Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit

Gr 3-6–In Ista Flit’s world, the magic of the tide grants “blessings” to its people, and Ista’s blessing is a handy one—she can copy the face and body of anyone she’s seen. Months ago, Ista arrived in the town of Shelwich searching for her father, who disappeared around the time the mysterious grilks showed up. The grilks, magic-sucking creatures who appear on dark, misty nights, have been kidnapping townsfolk. Meanwhile, local thief Alexo Rokis is blackmailing Ista into helping him pull off small heists while wearing someone else’s face. As more of Ista’s close friends disappear, the stakes get higher, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of things. Could someone like Alexo be controlling the grilks? And what happened to the missing townsfolk? Harlow’s debut has plenty for young fantasy readers to love, from the characters’ unique magical blessings to the wonderful old-town setting full of secret entrances, buried tunnels, and hidden streets. The mystery adds an extra layer of excitement as Ista teams up with Nat, the son of a local investigative journalist, and Ruby, whose sister was taken, to figure out what’s really going on. Ista, as well as many townsfolk, default to white. Nat is described as having brown skin and eyes, and Ruby is Black with braids.