A family of thieves creates a con so clever it backfires in Farrey's (With or Without You) middle-grade adventure with a hint of magic.
In a medieval-type kingdom called Vengekeep, where a High Laird rules all and a local magistrate keeps order, the Grimjinx family has prowled the streets and pickpocketed the rich for generations. They live by the Lymmaris Creed, which states in part, "You can't convict what you can't confirm." The whole family makes sure the top lawmakers see them at the Festival of the Twins--where every year they unveil the prophetic tapestry that lays out the year ahead. Then 12-year-old Jaxter and his father slip off to rob the town's magistrate of his prized flute. Although the entire Grimjinx family are gifted grifters, narrator Jaxter is not: he is a klutz. What he lacks in grace, however, he makes up for in his gift for mixing herbs into healing elixirs and countering magic spells. Jaxter's skills get him and his Da into Jorn's house, but the boy's clumsiness causes a fire. Luckily, his mother, a gifted weaver, has tampered with the tapestry, creating a scene that foretells cataclysmic events but with the Grimjinxes saving the day. When the events start to come true, though, the family looks less fortunate. Jaxter comes up with a possible solution to their predicament, but it involves traveling throughout the Five Provinces to gather the ingredients for the antidote to the tapestry's magic.
At the core of Farrey's gripping quest tale is a wonderful friendship between Jaxter and his newfound friend, Callie Strom. Their journey exposes them to exotic beasts, double-crossing thieves, rogue mages, and one mark who shares Jaxter's passion for the power of herbs and chemistry. Jaxter's family never loses faith in him, including his grandmother, who tells him, "The things you learn in books will outshine all of us someday." At a poignant moment at the book's climax, Jaxter realizes, "I was much better at fooling myself than I was at fooling everyone else." Farrey creates a complete and satisfying read with this coming-of-age novel, but readers will be happy to know that two more are planned. --Jennifer M. Brown
Shelf Talker: A middle grade novel populated with mages and magistrates doubles as a quest tale for 12-year-old Jaxter Grimjinx, who must find an antidote to reverse his family's bad fortune.