Welcome to my first monthly book recommendation for KidLit Adults Will Actually Like! I hope people end up finding these useful and interesting.
As an aspiring kidlit writer and the parent of a 13- and 10-year-old, I read a decent amount. Less than some, but more than many. And there are a number of kidlit books I’ve read over the past few years that I’ve truly loved. However, when I thought about what my first book here should be, one immediately came to mind — Stealing from Wizards Vol. 1: Pickpocketing.
If you’ve read this blog before (and let’s be honest, you probably haven’t), there’s a decent chance you’ve already heard me talk about this book. I unabashedly love it. My whole family loves it. But I have to stop before I break my own format and gush for endless paragraphs.
Here we go with Kidlit Adults Will Actually Like numero uno.
Synopsis
Kuro has spent the entirety of his young life in the wizard kingdoms beholden to his master — living in secret, literally unable to disobey, stealing to survive and avoid punishments, and generally disdaining the soft, posh wizards around him. Most of them are so unable to imagine someone doing something without magic that it makes his thieving easy; a magically protected purse does little good against a small, quick boy willing to simply dart his hand in and grab what he can. But when Kuro’s master is captured by the Hounds (a sort of magical police), he’s finally free… sort of. Until an act of bravery and kindness gets him caught as well, and they put him in the worst place he can imagine: school. Despite being convinced he’s constantly being watched at Avalon Academy and the fact that he is utterly hopeless at magic, Kuro makes friends for the first time in his life, slowly comes to realize that there are people who are actually on his side, and eventually starts to think of Avalon as home. Which, of course, is when his master comes to tear him away. But Kuro isn’t ready to go back to his old life without a fight.
Why Adults Will Actually Like It
I’m just going to steal from an earlier review I wrote:
- A mile-long magical street that stretches hundreds of miles across Canada in the Bland Lands (our non-magical world) and features buildings from every era of human history that are often bigger on the inside.
- A main character who is not only horrible at magic, but scorns magicians and regularly outsmarts them using non-magical means because they’re so used to magic they would never suspect someone NOT to use it.
- Grownups who actively try to help kids and do good… despite the main character continually thinking they are out to get him because of how he was brought up.
- Charlie. She is AMAZING. And only gets better by the end of the book.
- Complex, layered characters, most of whom have some kind of secret waiting to be uncovered.
- Light explorations of classism and racism (the latter in the form of humans interacting with other magical races)
- A mundane (i.e. relatable) but truly menacing big bad in the abusive, hateful Phineas.
- A clever, character-based plot that resolves nicely, while leaving plenty of things open-ended for future exploration.
- Despite plenty of scary moments and darkness, a story that is rife with love and joy and hope in all the best ways.
- Just really, really good, smart writing.
I cannot recommend this book (and this series; the fourth book is coming out this November) enough. And it really is one of those books the whole family will enjoy. I was actually introduced to it by my then 10-year-old son, who discovered the podcast. After a few chapters in the car, I was hooked, and it wasn’t long before my wife and then 8-year-old daughter became obsessed as well. Buy it. You’ll be happy you did.
Still not convinced? Try the podcast for free.
Have you already read or listened to the Stealing from Wizards books? I’d love to hear what you thought about them. Want to tell more people about the book? Feel free to share this post.