Moriarty, Jackie. Secret of Lillian Velvet, The. Levine Querido, 10/2023. 443pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-64614-261-3. GRADES 6–9. ADDITIONAL.
Lillian’s life has been very lonely; she has been living with her grandmother and is not allowed to go anywhere, not even school (academics are done at home, alone). But then for her tenth birthday she receives a jar of gold coins, which seem to strangely “push” her into another place—the land of Kingdoms and Empires—where she has brief adventures, often rescuing people. With a narrative that is equal parts fantasy and adventure, readers will gradually piece together the story more quickly than Lillian does, due to intermixed chapters and narrative “reports” which begin to explain the puzzle and what is really going on. A unique look at magic, different types of beings, and kindness.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library