Changes are hitting Gwendolyn Golden from all around: she is starting grade nine at the same time she is receiving her Night Flyers Handbook, and then there's the Mystery Person....The fact that Gwendolyn is a human who can fly is no longer a novelty, as it was in series opener The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden (2014); now it is just a talent she must hone, a talent that she has inherited from her mysteriously deceased father, who was also a Night Flyer. As her mother and younger twin siblings, Christine and Christopher (or C2, as she affectionately calls them), try to get back to a normal life, feisty Gwendolyn nervously begins high school. She meets the new kid in town, handsome, blue-eyed Everton Miles, who is the first Night Flyer she has met close to her own age. Everton soon becomes not only her friend, but also a protector, as the two discover an evil, dark-winged Night Flyer who appears unpredictably and seems to have a special interest in Gwendolyn. Dowding offers a charming sequel that meshes the magical world of Night Flyers with ordinary teenage life effortlessly. Gwendolyn's best friend, the ever perfect Jez, her old friend Martin, who gave her the Worst Kiss Ever last spring, and popular Everton all band together in what becomes a frightening tale that plays out in the shadows of their close-knit, largely white, small town of Bass Creek. A page-turner that is funny, magical, and entertaining. (Fantasy. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
August 15, 2016
Changes are hitting Gwendolyn Golden from all around: she is starting grade nine at the same time she is receiving her Night Flyers Handbook, and then theres the Mystery Person.The fact that Gwendolyn is a human who can fly is no longer a novelty, as it was in series opener The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden (2014); now it is just a talent she must hone, a talent that she has inherited from her mysteriously deceased father, who was also a Night Flyer. As her mother and younger twin siblings, Christine and Christopher (or C2, as she affectionately calls them), try to get back to a normal life, feisty Gwendolyn nervously begins high school. She meets the new kid in town, handsome, blue-eyed Everton Miles, who is the first Night Flyer she has met close to her own age. Everton soon becomes not only her friend, but also a protector, as the two discover an evil, dark-winged Night Flyer who appears unpredictably and seems to have a special interest in Gwendolyn. Dowding offers a charming sequel that meshes the magical world of Night Flyers with ordinary teenage life effortlessly. Gwendolyn's best friend, the ever perfect Jez, her old friend Martin, who gave her the Worst Kiss Ever last spring, and popular Everton all band together in what becomes a frightening tale that plays out in the shadows of their close-knit, largely white, small town of Bass Creek. A page-turner that is funny, magical, and entertaining. (Fantasy. 12-16)
COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
October 15, 2016
Grades 7-10 In Dowding's series starter, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden (2014), Gwen discovered that she's a Night Flyer, which is exactly what it sounds like. Now she's starting ninth grade and still smarting over her father's disappearance, and she gets quite a surprise when she spots a fellow Night Flyer at her school, Everton Miles. While soaring by the corn fields one night, she spots a stranger with flaming feathers, whom she later learns is a Rogue Spirit Flyer named Abilith, who tricks Night Flyers into joining him. She needs to recruit Everton to help, but he thinks Abilith is just a story to frighten children. Can she convince him before it's too late? Dowding nicely weaves together the magical elements of Gwen and Everton's story with Gwen's real-life struggles, and she avoids convoluted explanations and descriptions, which can be challenging for struggling readers. This is an enjoyable tale starring a relatable character experiencing everyday struggles as well as magical adventure, and as an added bonus, it can easily stand on its own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)