City of Stolen Magic

Product Information

Finding unlikely allies & more about her mother as she tries to find the trail left by the sinister, all- powerful Company, Chompa realises Indian magic is being stamped out & India"s land & people being made to use their resources to make money for those overseas.

City of Stolen Magic | BookTrust City of Stolen Magic | BookTrust

I won the physical copy in the giveaway and so it's really special for me. First things first the book cover is beautiful ❤️. The villain is holding Chompa’s mother, Amina, to force Chompa to do what he wants. Amina therefore uses her magic to self-immolate in front of her daughter so that she can’t be used as leverage against Chompa. I was really disappointed by this plot point. Depicting suicide as a good thing (Amina says she is setting Chompa free), particularly in a children's book, is really inappropriate. Suicide is an extremely serious, despairing act, and passing over it lightly does not make it okay (actually it's worse). It was totally unnecessary and ineffective from the story's perspective, so I consider it poor story telling as well as inappropriate. I don’t like the end justifying the means in any case, but a parent committing suicide should not be thrown into a story so lightly. It is 1855 and the magic which was widely practised in India is being rapidly eradicated under British rule. Chompa’s mother, Ammi, is an expert in writing magic, but Chompa finds it slow and laborious, and much prefers the immediacy of finger magic, which comes easily to her. An unexpected gem of a story . . . A stellar setting, a gut-punch of a twist, and an unforgettable heroine. This has all the hallmarks of classic children's storytelling' - Nizrana Farook author, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant India, 1855. The British rule, and all across the country, Indian magic is being stamped out. More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumor is that they are being taken across the sea - to England - by the all-powerful, sinister Company.Now, it’s up to Chompa to find and save her mother from the British, who are trying to stamp out Indian magic.

City of Stolen Magic (KS2/3) - Penguin Books UK City of Stolen Magic (KS2/3) - Penguin Books UK

Chompa is certain that she is ready to perform finger magic. But her mother keeps insisting that it’s not safe and that she should focus on learning charm writing. The book has a captivating premise, with a well-crafted magic system and a rich setting. Among the many characters, my personal favorites were Tipu and Laurie. Their duo was the best thing in the book. The concepts of djinn-borns and djinn speakers, finger magic, and written charms were fascinating. The author beautifully portrayed the friendships between the characters and the mother-daughter relationship. It effectively reflects the cruelty and exploitation of colonialism through the lens of magic. I love a good middle-grade fiction and was happy to see that this is yet another children’s story that is meaningful to people of all ages.I LOVE a good middle grade but because the story is told by Chompa's POV as a VERY young girl, it feels almost a bit... Too young... For me 🌸