The Stone Girl's Story

Durst, Sarah Beth. The Stone Girl's Story. Clarion Books, 2018.

Mayka's father died several years ago, and she and her fellow stone creations are beginning to fade. The marks her father gave them that allowed them to live are starting to wear away, and slowly they are losing their ability to speak, to move, to live. Mayka ventures from her mountaintop home to the valley in search of a stone mason who can recarve their marks, but she soon discovers that there is more to her father's story than she knows.

This is a fantastic fantasy tale with plenty of adventure and interesting creatures to keep readers turning pages. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story which compel readers to keep reading. While there are numerous intense scenes, nothing is graphic or scary, making this book accessible to a wide range of children. The world building is fantastic and Mayka and her friends are well-developed characters. This book would make a great read-aloud for a classroom or a book for a student to savor on their own.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: some intense action
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars