Street Magic

ANNOTATION

Former "street rat" Briar Moss must face his past when he discovers a young mage in need of a mentor.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Briar Moss spots a street kid using magic in the marketplace, he knows he must find her a teacher. Before he can do so, Briar and the young mage are swept up in gang warfare that puts them both in grave danger. Now Briar must decide if he's ready to step in as young Evvy's mentor ￯﾿ﾽ and if he's ready to put his own gang life behind him for good.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA

This second book in Pierce's The Circle Opens quartet takes place four years after Briar Moss began his studies as a plant mage in Briar's Book (Scholastic, 1999/VOYA June 1999) of the first quartet, Circle of Magic. Now fourteen, Briar and his teacher, Dedicate Rosethorn of Winding Circle temple in Emelan, have stopped in the trade city of Chammur on their way to distant Yanjing. In Chammur, Briar encounters a young girl named Evvy, who appears to have powerful stone magic. Evvy's power is sought by warring street gangs, and Briar must come to terms with his own past as a "street rat" to convince Evvy to begin training as a stone mage and to find her a teacher. Fans of Pierce's Circle of Magic, which introduced readers to Briar and his foster sisters Sandry, Tris, and Daja, will welcome enthusiastically the latest entry chronicling the friends' further adventures. The vocabulary, setting, and characters in Briar's world are richly detailed and among the best in fantasy fiction. Information from the previous books is woven seamlessly throughout the text in a way that will inform newcomers to Pierce's quartets without seeming repetitive to devoted fans. Extras include a glossary, a list of the author's works by series, and acknowledgments showing Pierce's research on everything from head wounds to gang culture to the mapping of Arab cities. The lively plot, imaginative setting, and engaging characters will keep fans and new readers alike wanting more from this gifted author. This series is recommended for all libraries serving middle and high school students. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined asgrades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Scholastic, 304p, . Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Leah J. Sparks SOURCE: VOYA, April 2001 (Vol. 24, No.1)

KLIATT

Briar Moss has been training as a plant mage for four years now, and he and his teacher have come to the ancient eastern city of Chammur to use their magic to help the farmers there. In the bustling marketplace Briar comes across a street child named Evvy who clearly possesses magic as well: the stones she is polishing glow as she touches them (this exotic scene is depicted on the cover). Briar learns to his dismay from his teacher that having discovered an untrained mage, he is to be the one responsible for training her. Briar is only 14, and he feels he isn't up to the job. But when he realizes that a wicked noblewoman who runs one of the street gangs wants Evvy to work for her, using her magical talent to steal precious stones, his protective instincts—and his own background as a gang member—come into play. Together Briar and Evvy foil the gangs and the nasty noblewoman, in an exciting and rather violent climax. Evvy begins to learn the art of controlling her magic from Briar, and he begins to feel pride in his new role as teacher. The Circle Opens series is a continuation of Pierce's Circle of Magic quartet, which told how Briar and three other mages learned about their magical abilities. In this new series, each takes on an apprentice (Book 1, Magic Steps, was reviewed in KLIATT in Jan. 2000, p. 8). Tales of teens with special powers always have appeal (witness the success of X-men, for example), and this fantasy is also fast moving and well written. Impudent Evvy is a good match for streetwise Briar, and Pierce delivers a strong anti-gang message as well as an engrossing tale. A glossary of invented terms is appended at the end. The Circle Opens Quartet, Book 2.KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2001, Scholastic, 302p, $16.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick; March 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 2)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-In this second book of the quartet, 14-year-old Briar leaves Winding Circle with his teacher Rosethorn to take magical plant lore to farmers and folks in other areas. During an extended stay in Chammur, he meets a young "street rat" named Evvy, who unknowingly possesses strong stone magic. While trying to find a proper mage for her, Briar runs afoul not only of the many street gangs in the city, but of a powerful and evil rich woman as well. Briar, one of the four children featured in "The Circle of Magic" quartet, is a likable, streetwise kid. His magical link with plants is so strong that all green things literally reach out to him as he goes by; even tattoos he created on his hands with vegetable dye tend to take on a life of their own. Evvy's magic isn't explored in as much detail, but readers will still be fascinated by her ability to manipulate rocks and minerals. Lady Zenadia, who manipulates and kills young street gang members, is a much less successful character; her motivation is unclear, which makes every grisly scene with her seem unnecessary and even gratuitous. Chammur, which has the ambience of an ancient Arabic city, makes for a vivid, exotic setting and adds zest to Briar's adventures. A solid addition to this enthralling series.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Pierce (Magic Steps, 2000, etc.) continues to individually develop her quartet of adolescent mages. Former street rat Briar Moss, now 14 and a fully certified Mage, visits the distant city of Chammur with his mentor Rosethorn, in order to use their plant magic to replenish its depleted soil. While sightseeing, Briar discovers the homeless waif Evvy leaking stone magic. Reluctantly tutoring her in the control of her incipient powers, he becomes embroiled in a gang war, as the Vipers, prodded by a bored noblewoman, seek to profit by Evvy's talents. While retaining his most appealing traits-his affectionate bond with plant life, his jaundiced skepticism towards authority, and the prickly sarcasm disguising his deep love for his teacher and foster sisters-Briar also matures through the rewards and frustrations of teaching; and the threat to his protégé forces him to confront his romanticized ambivalence toward his own childhood gang. Strong-willed Evvy is a delightful addition to Pierce's mostly female cast, and the villainous Lady Zenadia oozes serpentine menace. Most fascinating is rose-red Chammur itself, with its timeworn stones, bustling bazaars, dusty rooftop roads, and cool, shaded palaces. Ancient, arid, elegant, sinister, sophisticated, weary, and cruel, Chammur drips with an exotic atmosphere clearly inspired by (if uncomfortably close to stereotyping) classical Arab culture. A must for Pierce's many fans, and a solid choice for those interested in a different take on gangs, faraway lands, or just good imaginative fantasy. (Fiction. 9-14)