Summary
When our story truly begins, after the lava-filled teaser, Polly is in a magical disciplinary hearing. And for her perceived “crimes,” Polly gets sent to the magic school Wombatton. But she doesn’t have to go alone. Her brother Pip goes with her, along with a new friend, Noria, who is a robot.
The teachers and other kids at Wombatton are horrible to Noria – not unlike the people in Polly’s tribe had been. But while Polly and Pip try to defend her every time there’s trouble, things get worse when Noria is accused of setting weird monsters on the school.
Review
This is OUTSTANDING! And it wrapped up way too quickly. I would have read a story 3x as long in a heartbeat. The bigotry toward Noria is infuriating, but she at least has Polly and Pip on her side, both sticking up for her and helping her puzzle out who is really conjuring the monsters.
Kids new to the Hilo series could probably pick this up without too much trouble – although reading the first 9 books would be SO satisfying! There are helpful references and flashbacks to previous stories to help newcomers jump right in.
Series fans will likely be as distraught as I was over the quick finish. I exclaimed out loud, alone in my office during my lunch break, “That’s IT?!” I need MORE! The year-long wait between books feels almost painful. This is probably my favorite book in the whole series so far – I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Hand this to graphic novel fans, readers who love books with magic schools and magic users, kids who love SASSY cat stories, as well as all of your Hilo fans.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*
♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!