Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park (A Single Shard, A Long Walk to Water) moves from historical fiction into the fantasy genre in this trilogy debut filled with stalwart friends, ethical quandaries and touches of magic.
Twelve-year-old Raffa Santana has more talent for making healing potions with herbs and plants than any of his family members, all of them apothecaries living on the edge of the Forest of Wonders in the land of Obsidia. When Raffa mixes botanicals, he experiences a kind of synesthesia that tells him whether his formula is perfect, a little off, or downright dangerous. Garith, his cousin and best friend, calls him a "baby genius," but Raffa's overprotective, ever-critical father, Mohan, cautions that "Talent... [is] no substitute for experience."
After Raffa finds an injured bat and makes an impressive first effort at healing it, Mohan gains enough confidence in his son to allow him and Garith to go into the nearby forest alone to search for an elusive red vine that could help the bat fully recover. Although Raffa finds the plant, his red-vine concoction has an unintended side effect: not only does it heal the bat, it gives the tiny, bright-eyed creature the power of human speech. "SKEETO!"--short for mosquito--is the endearing, hungry little bat's first raspy word. Raffa won't let himself believe what he's hearing until the bat says, quite clearly, "Beetle." Raffa is stunned, and calls his father: "DA, COME QUICKLY!" The boy names his new friend Echo.
Meanwhile, to Raffa's dismay, Garith and Uncle Ansel have moved from the family's home to the capitol city of Gilden. So when Raffa discovers Garith has swiped a cutting of the potent red vine on his way out of town, he knows he has to warn his cousin of both its power and its dangers. Raffa, with Echo, sneaks out in the night and heads for Gilden. The gentle story takes a more suspenseful turn when Raffa, a "country lumpkin" in the bustling city, randomly meets up with two girls and battles unforeseen obstacles on his way to find Garith. (Kids will relate easily to Raffa, but they will love Kuma Oriole, a brave and wily girl from the forest who keeps company with a huge bear called Roo.) When Raffa and his new friends do find Garith, they learn about the Chancellor's cruel and ambitious plan to use the red vine to turn innocent animals into tools of ill purpose.
Young fantasy enthusiasts should find plenty here to satisfy their need for both wonder and drama. While the adorable talking animals will win hearts, the complex ethical dilemmas Raffa faces about how to use (or not use) his talents lend a maturity to the narrative. Still, Park's choice of simple diction always keeps the story accessible. True hearts and true friends temporarily prevail in Forest of Wonders, but readers will wait on tenterhooks to see what new troubles the trilogy's next installment brings. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services librarian, Latah County Library District (Idaho)
Shelf Talker: In Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park's first foray into fantasy, Raffa's gift for the healing arts leads him--and his talking bat--into a conspiracy in his realm's capital city.