The Other Side of Luck
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Adam Gidwitz's The Inquisitor's Tale, this lyrical middle-grade fantasy follows two children from opposite circumstances as their fates cross and change both their lives forever.
Ever since her mother's death, Princess Una has suffered through years of loneliness in the royal palace, where girls are treated as an afterthought. She yearns for a different life but is unsure how to make anyone notice her. Then her father announces a special contest: Whoever finds the rare Silva Flower can present it to Una for her twelfth birthday and receive a reward. Frustrated by her father's grand but empty gesture, Una decides to take her fate into her own hands.
Julien, a young pauper, has tried his whole life to make something of nothing, alongside his hardworking Baba. When Baba is arrested by terrifying debt collectors, Julien's only hope to save his father is to win the palace contest--to find the elusive Silva Flower. Little does he know that Una has decided to embark on a journey to find the prize, as well. As Una and Julien search for the flower, their destinies intertwine and offer a reward greater than anything either could ever hope for: the feeling of belonging.
In this lively, heartfelt tale, Ginger Johnson treats readers to an emotionally satisfying adventure with a truly memorable cast of characters.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Johnson's (The Splintered Light) lyrical novel, set long ago in the fictional city of Antiquitilla, centers two motherless friends with extraordinary senses who were born on the same day. Una, who perceives through scents, is the eldest child of Antiquitilla's ruler, the Magister Populi. Julien, who understands the world through sound, is the only child of a gifted but poor botanist, Almus—once chief gardener to Una's late mother. Una's mother lived until the girl was six, dying in childbirth with Una's brother, who is marked to become the next Magister; Julien's mother died during his birth. The families grieve differently: Una's father's anguish is so overwhelming that he ignores his daughter's sorrow and loneliness, while Julien and his father are bound deeply in love. Circumstances bring the children together when they are almost 12, and they join forces on a difficult quest for a unique flower that is also desperately sought by others. Johnson tenderly depicts their growing friendship, as well as Una's memories of her mother, and the bond between Julien and his father. While a concluding event seems somewhat facile, it brings about well-earned results for both children, who each come to a mature peace with their loss. Ages 8–11.