The Stone Girl's Story
Sarah Beth Durst
Clarion Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Long ago, a stonemason left the great city of Skye and carved a new family high on the tallest mountain of the land: birds and fish and rabbits and others, and one stone girl named Mayka. He brought them to life with stories chiseled onto their bodies, tales of love and adventure and bravery and more... but, in the years since their beloved Father passed in the way of all flesh-and-blood beings, their story marks have faded. When they are gone, the stone animals will become ordinary rock, as the plodding old Turtle has already done. To save her family and herself, Mayka sets out for Skye, to find a new stonemason to refresh their marks - but real adventures aren't like the stories Father used to tell them, and the city is bigger and more dangerous than she could've imagined, especially when she makes a discovery that could change the relationship between humans and stone creations forever.
REVIEW: This imaginative tale explores the power of stories - not just the kind people tell to children or to pass time, but the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we might become, not to mention how we often let other people decide our stories for us. Mayka's story started her life, but she has grown to become more, as have the animals in her "family" on the mountain. Down in the valley and the city, she discovers that not everyone values stories, or stone creations. Her search for a stonemason leads to the heart of Skye and into the story of why Father left the city so long ago, a history that ties into the lives of the people (living and stone, human and animal) she encounters along the way. Her sidekicks - the stone birds Jacklo and Risa from the mountain, and later the carved dragon Si-Si and others - all pull their weight even as they add elements of fun. The whole makes for a wonderful tale, full of charming details and memorable characters, with a timeless feel and a satisfying conclusion. It was just the escape I needed.
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