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1520 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA. 95060 • 831-423-0900 | 9AM-9PM DAILY
This is book number 1 in the Jinx series.
Enter the dreamy forest of the Urwald, where the orphaned Jinx is snatched up by a secretive wizard. For what purpose? Uncertain who to trust, Jinx sets out to uncover the secrets of his new master as well as the strange and persistent callings of the Urwald forest. Sage Blackwood evokes the mysterious and unsettling terrain of Grimm’s fairy tales through which the soft-hearted Jinx stumbles until he learns that in the midst of perilous danger that he can trust his own powers. A mesmerizing fantasy, told with droll humor and packed with witches who travel in butter churns, botched curses, and cranky, if lovable, friendships. Grades 4–7.
— Tera
“This great adventure story draws the reader into its magical, dangerous world in a way that reminded me of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Magic here is many-layered and both good and bad; it is used by some, banned by others, and feared by the rest. The characters, too, are complex and multidimensional. There are no clear heroes, and some villains are more villainous than others. Blackwood has barely scratched the surface of the world that he has created, and there should be many more adventures ahead for Jinx and his friends. I look forward to them impatiently.”
— Julie A. Baker, Eight Cousins, Falmouth, MA
The highly acclaimed first book of a fantasy adventure series set in a mysterious forest, starring a daring new hero.
"Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx" (SLJ, starred review), a wizard's apprentice, as he sets off on a quest through the dangerous Urwald, a magical forest full of wizards and were-creatures, and discovers that it is more complex than he could imagine, and that it needs him more than he could ever guess.
This humorous and smart tween fantasy adventure is perfect for fans of Septimus Heap, The Sisters Grimm, and Fablehaven.
Supports the Common Core State Standards
Sage Blackwood was born in Chicago and grew up in New York State. She graduated from Antioch College and the University at Albany and taught ESL for many years. Her first fantasy novel, Jinx, was selected as a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, ALA Booklist, School Library Journal, and Amazon.com, and was purchased by President Obama.
In this expertly paced, beautifully written fantasy, Blackwood elevates familiar fantasy elements with exquisitely credible characters who inhabit a world filled with well-drawn magic and whimsy. — Booklist (starred review)
Blackwood fills her tale with drama and delightfully funny dialogue. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx. — School Library Journal (starred review)
[Blackwood] puts her central three [characters] through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Flowing dialogue, easy interactions between the characters, a mixed Diana Wynne Jones/Lloyd Alexander vibe, and a setting both familiar and original make the novel immediately inviting and compelling. — The Horn Book