Review: Greenwild

Greenwild
By Pari Thomson
New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023. Fiction. 364 pages.

Daisy Thistledown is running away. Her journalist mother just disappeared on her latest assignment, leaving Daisy stranded at a horrible boarding school. When she realizes the headmistress of her school intends her harm, Daisy makes her escape and ends up in a magical world of mystical plants and animals called the Greenwild. Daisy soon discovers that this fantastical hidden realm, which works to preserve flora and fauna from around the world, is being threatened by the same people behind her mother's disappearance. Daisy resolves to put a stop to these sinister villains and to find her missing mother herself.

This fun, fast-paced fantasy will be sure to draw readers in with its exciting plot and the detailed illustrations throughout. Daisy's experiences with loneliness and lack of connection both at the boarding school and when she first arrives in the Greenwild will resonate with audiences that have felt isolated or have had to leave friends behind. The supporting cast of mismatched friends Daisy builds around herself is dynamic and diverse. Readers will be eager for a sequel after the closing cliffhanger.

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