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| First Written | 2020 |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Origin | US |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers |
| ISBN-10 | 0316539546 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0316539548 |
| My Copy | hardback library |
| First Read | December 01, 2025 |
The Silver Arrow
This is really sweet: a straight ahead little magic fantasy, with a wry but not annoying narrator. Our heroine is great, I loved the surprising story beats. It's maybe not going to get up there with the Narnia books but I've already recommended it to several people. And it's got the slight wistfulness that Grossman has in all his books, which I think is... healthy? correct.
Noted on December 2, 2025
OK, I love Lev Grossman's books for adults. Then a few weeks ago I was surprised to see him credited as a writer on a Netflix movie (and in a cameo too!), so I googled him.... and he's got some early-reader chapter books??? Instant library request.
Noted on December 2, 2025
But some days, as she pounded away at the mahogany upright in the living room or punished the garage door with her forehands and backhands, Kate found herself feeling restless. Impatient. What was the point? She was young enough that all she had to do was kid things, but she was also getting old enough that she wanted to do more than play games and pretend. She felt ready for something more exciting. More real. Something that actually mattered.
But there wasn't anything. Just toys and games and tennis and piano. Life always seemed so interesting in books, but then when you had to actually live it nothing all that interesting ever seemed to happen. And unlike in books, you couldn't skip ahead past the boring parts.
Quoted on December 2, 2025