Seekers of the Wild Realm

Gr 4 Up–The first in this fantasy adventure series with a touch of feminism. Bryn’s family lives in the valley. Above the village lies the Wild Realm, uninhabitable for humans but home to magical creatures. Seekers fly on the backs of dragons to collect the magical treasures that reside there. Bryn wants to be a Seeker, just like her late father. Bryn herself has magical powers with plants. When Seeker Oskar decides to retire, there will be a competition to replace him; this is what Bryn has been waiting for. But when she shows up for the first practice, the Head Seeker informs her that she’s not allowed to train because she is a girl. Bryn decides to compete without the training. She discovers that Ari the Empath, one of the other contestants, has an unlawful dragon, and they find a way to help each other. A new wrinkle appears when the Vondur, an enemy clan who hunts dragons, begin showing up at the docks. Who let the Vondur in? And who was secretly trying to trade the dragon egg that Ari found and hatched? Set against the backdrop of the mystery is a story of two young people trying to be friends even as they compete against each other. The descriptions of the Realm are delightful, and the rounds of the tournament are equally entertaining as the duo figures out how to use their magic and deal with the creatures of the Realm. When the author writes that women don’t have jobs, it might be helpful to clarify that they don’t have jobs outside the home. The ending is a heartening demonstration of what can happen when people work together, and the mystery of the Vondur lends great suspense to the plot.