Sparrow Rising

Every now and then I pick up middle grade books. When they are good they are powerful and moving because its pure simple clean story telling. Sparrow Rising is that.

The characters are crafted well. The pacing is tight and sturdy the whole way through. I was a bit shocked to find a good amount of violence, this violence is justified in my opinion. The messages of these books are to communicate dangers of authority, class divide, the importance of knowledge, and the effects of racism.

The violence and harsh lessons are paired with typical adventure antics, charming characters, the fun fantasy setting and the mystery! Little seeds of a bigger mystery are planted in this book and I am so excited to read the next ones in the series.

This is an excellent thing to hand off to young readers who crave fantasy or adventure books.