The Oddmire, Book 2: The Unready Queen

by William Ritter

Overview

Human-raised brothers Tinn and Cole join forces with Fable, daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark, to stop the fighting between the people of Endsborough and the creatures of the Wild Wood before violence turns into all-out war.  

Human and goblin brothers Cole and Tinn are finding their way back to normal at home in Endsborough after their journey to the heart of the Oddmire. Normal, unfortunately,
wants nothing to do with them. To complicate matters, their friend Fable, daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark, is visiting them in secret—hiding herself and her magic from the people of Endsborough.

But when the trio discovers that humans are destroying the Wild Wood and the lives of its creatures for their own dark purposes, Fable cannot stay quiet. As the truce between the townspeople and the inhabitants of the Wild Wood crumbles, violence escalates, threatening war and bringing Fable’s mother closer to the fulfillment of a deadly prophecy that could leave Fable a most Unready Queen.

In this second book in the Oddmire series, the New York Times bestselling author of Jackaby takes readers on an adventure full of monsters, mayhem, and magic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643751511
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Series:	Oddmire Series
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	511,746
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

William Ritter is an Oregon educator and the New York Times bestselling author of the Jackaby series, which received glowing trade and national reviews and was named to many state lists. He is the proud father of the two bravest boys in the Wild Wood, and husband to the indomitable Queen of the Deep Dark. Visit him online at rwillritter.wordpress.com and find him on Twitter: @Willothewords.

Editorial Reviews

"The Oddmire series' memorable, inspiring characters are full of heart and, combined with the enchanting magic surrounding them, form the strong core of a burgeoning fantasy classic."
—Booklist, starred review

“In another brilliantly written visit to Oddmire, Ritter returns to an already magical place filled with danger and intrigue, and adds a new chapter to an outstanding series. VERDICT Those who loved book one will adore book two. A wonderful addition to the series and to young fantasy collections.”
—School Library Journal, starred review

"Ritter deftly executes the all-too-timely theme of racist demagoguery—and profiting from it—in a way that is realistic yet hopeful. He also leavens it with humor: Fable, particularly, is a reliable source of silliness and fart jokes . . . Captivating adventure, magical friendship, and just the right amount of goofiness."
—Kirkus Reviews

 

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2020

Gr 6 Up—Tinn and Cole have returned from their journey to Oddmire. Unfortunately, returning to "normal" has proven more difficult than they thought. Fable looks at these two boys as her only true friends and, as the daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark, she must convince her mother to allow her to visit them. The Queen relents, on the condition that Fable make every effort to conceal her magic and, in the words of the Queen, "keep quiet." Fable finds this a difficult task, however, as she and the boys learn that the people of Endsborough have begun destroying the Wild Wood and the magical creatures who live there, and are doing so for a very sinister reason. Fable struggles to keep quiet in light of this discovery and, as a fragile and unspoken truce begins to crumble, she and her mother begin inching toward the fulfillment of a deadly prophecy. In another brilliantly written visit to Oddmire, Ritter returns to an already magical place filled with danger and intrigue, and adds a new chapter to an outstanding series. VERDICT Those who loved book one will adore book two. A wonderful addition to the series and to young fantasy collections.—Wayne R. Cherry Jr., St. Pius X H.S., Houston

School Library Journal

2020-03-29
The twins already saved the Wild Wood from a breakdown in magic in Changeling (2019); can they also save the humans and magical creatures from one another?

Tinn and Cole, inseparable white twins, are adjusting to this new world in which Tinn’s learned he’s a goblin changeling. Though Cole’s not happy about Tinn’s goblin lessons and the new divide between the brothers, he’s supportive—all he wants is Tinn’s happiness. The boys still have a great time playing in the woods with their friend Fable, the daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark. The “unready queen” of the title, Fable’s a magically gifted adolescent who’d rather shape-shift into a bear than train her magic, and she is a delightful friend to the boys as they confront the drama of everyday life: shortage of money, interest in girls, accidentally turning partway into a goblin in school. Meanwhile, though the townsfolk have lived alongside the Wild Wood for generations, a few people incite bigoted violence, and an outside industrialist drilling for oil and felling magical trees whips up the locals to battle with the magical creatures for his own profit. Ritter deftly executes the all-too-timely theme of racist demagoguery—and profiting from it—in a way that is realistic yet hopeful. He also leavens it with humor: Fable, particularly, is a reliable source of silliness and fart jokes.

Captivating adventure, magical friendship, and just the right amount of goofiness. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews