The Firelight Apprentice
by Bree Paulsen; illus. by the author
Intermediate, Middle School    Quill Tree/HarperCollins    224 pp.
10/24    9780063266599    $24.99
Paper ed.  9780063266582    $15.99
e-book ed.  9780063266605    $12.99

This lushly illustrated graphic novel follows sisters Ada and Safi, who have fallen on hard times. Their mother, a magician in the king’s forces, was killed in war, and their father’s failing health and struggling business are becoming harder to manage on their own. Most worrisome to older sister Ada is the magical energy building up within Safi: without proper training and guidance, Safi’s magic could become deadly. When Ada hears that a troupe of professional magicians is coming to town, she sees this as a chance to get Safi the mentorship she needs. Paulsen digitally illustrates a world reminiscent of early-nineteenth-century Europe (with airships); the sisters’ dreary town reflects the aftermath of war. Stark stone buildings surround Ada at home, while Safi’s traveling apprenticeship showers her in a world of luxurious red velvet and abundant greenery. Magic is expelled in bursts of yellow light, often taking the form of creatures conjured by the sorcerers. The story takes an exciting and mysterious turn when an outcast magician, “The Great Elba,” alerts Ada to the dark side of one of Safi’s mentors, and the two team up to save her. Paulsen’s (Garlic & the Vampire, rev. 11/21) newest work is a family story through and through. Queer representation is lovingly incorporated via Elba, a transgender man, who in the end becomes a part of the girls’ family.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.