February 1, 2022
Gr 4-7-Patrick presents an extended version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale in this British series import. This version takes place 10 years after the Piper of "Hamelyn" was imprisoned by eight members of the Pipers' Council for using his pipers' training to make both children and young dragons vanish, nearly causing a war with the Dragon Territories. The past seems to be repeating itself when Patch, a disgraced student of the piping school at Tiviscan Castle, is imprisoned for 510 years after using the same dance tune to earn food and shelter. Patch finds unlikely friends in Wren, a girl who has been cursed into a rat, and the dracogriff Barver, whose impressive battle techniques help them out of numerous scrapes. Patch and his friends uncover clues to Hamelyn's motivations that lead to further adventures. Except for gender and age, no characters are given physical descriptions, including skin tones. Patrick's story is told in third-person limited, usually from Patch's point of view, but occasionally from Wren's. Patch's escapades seem to telescope one out of another, introducing more places like an abbey and a witch's hut where Hamelyn's old adversaries now dwell, and the castle where Underath the sorcerer cursed Wren. Despite the ever-expanding Piper world, the story stays focused on Patch, Wren, and Barker. VERDICT An engaging fairy-tale adventure that would pair well with Jessica Khoury's "The Mystwick School of Musicraft" series. Suitable for most libraries.-Caitlin Augusta
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2022
This story begins where the legend of the Pied Piper left off. The Hamelyn Piper, as he is known in this story, is languishing in a dungeon after luring hundreds of human and dragon children away from their homes and families, never to be seen again. Thirteen-year-old Patch Brightwater is a Piper determined to use his Piping for good, until one ill-advised outburst sends him on the run. Illegally playing his Pipe for food and lodging, he lands in a rat-infested village and puts his skills to the test. When his Piping goes awry, he ends up in prison with the Hamelyn Piper in the cell next to him. An attack on the Hamelyn Piper by a darkness of dragons--so called because they darken the sky--leads Patch on a quest to break a curse, find the missing human and dragon children, and keep obsidiac, a dangerously powerful magical substance, from falling into the wrong hands. He is joined in his adventures by Wren Cobble, a girl turned into a rat by an angry sorcerer, and dracogriff Barver Knopferkerkle, who is part dragon and part griffin. Filled with adventure, magic, and humor, this multilayered story makes for a rich read. The promise of a sequel will satisfy those who are left wanting more by the sudden ending. All of the human characters are presumed White. Fans of epic, worldbuilding fantasy will find this lengthy narrative worth the trip. (Fantasy. 9-13)
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March 1, 2022
Grades 4-7 Patch stumbles into Patterfall barely alive, unable to remember what brought him there or who he is. But he does know this: he is a Piper, with the magical power to use music to affect the world and its inhabitants. Piping is a respected and admired skill, but its use is tightly regulated after the rogue Piper of Hamelyn led away a group of human children and promptly disappeared a group of dragon children as well. Patch uses his gift to help the town, but when his piping goes terribly amiss, the boy is thrown into a world of nefarious plots and dangerous magic. Joined by a gutsy girl-turned-rat and an amicable dracogriff (a dragon/griffin combo), Patch sets out to restore his reputation and save the kingdom. Patrick's clever, compelling story is set apart by the incredibly rich history and mythology of its world. It is by turns dark and funny, and the interspecies friendships ring warm and true. An abrupt ending is softened by the promise of a sequel.
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