By Emily Lloyd-Jones
Greenwillow, 2022. Fiction.
In this middle-grade title, Fin lives in a magical city nestled into the redwood forests of California called Aldermere. Although tourists come to Aldermere because they know the town is magic, only the locals understand how deeply this magic runs. They also know all of the rules of the town. Rules like: never enter a room without a label or you'll be transported to a random place, never keep a knife that has touched your blood, and most importantly, never try to force your way into the tea shop. Any time a stranger tries to force open the door to the tea shop, it will disappear and the townspeople have to look for it again. Which is a problem because not only is the tea shop magical, but so is the tea! The tea can temporarily change people, which is exactly what Fin wants. Fin struggles with anxiety and the tea helps calm her thoughts. The cost of the tea, however, is one memory that will be forgotten forever.
When the owner of the tea shop ends up in the hospital, Fin decides to make her own tea with the leaves from the teashop, only to accidentally create an evil doppelgänger version of herself. When weird things keep happening all over the city, Fin must decide how to confront herself, and the memories she has been hiding from. This is an appealing book for middle grade readers because it crosses so many genres. Fans of fantasy, mystery, and realistic fiction will all find something to love within its pages and anyone who has struggled with anxiety or self-doubt will see themselves in Fin, a flawed but likeable character.
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