Australians Kate and her brothers Mike and Aaron,
are holidaying with their parents and two cousins Sarah and Jacob in Ireland.
It is the first leg of an around the world trip. Aaron is a forest ranger in
Australia, and is using the trip to discover and learn about the trees in the
ancient forests of each place they visit.
Katie and her cousin Sarah, go back to an elevated
area where they had been the previous day, to view a canopy of trees. Katie
believes she saw what appeared to be a fairy. And it was.
The girls meet Elly.
She sprinkles fairy dust over them and they gain magic powers.
These magic powers set them on an adventure of a
lifetime. They move into the world of magic, treemen, elves, leprechauns,
witches, warlocks and trolls.
Meanwhile, the boys are being followed by a man
with questionable intentions. Addition powers are needed to be able to protect them
from harm as there are threats everywhere, it seems. There is a warring of good
and evil when traitors in their midst pit their magic against the children’s.
Barben, the Keeper of the forests, offers the
children powerful protection in the form of an amulet and a golden orb, to
carry his special magic to his helpers in the countries they are travelling
through. They agree to join the fight against the enemies of the ancient
forests and help stop the desecration that is well under way.
Their greatest enemy is Erwin the Great, Keeper of
fields and moors. Erwin sees his areas as threatened, for people have returned
to planting trees and creating forests. What will become of his lands? Both
Keepers are fighting to save what they believe in.
This is an adventure story with an environment
theme sprinkled with magic, and with enough twists, turns and tension to hold
the reader’s interest throughout the book. It is open-ended which allows more
challenges, more magic and the opportunity to build up its characters,
especially Aaron, in the next book.
Title:
Barben’s Magic Quest
Author:
Elaine Ouston
Publisher:
Morris Publishing, $19.95
Publication
Date: October 2018
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780648164784
For
ages: 9+
Type:
Middle Grade Fiction