Publisher's Weekly Review
Colman's class-interested debut offers both homage to and a fanciful spin on Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. In a world in which only the wealthy wield magic and those who can't afford the hefty registration price must snuff theirs, 12-year-old Emma Harris is so close to her Kindling--full control of her magic--that she can taste it. Her magical education, however, is sorely lacking, prompting her magical architect father to enroll her at the elite New York City boarding school for young ladies. While she finds her studies difficult, introverted Emma quickly makes friends, thanks to her father's fame and fortune. Izzy, the school's only maid, is of Kindling age as well; though her magic must lawfully be snuffed, she has other plans. The girls' worlds collide when Emma's father dies and the school's headmistress indentures her to pay her outstanding tuition. What follows is a thoughtful and imaginative exploration of friendship, internal change, and perseverance told in alternating voices and anchored in an enticingly crafted alternate turn-of-the-century New York. Ages 8--12.
Kirkus Review
A young magician learns about social justice the hard way. Twelve-year-old Emma Harris is the new girl at posh Miss Posterity's Academy for Practical Magic, where she will learn to kindle, a complicated process in which elite girls undergo a Kindling Ceremony to harness their magical abilities. The setting is early-1900s Manhattan, with a twist--the wealthy have powers that give them all they need or desire while the poor are snuffed, or deprived of their magic. Emma, whose Mama is dead, has a close bond with her Papa, a brilliant magitect whose high expectations she hopes to live up to. When disaster strikes, Emma is summarily deprived of her wealthy trappings and forced into servitude by the mercenary, two-faced Miss Posterity. Determined to avoid the workhouse, Emma buckles down and is befriended by the school maid, Izzy O'Donnell. Aided by house dragon Figgy, the girls hatch a plot to kindle themselves and escape. Emma's true personality comes to the fore in extremis, and she learns compassion for others, regardless of class. With plenty of drama and heroic rescues, this fantasy holds a lot of appeal for magic-loving readers, including fun touches like bland food that becomes delicious with the touch of a crystal and rooms that move around, Hogwarts style. Main characters are White; some secondary characters reflect the diversity of New York City. Fast-paced and warmhearted with a satisfying conclusion. (Fantasy. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
