ISBN13
9781912626526
Review published
01/03/2021
By Reviewer
Kelly
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Amy Bond
Age range(s)
9+
Review
When I received Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age, I was intrigued, it sounded like a melting pot of magic, adventure and fantasy. I was enthralled from the first page. Amy Bond writes with comical flair in this story that illuminates modern day technology and its lure and hold on humans. It is reminiscent of Piers Torday's The Lost Magican. Morgana Mage is a witch living in the woods and not a very good one at that. She fails to conjure any magic from within, much to the astonishment of her peers and family. Her brother, Turlough, is accomplished, if a little boastful in his achievements. Morgana has always sought more from life, has never felt she quite fitted in with her fellow witches. Across town, in the city, the world could not be more different: robots roam the streets, every human yields a scroll, an electronic device, which feeds them updates, allows them to communicate with others and stream their daily occurrences to social media platforms. Witches are not welcome in the city, they are blamed and despised for any technology glitches that happen, so when Morgana finds herself enrolled in a city school, learning the trade of robotics, she receives a hostile welcome and begins to wonder if she has made the wrong choice. All is not well under the gleaming bravado of the futuristic city, however, and Morgana learns it's concealing terrible secrets. Caught between two worlds, with a dishevelled robotic cat who has a metal chicken claw for a foot, Morgana must trust in her self to find a solution. This book is overflowing with fantastic vocabulary and would be an enthralling read for Y5/6 or adult led in Y3/4. It would support topics including: finding oneself, fitting in, acceptance and teamwork.
