Aurian by Maggie Furey
A Note on Great Reads in Youth Literature. ....
Throw the baby out with the bathwater ?
Its my opinion that in a library we tend to push out older books to make way for newer ones. This implies that you have the exact same patrons who need fresh things to read. For adults, this may very well be the case (especially if your ability to bring in new patrons is on a low note). However I don’t think this same philosophy should apply to the childrens & teens (and hopefully tweens) section. They grow up and move on. The best books should be kept so that the next set of youth can enjoy them, along with discovering the latest releases. If a great book become unreadable due to a plethora of cultural ties that are no longer recognizable or, outdated politically correct terms, or historical corrections something, well that’s one thing. But a great book should not be booted from a youth book section to the booksale just because its getting older.
So back to the review. I found this book in the teen section of recent library booksale. It was published in 1994. It rocks. I really liked this book. What on earth was it doing in the bin? (Especially since the shelves in the adult section for fantasy are very sparse).
The story starts with Aurian as a young and neglected girl secretly practicing magic in the woods by her home. An old friend of her fathers, Forral steps in to take the place of her dead father. Although she is eventually parted from Forral, moving into the Mage Academy in Nexis to live with the Archmage and other Mages, she never forgets him. Through the help of the Archmage, Aurian grows into her powers and when Forral returns she discovers she doesn’t want to play by the rules anymore. The Archmage had other plans for Aurian and her magic, and he releases a horror on the city that no one can possibly imagine. An interesting secondary plot involves a boy names Anvar who is subjected to being a slave at the academy. His perspective helps to provide a well-rounded view of the story. Will Aurian be able to cope with the havoc that is coming her way?
For Tweens?
I think its acceptable for those Tweens who like to read up. They will connect with her need for rebellion. However there are some ‘passionate’ scenes that may be offensive to parents. I would stick this book firmly in the Teen Section.
Final Word?
I really want to go to magic school! And no, being a master hypnosis therapist does not count as magic! (Until I make you chicken dance)
Furey, M. (1994). Aurian (First Book). New York: Spectra.
