brew that temporarily relieves her anxiety. But when she removes tea from the shop and brews it herself, Fin accidentally unleashes a monster made of the leaves who looks just like her. Could it be responsible for the string of incidents occurring in usually peaceful Aldermere? Offering suspense, reassurance, and magic in a deeply alluring setting, Lloyd-Jones shows how erasing bad memories doesn’t make fear disappear through a presumed-white heroine’s arc toward bravery. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lloyd Literistic.

Starred review from February 1, 2022

Gr 5 Up-Eleven-year-old Fin, who is white, has been living in the town of Aldermere for three years. She and her mother have finally stopped moving all the time; she feels safe here and is finally considering Aldermere home. This magical town contains ravens who demand feeding or they will destroy your garbage, strange multi-legged creatures, rumors of a bigfoot lurking, and, most interestingly, the tea shop that vanishes when strangers try to get inside. In the tea shop, Fin has been secretly using magic to overcome her fears, and she has a long list of them. When Talia the shop owner is injured and away, Fin attempts to combat her latest fear and uses the magic on herself without Talia's guidance. The result is an eerie tea-constructed twin who wreaks havoc on Aldermere. Fin must overcome her fears, without magic, to save the town she has come to love. Lloyd-Jones has created a magical place in the Redwoods of Northern California. Aldermere, population 239, is rife with forests, rumored woodland creatures, eerie shadows, and a mossy dampness that invites enchantment. The story of Fin and her fears reaches far beyond the search for her self-created twin, although that, too, is entertaining. The book examines what it means to confront fear and how memory can interfere with growth and self-awareness. Fin's journey leads her through friendship, family, and the challenge of accepting who she was and who she can become. Fans of Harry Potter and magical creatures will not want to put this book down, and will want to revist Aldermere again and again. VERDICT An enchanting tale that will keep middle grade readers captivated and wanting more. A must-read for fans of magic worlds and fantastical creatures.-Carol Connor

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2022
In the tiny town of Aldermere in the midst of California's redwood forest, magic is a given. It makes life unpredictable -- an unlabeled door may lead anywhere, for one thing -- but for Finley, it offers a way to forget her anxieties. Whisper a memory into a cup of magical tea, drink the tea, and instantly that memory is gone and she's calm and confident. So when the tea shop closes because of an accident, Fin sneaks in and makes her own tea, inadvertently creating Teafin, her "evil doppelganger," from her used tea leaves. When a rash of petty crimes disturbs the town, she's sure Teafin is the culprit and vows to stop her. Not all of Lloyd-Jones's sentences pull their weight in this lengthy tale, but the inventiveness and charm of its magical details balance that out. Aside from its interest in Fin's suppressed traumatic memories (the theme behind the doppelganger), the novel celebrates the regional. Dogberries, thimbleberries, huckleberries, salmonberries, and blackberries are sold at the Foragers' Market, giving more than a nod to wild fare and sustainable living; indeed, the town's dilemma about preserving its magic is very much the thorny issue of conservation and protection. Lloyd-Jones provides a measure of humor, too. "Aren't you evil?" one character asks Teafin. "I'm just uninhibited," Teafin declares. Deirdre F. Baker

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from January 1, 2022
Grades 5-7 *Starred Review* Three years after arriving in Aldermere with her mom and a list of oddly specific fears ("6. Adults who look angry"), shy Fin has fallen in love with the small Northern California town, not least because it has a shop in which she can trade away any unhappy memory she chooses. That's not all that's magical about Aldermere: Lloyd-Jones tucks in evocative details (unusually intelligent local ravens; the fact that doors have to be carefully labeled or they'll transport the opener to a random place) and also supplies Fin with two truly marvelous friends whose instant, unstinting trust and support never wavers--even when she accidentally creates a body double made up of all her surrendered memories and suppressed character traits. As a wave of thefts and destructive mishaps sets the whole town abuzz, Fin's search for a way to quash her scary, elusive counterpart grows increasingly urgent. Dizzying as all this may be, the author still has an array of tricks to pull from her sleeve at the climax. Highlighted by as neat a switch on the "evil twin" trope as ever was, this tale has much to offer readers who prefer a "quiet and creeping" sort of magic over "bright flashing spells or turning people into toads"--though there's a certain amount of that, too.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
In the tiny town of Aldermere in the midst of California's redwood forest, magic is a given. It makes life unpredictable -- an unlabeled door may lead anywhere, for one thing -- but for Finley, it offers a way to forget her anxieties. Whisper a memory into a cup of magical tea, drink the tea, and instantly that memory is gone and she's calm and confident. So when the tea shop closes because of an accident, Fin sneaks in and makes her own tea, inadvertently creating Teafin, her "evil doppelganger," from her used tea leaves. When a rash of petty crimes disturbs the town, she's sure Teafin is the culprit and vows to stop her. Not all of Lloyd-Jones's sentences pull their weight in this lengthy tale, but the inventiveness and charm of its magical details balance that out. Aside from its interest in Fin's suppressed traumatic memories (the theme behind the doppelganger), the novel celebrates the regional. Dogberries, thimbleberries, huckleberries, salmonberries, and blackberries are sold at the Foragers' Market, giving more than a nod to wild fare and sustainable living; indeed, the town's dilemma about preserving its magic is very much the thorny issue of conservation and protection. Lloyd-Jones provides a measure of humor, too. "Aren't you evil?" one character asks Teafin. "I'm just uninhibited," Teafin declares.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)