The Stone Girl's Story by Sarah Beth Durst

"A stone girl, composed of gray mountain granite, with bare feet and a dress carved to look as if the fabric were ruffled by the wind. Mica freckled her cheeks and arms, and a streak of white quartz striped her hair. Hints of black stone clustered on the skirt of her dress, like black stars in a gray sky. 

She'd been polished smooth, except for her hair, which curled into braids 

with the natural ripple of the rock."

Father was a master stonemason. In his secluded mountain home he carved animals from stone and a girl called Mayka. Many years have passed and Father has died. The stone animals and Makya tend their home carefully and care for wild animals, goats and chickens. They don't need food or water because they are made from stone but over time their surfaces are becoming worn down. This matters because each of the stone creatures - two birds named Jacklo and Dersy; a cat called Kalgrey; an owl called Nianna; and a rabbit named Harlisona - have markings that tell their stories. The markings give each of the creatures and Makya herself magical abilities. They can talk, the birds can fly and Makya, herself can read the marks and tell their stories.

As the marks are now fading, Mayka decides she needs to travel down into the valley to find a new stonemason. She hopes he will agree to visit their remote home to restore each of her friends especially turtle who has now stopped moving and talking.

Mayka and her two bird friends travel over many days to reach the city of Skye. The small group arrive four days before the Stone Festival. The city is full of humans and stone creatures but some thing is badly wrong. Mayka discovers a stonemason called Master Siron has developed a mark that gives him control over his stone creations. This is power that he intends to use for his own evil purposes. So now the race is on. Makya needs to stop this madness and she does not have much time.

I adored the world building by Sarah Beth Durst and the hints of politics and a stratified society in Skye. I am not a huge fan of the cover but this is a book that I would love to put into the hands of a young reader aged 9+. Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of the story:

"Turtle had realised on his own that the marks Father had carved on his stone shell to awaken him were fading - rubbed away by wind, water and time."

"Equally precious, her father's tools hung on the wall by the hearth, in a place of honor. ... One by one she returned them to the wall, exactly the way Father had left them when he'd told her he'd carved her last."

"She occupied herself with imagining what it would be like: ... living side by side, in houses as close to one another as trees in a forest. She wondered if being so close together caused them to like one another, or hate one another."

We have a winner! Charlotte's Library

Some of the best world building I’ve seen this year. Betsy Bird SLJ

Thoughtful, colorful, strengthening, and understatedly tender. Kirkus Star Review

Mayka is a strong heroine, as one might expect from a girl made of stone. She is far more capable and clever than she realizes, though others around her know that about her and trust her completely. She not only identifies problems but figures out solutions to them quickly, moving her story forward at a brisk pace. Waking Brain Cells