What if you were carved from stone, but alive? What if you slowed and eventually went to sleep as the carved marks wore away with time? This is what had begun happening to Mayka's friends. Their father was a stonemason who carved them all, but now there is no one to keep the marks fresh and clear.
Mayka begins a journey to find a stonemason who will come to help them. She heads down into the valley and toward the great city looking for someone who can save her friends. Everything is new and different. As she travels down the mountain she echoes Sam Gamgee's words as he follows Frodo out of the Shire: “This is it,” Mayka said, “the farthest down the mountain I’ve ever been.” As she and two of her friends cross the valley they meet another stone creature who would like to find a mason to change the marks and make her more than a decorative figure. When this little creature asks, "“Do you think . . . Could I . . . Maybe I could ask him to recarve me?” it reminded me of Dorothy's friends in The Wizard of Oz as they each join her quest to see the wizard and ask him for a favor.
It's not surprising that so many other stories seem to cast a reflection here and there in the book, the stories carved onto each stone creature are what brings them to life - so readers know that the author understands the value of stories. Those glimmers of other books show how many stories have soaked into her own skin. As Mayka talks to one of the humans in the city, he tells her that he doesn't have a story. "Did all flesh creatures deny their part in their own story? Doing that didn’t exempt you from having a story; it just meant other people would shape your tale for you. You have to seize your story, Mayka thought. That’s what stone creatures do."
I won't tell you what happens anything else, we should all experience stories in our own way. I will say that if you are a lover of stories, you will enjoy this one. There are themes of friendship, courage, love, and claiming our strengths to live our story to the fullest. As Mayka would say, "We make our marks our own."
Readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, friends joining together for a good cause, and a bit of magic will love this book. Highly recommended for middle grade and early YA readers.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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