Review By: Anonymous
Title: The Fabled Stables #1: Willa the Wisp
Series: The Fabled Stables
Author: Jonathan Auxier
Published: 2020, Amulet Books
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: 2, 3, 4
Triggers: Magic
Goodreads Review: Auggie Pound is eight years old and has the greatest job of all time: he cares for all the animals in the Fabled Stables. The Fabled Stables house the rarest creatures in existence–all of them one-of-a-kind. Auggie’s job is to care for these creatures, as well as track down and safely capture endangered magical beasts in the wild. Some mornings, he arrives to find an empty stall with the name of a new creature to rescue. One day, the Stables rearrange themselves out of the blue, creating a new stall. The sign over the gate says, “Wisp.” But what is a wisp and where is it? All Auggie can see is a moonlit swamp stretching out before him. Then a hungry HOWLLLLLLL rings out in the darkness. It’s up to Auggie to go into the swamp to find the wisp before it’s too late.
Review: It was a battle book for my 3rd/4th graders. Friendship can be found anywhere! In the book Willa the Wisp, Auggie is stuck on an island and only wants friends. One night he comes across a wisp but there are scary men trying to capture the wisp. Auggie and Willa are able to outsmart the men and the predetermined future for Willa so she can stay with Auggie forever.
I can see how this book could be appealing to young readers, based on the cover. The illustrations can catch anyone’s eye, but I feel like the plot could have been developed more. I kept waiting for the story line to develop and once it did, the story was over. There is a touch of magic in the story, which is appealing to students, but it could have been brought into the story more.
I do believe fables are discussed in the first grade curriculum, so this could be a series that is mentioned to students. In my opinion, students would pick up the book, based on the cover, and if students knew what a stable was it could draw their attention, but the picture is appealing to young readers anyways. If the book was read aloud, or read with an adult, explanations would help a reader understand what is happening more. This is the first book in a series, so I am hoping the characters, Auggie and Willa, are developed more.
