The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson -ADVISABLE

The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson, 292 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2018 $17

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: EL -ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rook and Drift are orphaned children with no memory of their homeworld. As wielders of magic, they are not welcome in Talhaven, so they must sneak and hide to survive. The two worlds used to be linked for a beneficial magical trade relationship. But when the door between was closed it left Talhaven with a ship full of magical orphans and a blighted area around the former door that is driving people mad and seems to be ready to explode. Rook and Drift are caught up in a scheme to exploit the dark, wild and dangerous power near the former door, and must use their own magic to figure out how to survive.

This was a very well written book, I found it easy to engage with the characters and keep reading to find out their fate. Although creepy at times, it’s a fairly wholesome story with no swearing and an emphasis on friendship. Its just the right length for an upper elementary adventure and the magical component is intriguing. I think the cover is unappealing and I am not even sure how the name relates to the story in a real way. I also think readers would have loved to see more magical hijinks at the beginning of the book before the very serious plot takes over. A great book talk would get the checkouts rolling on this book.

Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.