Small Wonder
In Ross Montgomery’s touching novel Small Wonder, brothers hide from danger and uncover family secrets.
Tick and Leaf lead an idyllic life in their late grandfather’s cabin—until the malevolent Drene arrive on Ellia’s shores to take over the kingdom. Tick and Leaf take their devoted horse, Pebble, to hide in King’s Keep, a fortress for all of Ellia’s citizens. As Tick protects Leaf from a persistent Drene hunter and an avalanche, he also seeks out a treasonous king and discovers the truth about his lineage.
Although Tick expresses the usual annoyances with his brother (Leaf would rather play than work; he has a hard time following directions), his fierce love for both Leaf and Pebble is evident. Indeed, Tick is clear in his attachments, crying out whenever Pebble is injured and squirreling Leaf away inside a hollow tree when the hunter looms. He always puts his family first, quoting his late grandfather in times of distress and offering to fight the Drene himself. His dedication to his moral code is compelling, propelling the plot to its ultimate conclusion.
The prose is fast-moving and descriptive. In a memory, Tick recounts: “The rain was like a living thing trying to force its way inside the cabin.” Still, the plot is action-driven, with scenes of the brothers running from a group of bandits proffering excitement. In slower moments, as when they crawl out of thick piles of snow to get to King’s Keep, suspense remains. As Tick works out the truth about his heritage and what his and Leaf’s futures hold, the book moves toward a resonant twist ending.
In the enthralling adventure novel Small Wonder, brothers work to escape villains and reconcile themselves to the past.
Reviewed by
Jennifer Maveety
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