The Horn Book Guide

OLDER FICTION

Wilce, Ysabeau S.

Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room)

511 pp. | Harcourt | September, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-0-15-205427-4 $17.00

(2) YA Flora (Flora Segunda) turns to Lord Axacaya for help after discovering that a squid is responsible for the city's earthquakes. The suave magician sends her on a quest (in search of a diary that might prove key) that reveals shocking truths about her family's past. This book features firmly established characters and backstory, a cunningly constructed plot, and inventive magic that scales great heights.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009