Small Wonder by Ross Montgomery

If you have one chance, make it count

Tick lives with his brother, Leaf, and their grandfather in a remote cottage near the coast of Ellia. There is peace in this land but there is also always the threat of invasion by the Drene. As the story opens Tick sees some ships on the horizon. He knows the invasion is about to begin. He grabs his brother and races home only to find a stranger is robbing his house. Tick and Leaf's grandfather has died recently but Grandfather gave Tick lots of training and advice. Tick knows he needs to flee with his brother to the King's Keep. It is a fortress in the mountains - a place of safety, where everyone will be headed, but it is a long journey and now he has no supplies - only his loyal (and fabulous) horse named Pebble and a small pocketknife.

"I won't always be here for you. when I'm gone, you'll have to look after each other. You'll take care of him, and he'll take care of you."

Tick does manage to rummage through the saddle bags of the hunter who has ransacked his grandfather's cottage and yes, he does find a few useful things such as a flint and some oats, but he also finds some documents. Tick cannot read them because they are not in his language, but he senses these are important. Now the race is on. The Hunter is chasing him and using his hawk to follow Tick's trail. The gateway to the Kings Keep will only stay open for a few days and winter is fast approaching.

"Three moons through the Forest,

Two moons through the Deep,

One moon to the Mountains

To the safety of the Keep"

This book has it all! It is a page turner. It has action and heroes. It has danger and disasters. It has a journey and edge of your seat desperate moments where survival seems impossible. And most of all it is about destiny. The writing here is so atmospheric - you will feel cold, you will feel hungry, you will feel the wounds of battle, and most of all you will want Tick to succeed. I enjoyed this book so much that I picked it up at 2am so that I could read the final chapters. 

My text quotes are spoilers but I just cannot resist them:

"You are heir to the throne of Ellia. Suddenly there was a sound around him, of metal dropped on stone: all the knights of Ellia were kneeling before him."

"I can't do it. A child born with the mark of a king - that's not even me. That's Leaf ... he's the one with the mark!"

"Tell me what is the mark of a king? ... Lara spoke first, reciting words that she had learned by heart. 'A king must first have the mark of bravery. He must be bold and take risks, even in the face of certain defeat. ... A king must have the mark of modesty. He must always put his people first, even if it puts him in harm's way. ... But most important of all ... a king must show the mark of love. Love for his family, love for his people, love for his kingdom."

Fiercely exciting, with moving moments when Tick recalls his precious grandfather, this is an adventure to thrill the heart.  Book Trust

Each character is skillfully developed so much so that even though their Grandfather dies before the book begins, he feels like a real presence, a significant personality in the story. Despite meeting with some unpleasant and evil characters on the way, Tick remains honourable, true to his grandfather’s wishes and so deserving of the fate which awaits him. Through the Bookshelf

Small Wonder is a beautiful story of brotherhood and hope. Tick’s narration provides a wonderful example of finding strength within yourself and what it means to be noble. Through truly listening, helping others and making connections, unanswered questions become answered and family secrets are revealed. Written in a classic style, this story draws out a nostalgia for stories of goodness, love and the fulfilment of destiny. Scope for Imagination

Ross Montgomery started writing stories as a teenager, when he should have been doing homework, and continued doing so at university. His debut novel, Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year and Branford Boase Award. It was also selected as one of the Sunday Times' "Top 100 Modern Children's Classics". His books have also been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award, while his picture book Space Tortoise was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award and included in the Guardian's Best New Children's Books of 2018. The Midnight Guardians, Ross's first fiction novel with Walker Books, was selected as a Waterstones Children's Book of the Month and shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award. I Am Rebel won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year in 2024. He lives in south-east London

The opening scenes in Small Wonder reminded me of these two books I read recently although these have a different time setting:

The Cave

Wanderer

Other companion books:

Wilder

Oracle

In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

 

"The queen, though tiny in comparison to her wolf, still possessed an enormous presence. Her hair was tightly braided, hanging in a thick black rope over her sky-blue tunic, long enough to reach her knees and matched to deep blue leggings, and a shawl of brilliant copper weave across her shoulders. Ysolda had never seen such deep pigment, the thread made from metal thin enough to bend like fabric. Around her neck was a thick torc of gold, a semicircle of brilliance - the sun made metal."

Ysolda is out in the forest with her sea hawk companion, Nara. She needs to avoid capture by the Ryders who work for the infamous Wolf Queen. The Queen has a plan to dominate all of the realms. Her name changes depending which realm she has claimed and so she is variously called Raani and Seren. The name the Wolf Queen comes from the wolves she uses to travel around her kingdom. They are under her control but they are also wild and fierce creatures.

"She clicked her fingers once, twice, and the wolf heaved itself to its feet, and stared down at Ysolda, something wild slipping beneath its dead eyes. ... Its growl reverberated through her entire body, it lips lifting to reveal white fangs as long as Ysolda's hand. She imaged them plunging into her chest, imagined her blood spilling out across the wood-and-crystal floor."

Ysolda needs to think quickly. She needs to be able to tell a good story. The queen wants power, and she wants to meet and then destroy the legendary ancient wise woman - The Anchorite. Ysolda tells the queen that she knows the way to End-World Wood. Ysolda is desperate to free her older sister Hari who has been captured. Hari is gifted is a listener she can hear the language of the trees. The Queen collects gifted individuals partly to control them but also to use them. Ysolda agrees to talk Seren to The Anchorite in exchange for her sister's freedom. The bargain is struck, and the dangerous journey begins. 

One of the interesting characters in this book is the queen's General Shivani. For reasons that are not explained in this first installment Shivani allows Ysolda to spend the night before their journey to End-World Wood with her sister in the pitch-black dungeons. While she is there Ysolda learns more about the Wolf Queen and also about her own destiny but later in a violent scene the general is killed.

The other very interesting character who unexpectedly helps Ysolda is The Forgiver. Kore is a young girl who is said to possess the powers of forgiveness and foretelling. If you have the paperback edition of this book the description on pages 151-152 could be a terrific extract to use in a book talk with your students. Part of The Forgiver's 'show' feels quite fake but then she takes Ysolda aside and privately gives her a amulet which will allow Ysolda to see the way through a fog. This will save her life in a later scene. She also tells her:

"You are going on a journey. Not the one you think you're on. You'll need to root into the wound. You'll lose the one you love three times. You'll see the clouds as a sea. You'll see roots as constellations. In the highest place you'll find the deepest time. In the deepest place you'll find the brightest light."

I also loved the world building in this story and the references to different cultural practices. 

I picked up this book because I loved two previous books by Kiran Millwood Hargrave but I should have noticed the title also said - "A Geomancer Book". I reached page 266 of the 283 pages before I realised this story would not be resolved. I will now need to WAIT for Book Two - oh no! And I think it might be a year - August 2024 - before I can rejoin the world of Ysolda, Eira (the Wolf Queen's rebellious daughter), and the young servant Sami. A Goodreads reviewer said: the ending was mostly unsatisfying. I wish there was at least a little bit of a resolution towards the end, but it felt almost as if we had stopped mid story to me. This left me wanting more, but not in a satisfying, cliff-hanger type of way. 

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy quests, fantasy, action and stories of loyalty and betrayal aged 11+. 

Book seller blurb: Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake. Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk, Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to strike a bargain with the wolf queen herself, she soon finds herself embroiled in a quest for a magic more powerful - and more dangerous - than she could ever have imagined ...

The start of a new series, this is a beautifully and gently written story that is part adventure, part fairytale, part mystery, and with underlying tones of magic and mythology. With a main character as fierce and brave as any you’d find in a Katherine Rundell novel, themes of environmental consciousness, and elements of Tolkien, it’s an immersive and immensely enjoyable read. Book Trust

This is a story of sisterly love and perseverance, all told in Millwood Hargrave’s lyrical and flowing style. Readings

The Island at the end of Everything

Companion reads:

The Wolf Wilder

Prisoner of Ice and Snow

Impossible Creatures

Windswept

Sky Song