Jess RedmanQuintessence

Elementary librarian here. At the moment I’m humored by a review left by a fellow reader who was upset by the dangerous situations the characters encountered. With all due respect, sincerely, welcome to fiction literature. :)While I didn’t love it quite as much as the author’s debut novel (only because The Miraculous was THAT good!), this was an enjoyable story with extra credit for addressing panic attacks. I’ve definitely made a mental note about this for my students who might especially appreciate that. I felt as though I could connect each of the four children almost perfectly to people I’ve known in real life, and I think young readers will relate in that way as well.Both of this author’s books possess a unique quality that makes them special—a certain softness even when characters are on dangerous quests. I love it. And I’m eager for her third release.

How can you save a star when anxiety eats away at you and makes it feel like you can’t even save yourself? That is the struggle that the main character of Quintessence, Alma, faces. This book so expertly captured those horrible anxious thoughts that can drown out everything else. From the doubt and shame to the feeling of never being good enough and even feeling like you’re losing who you are. But this book also showed how no matter what anxiety tries to force you to believe, there is still hope. Through Alma’s journey to rescue a fallen star, she found wonderful friends and also the ability to believe in herself again. This book was so fantastic and I absolutely adored it.

The Author has woven a tale of lost souls finding friendship and belief in their own abilities and how we each can accomplish great journeys. Her understanding of why we need to know we are each special is a gift! This is a wonderful book for pre-teens of all ages!

This was such a creative and well-thought out story. The double meaning of quintessence, the four elements connection to the four different kid characters, the shopkeeper and all the roles he played and who he truly is. I could go on and on. This was a great reading journey.

The story immediately drew me in. The characters came alive through the story. The quest is very relatable to middle school and junior high students who feel lost or 'unfinished'. Highly recommend this book to boys and girls as well as their parents and teachers.