Jorie and the Magic Stones by A. H. Richardson

Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing the free copy of Jorie and the Magic Stones by A. H. Richardson in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Nine-year-old Jorie is your typical girl with a typical childhood who has gone to live with her Great Aunt Letty at Mortimer Manor.  She likes to explore and play, especially with her new friend, Rufus.  Rufus and Jorie travel to an magical land called Cabrynthius, a location that is not in their imaginations.  Guided by a talking cat through the local lake (yes, through), Jorie and Rufus discover that Jorie isn’t so “typical” at all.  She is the Child with Hair of Fire foretold by legends as the savior of Cabrynthius.  Jorie must find the missing Stones of Maalog before an evil sorcerer so that he cannot gain their power and wreak havoc in Cabrynthius.  Along Jorie’s dangerous journey she and Rufus encounter dragons, a greedy tutor, caves of fire, and shape-shifting creatures.  It’s an adventure straight out of a storybook that you have to read to believe.  

Middle-grade kiddos who enjoy the fantasy genre will enjoy picking this one up.  It has all of the classic elements that will take their imagination in places it’s never been before.  There is tension, intrigue, and enough magic for more than three stones!  Even though this is not a genre I typically pick up, I enjoyed following along on Jorie’s journey.  She is a headstrong and competent nine-year-old who accomplishes anything she sets her mind to.  She is clever, quick-thinking, and will be a great role model for readers around the same age.  

The book was written with short chapters, which allows for readers with short attention spans to start and stop this book with ease.  The short chapters were both an asset and a hindrance as I was reading it, however, because it made it easier for me set it down after such a short time of reading.  Toward the middle I had to will myself to read it, but the ending was intriguing because I just had to find out how Jorie’s story ended.  It was engaging, but not necessarily a page turner for me.  It was easy to get lost imagining the scenes that Richardson describes.  She is an excellent story-teller, and I think this book would be a great read-aloud in a classroom.  Although the story wraps-up in the end, it has the potential for more adventures in the future.

Overall, I’m giving this fantasy novel three out of five stars.  It was a solid read, great for fantasy lovers, but not quite as engaging as I would hope.

TL/DR: Not your typical red head, Jorie finds herself the prophesied savior of a fantastical land.  Jorie and the Magic Stones is a good read for both young boys and girls who need a good adventure and a good, old-fashioned heroine in their lives.

Rating:​ 3 out of 5 stars