Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst "A half-magic girl learns about heroism and taking action when she and her sister confront a wizard who endangers others for her own gain."--Provided by publisher. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A half-magic girl learns about heroism and taking action when she and her sister confront a wizard who endangers others for her own gain. Even and Odd are sisters who share magic. Lately, though, it seems like thats the only thing they have in common. Odd doesnt like magic, and Even practices it every chance she gets, dreaming of the day shell be ready to be a hero. When the hidden border between the mundane world the sisters live in and the magical land they were born in shuts abruptly, the girls are trapped, unable to return home. With the help of a unicorn named Jeremy, they discover a wizard is diverting magic from the border to bolster her own power. Families are cut off from each other on both sides of the border, and an ecological disaster is brewing. But the wizard cares nothing for the calamitous effects her appropriation of magic is having. Someone has to do something to stop her, and Even realises she can no longer wait until shes ready: she needs to be a hero now. AGES: 8 to 12 AUTHOR: Sarah Beth Durst is the author of fantasy novels for children, teens, and adults. Winner of the Mythopoeic Award and an ALA Alex Award and thrice nominated for the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, she lives in New York. Author Biography Sarah Beth Durst is the author of fantasy novels for children, teens, and adults. Winner of the Mythopoeic Award and an ALA Alex Award and thrice nominated for the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, she lives in New York. , Twitter: @sarahbethdurst. Review "Juxtaposing the sisters real world with a whimsical one populated by unicorns, dragons, mermaids, and more, Durst inserts a subtle message about the separation of families through closed borders.... [A] feel-good portal fantasy." -- Publishers Weekly"Using the unrest at the border, Durst deftly weaves in a narrative of the separation of families with themes of standing up to unchecked power and finding the hero within." -- Booklist "Humor abounds... Whimsical fun." -- Kirkus Reviews Review Quote "Using the unrest at the border, Durst deftly weaves in a narrative of the separation of families with themes of standing up to unchecked power and finding the hero within." Excerpt from Book 1 LIKE MANY SISTERS, Even and Odd shared many things: Their bedroom. Their closet. Six pairs of flip-flops. Use of the living-room TV. And . . . magic. On even days, Even could work magic. On odd days, her one-year-younger sister, Odd, could. Years ago, before their family moved across the border from the magic world of Firoth to Stony Haven, the most ordinary town in Connecticut, the sisters had discovered they could each work magic on alternating days. Showing an imperfect understanding of how calendars work, four-year-old Emma had coined their nicknames--and theyd stuck. Emma became Even, and Olivia became Odd. Now twelve years old, Even wished shed picked a nickname that wasnt a constant reminder of the fact that she lacked magic half the time. Like today, which was an odd day. On odd days, she couldnt practice her magic. If she couldnt practice, she couldnt get better. If she didnt get better, she wouldnt pass all the required levels of Academy of Magic exams and win her wizard medallion. And if she didnt have a medallion, she couldnt become a hero of Firoth, charged with protecting the magic world against all threats--a goal that had been her dream for as long as she could remember. So, not a fan of odd days. But at least she was still able to help out with the familys shop on odd days, despite her lack of magic. It helped pass the time until she was magical again. That afternoon, Dad had left her in charge of the register while he went to pick up milk from the supermarket and Odd from her volunteer job at the Stony Haven Animal Rescue Center. Even loved being trusted to help their customers. Like Frank the centaur, who was here to collect his order. "So thats one box of nine-by-twelve manila envelopes, one vial of imported ambrosia, and a Three Musketeers bar." Even calculated the cost. "Twenty-six dollars and forty-eight cents. Plus one hundred forty-eight seventy-three for the rare honey shipment. Your total is one hundred seventy-five dollars and twenty-one cents." Frank handed her his credit card. "Excited about summer vacation? No more teachers, no more books, no more . . . Wait, thats not right. No more teachers dirty looks is the last one, which means the first one cant be teachers . . ." She grinned. For as long as hed been coming into the shop, Frank had liked to try out mundane-world sayings hed learned. He usually mangled them. "Pencils?" she suggested. "No more pencils, no more books--yes, thats it! Thanks, Even!" "Actually, Im not done with studying yet," Even said. "I take the Academy of Magic level-five exam on Friday. Im doing the remote course." Shed been studying hard, practicing every even day and poring over her level-five textbook on odd days. She had it all planned out: Once she passed, shed only have three more levels left until she had her junior-wizard medallion. And once she had that, the Academy could start assigning her basic quests in the magic world, like monitoring a phoenix rebirth or helping with a mermaid migration. If she did well enough with those, then by the time she was eighteen, shed have her official-- Frank interrupted her daydream. "Ah, fantastic! Good luck!" The machine spat out his receipt, and Even handed it to him along with his credit card. "Do you need any help with the honey?" she asked politely. "Yes--if you could just strap it on my back, that would be great." Frank was part of a local research team, sponsored by the Academy. He was in the store nearly every other day to pick up special-order items. Currently, his team was studying honey and had ordered samples from across the United States. Last month it had been peanut butter. She hefted the box of honey onto his broad horses back, and she belted it on with the straps he had for that purpose. He held his other purchases with his human hands. "Thanks for your business," Even told him, hoping she sounded professional. "Please tell your parents to call when the next shipment comes in." He clip-clopped to the door. Pausing, he cast an illusion to disguise his horse body as a motorcycle and "rode" outside. She wondered if he knew that his motorcycle didnt spew any exhaust and still kind of made a clip-clop horse sound beneath the engine roar. She waved as the door shut behind him. That went well, she thought. One happy customer down. Yay for me. Humming to herself, she spent the next few minutes straightening the shop. Built into their familys garage, the shop was crowded with merchandise. Though her parents had renovated both the house and the shop with extra-wide doors to accommodate a variety of visitors, there still wasnt much room for a full-grown centaur to maneuver without bumping into a few shelves. Hed knocked over a display of diapers, sized from pixie to human to troll, as well as a stack of New York City guidebooks. Their shop carried supplies for the mundane world, as well as imports from the magic world--anything a magical customer might need for their visit here. It was the kind of store known as a border shop. Located in a border town, close to a gateway between worlds, it was where centaurs, fairies, and other overtly magical beings could buy things without needing to shapeshift or pretend they were in costume. It was also the only place where those visiting from Firoth could ask basic questions, such as "What is an airplane, and is it going to eat me?" The bell rang over the shop door just as Even finished lining up the stacks of National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, and People magazines. Glancing over, she saw that a new customer had come in: a tall, willowy woman wearing an ornately beaded robe that looked as if it belonged at a Renaissance fair. Her pink hair was braided with jewels and gold-coated flowers, showing off her pointy ears. An elf! A real elf! "Welcome!" Even said. Her voice squeaked a little. Shed never met an elf before. Usually they stayed in the magic world and werent interested in anything to do with the mundane world. But here was one, in their shop! She wished Odd were here to see this. Odd wasnt normally interested in much to do with Firoth, but this would have impressed her. Keeping her robe lifted so it wouldnt touch the floor, the elf surveyed the shop and sniffed. "This is serviceable, I suppose. Are you the proprietor?" "Its my parents shop, but I can help you. I mean, can I help you?" Even felt as if her tongue were knotted like a pretzel. She tried again. "May I help you with something?" There, that was better. "Perhaps." The elf didnt elaborate. Instead she studied the overflowing shelves and counters with an air of faint disapproval. She looked as if she wanted to hold her nose but was too dignified to do so. Even waited, shifting from foot to foot, wondering if she was supposed to make suggestions or ask questions or just wait politely for the customer to decide what she wanted. At last, the elf pointed one delicate finger toward the highest shelf, directly at a plush animal, a panda that had sat in the shop for so long cobwebs were strung between its ears. "I will purchase that item. It will make a suitable gift." "Good choice," Even said. "Everyone likes souvenirs. Im sure whoever--" "I do not require your approval," the elf interrupted. "I require you to fetch it. I do not wish to expend my magic on a menial task." "Of course. Sorry." She wasnt exactly sure what she was apologizing for, but there was something about the elfs manner that made Even feel like shed committed a horrible breach of etiquette. She made a mental note to ask her parents more about the customs of elves. That kind of info wasnt in her theory textbook. Crossing the shop, she retrieved the ladder and carried it to the shelves. She climbed up to the plush panda and reached toward it. "Excuse me, what are you doing?" Arm outstretched, Even stopped. "You wanted this one, didnt you?" &n Details ISBN0358350387 Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 0358350387 ISBN-13 9780358350385 Format Hardcover Publication Date 2021-06-15 Pages 288 UK Release Date 2021-06-15 Place of Publication Boston Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2021-06-15 NZ Release Date 2021-06-15 US Release Date 2021-06-15 Author Sarah Beth Durst Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Imprint Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DEWEY 813.6 Audience Children / Juvenile Audience Age 8-12 Imprint US Clarion Books Publisher US HarperCollins We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:138841970;

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