This fairy tale is about Beau, who is the heir to the throne, but it turns out he doesn't know as much about his kingdom as he thinks he does. Cressi, a girl he meets in the stables, helps him to see what his tutors have not shown him and unravel a mystery that has been unsolved for most of his life. It's an exciting, well written story full of exciting drama. I think middle graders are going to love this one.

I love middle grade.

In my opinion, some of the best books exist in this genre. I had been anticipating reading THE VERDIGRIS PAWN for a long time and it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded my every expectation! It really is a timeless story, and one I'm definitely going to be re-reading, and reading with my children for years to come.

THE VERDIGRIS PAWN follows Beau, heir to the throne of a kingdom he learns he knows little about. Determined not to be another pawn in his father's quest for ultimate power, Beau meets and teams up with Cressi, a girl with a hidden power. The two team up with runaway Nate to right the Land's wrongs and liberate their people.

The world Alysa creates is engaging and vivid and immersive, and it's easy (and enjoyable) to get lost in the lush prose and intriguing quests and heartfelt characters. Embedded in the mystery and magic and adventure are powerful themes of inequality and class, justice and power, truth and trust. It's smart and absolutely unforgettable. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

A huge thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I could hardly put down THE VERDIGRIS PAWN!
This fantasy, set in a medieval-ish time period, centers around Beau, the son of the Land’s ruler, Himself. Beau is sheltered, but not loved by the despotic ruler. When he meets Cressi, a young servant, Beau’s eyes are opened to the cruelty his family has inflicted on the people, and he is determined to set things right. In his naïveté he puts Cressi in danger, and is left alone to figure out what to do and who to trust in a world that is completely different than what he’s been taught his whole life.
I loved Beau’s transformation, and Cressi’s own awakening into who she is meant to be. Their dual perspectives add depth to the narrative in this fast-paced novel.
Another fantastic element is the forbidden game of Fist, a chess-like game in which the goal is to overthrow the king by controlling the pawn. This game has always been important to Beau because of its connection to his deceased mother, but it means so much more, as Beau discovers his own role in restoring the Land.
*Note: power and politics play a large part in this story, but there are no long explanations. And there is plenty of humor too! Readers in 4th grade and up will enjoy this exciting novel! I will absolutely be adding this to my library!
*Another note- while chess lovers will enjoy the game references, you don’t have to play or understand chess to enjoy this story!

Beau is the heir to the Land, and because of his importance, he is kept in his apartments to protect him from any danger including the deadly fever that has spread through the guards’ barracks. His only activities are horseback riding and studying The Histories to prepare him to be the next leader. Beau’s angry, demanding father, known as “Himself”, doesn’t bother to hide his disappointment in his quiet, meek son.

Normally compliant, Beau secretly plays the illegal game of Fist with his riding instructor Fledge using the board and game pieces that he found in his mother’s room after she died. Himself made the game illegal because the premise is to unseat the king using a verdigris pawn. Beau can only imagine how angry Himself would be if he found his own son playing this treasonous game.

Beau’s father leaves for a few days to meet with allies to prepare for a suspected rebellion, leaving Beau under the care of his father’s second-in-command, Barger, who is even more ill-tempered and cruel than his master. Barger discovers Beau’s illegal Fist game and steals Beau’s verdigris pawn to use as blackmail.

Beau rushes off to the stables to tell Fledge and meets a girl named Cressie. It’s clear to Cressie that Beau has been completely sheltered and is clueless about what is actually happening in the Land. She shows Beau the Mastery House, a workhouse for children who have been taken from their parents in lieu of taxes. The cruelty shocks Beau and he decides to find out for himself what is really happening in the Land. He meets up with Nate, a Mastery House-runaway and they set out to find the leader of the rebellion.

Cressie is more than a Mastery House kid, she has special healing powers that supposedly had been eradicated during the war. With her magical abilities, Nate’s street-wise skills, and Beau’s Fist strategies, the three tweens are determined to right the wrongs. But who can they trust? It seems that power corrupts the good and the bad equally. It will take more than just luck or courage to succeed and lots of peoples’ lives depend on them.

This story makes a strong statement about the corruption of power in leadership positions and how easily a society can become inequitable because of that greed. The tween characters are strong, courageous, and resourceful, but are also flawed which leads them to the brink of disaster many times. With its high stakes and a fast pace, young readers are going to fly through this book cheering on our reluctant hero Beau and his friends. Highly recommended for ages 10 and up.

This book is not your typical middle grade fantasy; not only does it have a timeless, almost classical feel, it also has the complexities of an epic fantasy that you’d expect from YA or even adult books. But the story never gets so overcomplicated that a middle grade reader would feel out of their depth. In fact, I think middle grade fantasy readers will find themselves engrossed in the quick-moving plot and they’ll be rooting for these endearing characters, even when they’re making mistakes. Beau is the type of character you can’t help but love. He’s the heir to the throne, but he’s never been pampered; in fact, he’s spent his entire life in fear of his father. But, while he hasn’t exactly lived a luxurious life in the palace, he has been sheltered, and he has no idea about the abuses that the people of his kingdom have been suffering. When his eyes are opened, he’s thrown into a real-life strategy game that he isn’t sure he can win. There are numerous twists and turns in the story, so Beau is never quite sure who to trust (and neither is the reader!). Kids who enjoy fantasy will love the touches of magic to the story and fans of adventure will find the danger that Beau and his friends run into thrilling. And it all leads to an utterly satisfying action-packed ending! What more could you ask for?

Power, politics, friends and enemies and not quite knowing which is which! What an amazing world to get lost in! I've mentioned to a few people that this reads like a movie and it's almost as if the reader becomes part of the adventure. The reader will be invested in the characters Beau, Nate and Cressi and how their lives intersect and come together. This was one of those books that you don't want to end and I'd be more than happy to read about more of their adventures! I know kids who will be looking forward to reading this and want to thank Alysa Wishingrad for chatting with one of the classes at my school earlier in the year as well! They can't wait to get their hands on this!

The Verdigris Pawn by Alyssa Wishingard is a fantastic middle-grade novel that is hard to put down.

Beau is the heir to the throne, and trouble is brewing. Evidence of the talk of rebellion has been coming up, a charmer is supposedly using natural disasters to create havoc, and people are forced to send their children to work due to high taxes. Beau doesn’t know about any of this until a nursemaid informs him. Seeking to fix this, he sets out to try his hand at killing three birds with one stone.

This book is similar to The Kingdom of Secrets as both have a kingdom with the notion of a rebellion that the main character sets out to investigate.

This book’s plot is suspenseful right from the start and kept me captivated till the end. But in the middle, there’s a surprising set of plot-twists…

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 9+ and as a reader for 10+ as there were some scenes at the end that younger readers might not be able to handle.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a great middle-grade read.

Happy reading!
-Ayan

Thirteen-year-old Beau is the heir to the Manor that controls the land. Beau’s father, the king, aka Himself (with a capital H, always) is a total jerk. He has a particular dislike for “charmers”, namely those who can do magic. Unfortunately, Beau’s mother happened to be a charmer, and when Himself found out, well, he was not pleased. In fact, he was so displeased he had Beau’s mom and all the other charmers killed. Nice guy. I’ll bet he’s great at parties.

Anyway, poor Beau has been stuck within the walls of the Manor his whole life, kept ignorant and force-fed only the official (Himself approved) histories of the land with no first-hand knowledge of what it’s actually like out there. Beau knows he’s a disappointment to his father, because, well, Himself (loudly) lets Beau know on all of those rare occasions when Himself deigns to see his own kid. Beau’s only real friend is Fledge, who runs the stables. Fledge has been teaching Beau a forbidden, chess-like strategy game called Fist, where, for reasons that I (someone with no brain for board games whatsoever) can’t really understand, all the power rests upon the Verdigris Pawn. Since Fist is a strategy game all about overthrowing a king, Himself sees it as a threat and getting caught playing it is considered treason.

One day, after sneaking out to meet with Fledge, Beau meets a girl his age named Cressida. In the course of a single afternoon, Cressi opens Beau’s eyes to the many, many injustices throughout the land, especially that of Mastery House, a horrible place that would make Oliver Twist’s workhouse look like a posh private school. Mastery House, where Cressi and her friend Nate were raised, is basically a Dickensian workhouse dialed up to 11 - if people can’t pay Himself’s exorbitant taxes, they’re forced to send their children to Mastery House, where the kids as young as three are forced to work for the Manor. Beau, isolated as he’s been, knew absolutely nothing about Mastery House or any of the other horrible things Cressi tells him about - like the plague spreading throughout the land or how the common folk are ready to revolt. Cressi is, at first, prepared to hate Beau, but seeing Beau’s horrified reaction to Mastery House and Himself’s other secrets, Cressi wonders if things couldn’t be better.

Only problem is, Cressi is a charmer. And, after a series of mishaps, Beau accidentally outs Cressi as a charmer to Barger, and she’s immediately arrested. Determined to free her and all the children of Mastery house, Beau, impersonating a cordwainer’s apprentice, manages to sneak out of the manor with the help of Nate, one of Cressi’s friends. Only problem is, Nate has no idea that Beau is the Heir. Since Beau has never been let out of the Manor, people assume he’s just as bad as his father. Nate wants to run off to join the gang of a famous outlaw named Doone, and Beau figures that, if he’s really going to change things throughout the land, he’ll need help - but is Doone really the Robin Hood-esque hero everyone thinks he is?

Meanwhile, Cressi has her own problems - Barger wants to use her and her charming ability to kill Beau. Only, once it becomes clear that Beau has escaped, Cressi offers to track him down. Barger gives her four days to find Beau before he comes after her to finish the job himself. But Cressi has some unexpected help from the Verdigris Pawn itself - it seems to be magically connected to Beau in a way only she, a charmer, can sense.

The Verdigris Pawn is a delightful and heartfelt middle grade fantasy adventure - I started reading it and just couldn’t stop. I really enjoyed Beau’s journey in which he confronts his own privilege and his sheltered upbringing. Poor Beau just wants to do what’s right for the land and maybe make some actual friends. He and Cressi are immediately engaging and from the very first pages you want to know what will happen next and if they’ll be alright. The worldbuilding in Verdigris Pawn is a bit sparse - we get a few descriptions of the land here and there, along with some idea of the level of technology this world has (it seemed to be to be somewhat like Ye Olde Medieval times but I’m not sure) but the focus on the novel is much more on the characters than the setting, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At no point is The Verdigris Pawn bogged down by info-dumps or long lectures on in-universe history - instead we get an action-packed, fast-paced page-turner that, like a can of Pringles, once you start, you really can’t stop.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked once I saw the cover because I grow up playing chess, and I loved the game. It was the first game my father taught me, so that was an extra reason why I found this book cover charming.

In short, this was a delightful book. It’s a classic fantasy adventure about revolution and politics, full of charm and beautiful settings, and good world-building. The action-packed plot and vivid descriptions made me read the book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down!

The story was told from a dual perspective of Beau and Cressi. I liked that we could read about their thoughts and how they found their inner strength, and how they learned from their mistakes, all the while without confusing the reader.

I liked all of the characters, especially Beau. He evolved so much through the course of the book. The twist was satisfying, although it surprised me at first. But it was a good surprise!

Overall, I recommend this book to everyone who likes middle-grade fantasy books. I certainly will read it to my kid. And I think the fans of chess would also be interested in this book.

Bring me the revolution! The Verdigris Pawn is a fantastic fantasy novel about politics, power, and a revolution. The best part - the kids lead it! This novel has all the elements of a classic story: injustice that needs to be put right, an unwitting hero who really comes into his own, blossoming friendships, a red herring, mystery, intrigue, and a great rescue. Beau, the protagonist, is such a sweet and wonderful character with so much goodness in his heart. I loved seeing his growth from being the naive and mistreated heir to taking charge of his own future and doing his best to do right by his future kingdom. But equally, I loved reading about Nate and Cressi. Beau and Nate spend a large part of the book together and Wishingrad does a great job in keeping both these characters distinct and relatable. Ultimately, Cressi won me over! She's such a great character - quick to think on her feet, brave, and wonderfully good! The fantasy element of this book especially with the magical and healing properties of plants and herbs added such charm to the book! I highly recommend this book to any kid who loves fantasy but also an extremely riveting and thrilling story!

Beau is the heir to the throne of The Land, and his father, known as Himself, has kept him very sheltered. When Beau's tutor dies and Himself's forces are suffering from illness, it is suspected that there is a charmer loose in the palace who is causing these problems. Beau has been playing a forbidden game, Fist, that is based on overthrowing the king. Fledge, who works in the stables, has been teaching him the game, and Beau considers him his only friend. When Beau runs afoul of Barger, the man takes one of thepieces of the game, a verdigris pawn, to use against the boy. Beau runs away, and comes across Cressi, who heals him when he has an accident. This reveals her as a healer like Beau's mother, who came from another class of people in the kingdom, and who met an untimely end. Cressi fills him in on all of the evil things that his father's rule has done, and Beau starts to feel like he should help the people in the kingdom, but Cressi is taken by Barger. Beau runs off again and runs into Nate, who gets the impression that Beau is an apprentice cordwainer. The two decide to go to the Bottom, where the kingdom's disadvantaged have gathered, and try to find Doone, who is a sort of folk hero who is fighting against Himself's rule. While Cressi is with Barger, she meets other women who are healers, and learns to make potions. Barger wants to use her skills, but she increases her skills in order to help overthrow his powers. In the meantime, Beau finds out that Doone isn't what he is said to be, although he has a hard time convincing Nate of this. He's determined to find Cressi and figure out a way to change the way that the kingdom operates so that children are not sent to the Mastery House to be taught how to do menial jobs and exploited by the well-to-do, and so that Doone is not able to terrorize people into giving his henchmen all of their assets. Will he be able to find his new friend Cressi, and convince his father to turn the kingdom around for the good of the people?
Strengths: Beau is a typically sheltered royal child who doesn't have a firm grip on his past, but comes in to his own as he attempts to right the wrongs to which he is introduced. Taking the standard fantasy trope of a tween saving the kingdom and working in social justice themes is kind of a brilliant twist. Cressi is a great character, and I can see readers getting into a lot of trouble in the kitchen, trying to make brews using the kitchen spice rack. While some of the adults are evil, it's good to see that there are some who are looking out for Beau and Cressi. The slowly revealed back story of Beau's mother and her relationship to the magic that Cressi has will keep readers guessing, and I liked the way that everything was resolved. (But don't want to spoil the endind!)
Weaknesses: I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Cressi and Beau, so found it harder to believe that they had such a strong connection.
What I really think: This will be a big hit with readers who can't get enough vaguely medieval fantasy quests. It seemed like there were shout outs to a lot of classics like Alexander's The Book of Three (pigkeepers are mentioned!), and some of the traveling reminded me a bit of The Door in the Wall. I was glad that Beau isn't injured quite as often as Jaron in Nielsen's The False Prince! Hand this to fans of Prineas and Durst. This could be a stand alone, but the ending does leave room for a sequel.

This book had a very classic fantasy adventure feel. It was an immersive story about an oppressed country in need of a revolution. The story was about 3 children, but we only got 2 of their story perspectives—it would have been nice if all three were included in that way.

This exciting story invites Middle Grade readers to escape to a new world with a cruel King, an uninformed heir, the potential for magic, and new possibilities for the future. Beau, the heir to the throne, has been hidden away throughout his life, without friends or connections outside of the terse interactions with his father and his father's right-hand-man. But when he finds an opportunity to escape his apartments he discovers all the truths that have been kept from him throughout his life. Beau embarks on new adventures that take him across the Land and give him further insight to not only what he is capable of, but what is best for the people under his father's rule.

This story is full of excitement, strong characters, and fun twists that will keep readers eager to turn pages. A great adventure story for young readers with a satisfying ending that leaves the possibility open for a sequel.

Intriguing fantasy centered on Beau, the mistreated heir to Himself, King of The Land. (Each king in the line of rulers here take the name Himself upon acceding to the throne.) When he meets the charmer Cressi and bold, daring Nate, he realizes the extent of Himself's misrule and believes he has a plan to fix things. The trio constantly encounter characters and situations which call into question what to believe and who to trust. The Verdigris Pawn is part of a chess-like game and provides a central metaphor for the story. Beau suffers from the same problem as Harry Potter and Like Skywalker in that he's not quite as interesting as the characters that surround him, but Cressi and Nate are vivid characters, and the political issues in the backgound are thought-provoking. Fantasy and adventure lovers will find this an enjoyable story.

Decent YA about a kingdom ruled by a despot (known to one and all as Himself) who does things like take poor children as infants and put them in a workhouse where they gruel and slave away at menial tasks, and who despises his soft son and heir because, well, he's soft. There's an evil butler and cook, kind of the anti-Carson and Padgett from Downton Abbey. And then there's Beau, the soft son and heir in question, lonely and smarter than he's being given credit for (although he only knows what he's being told, which, well...). Enter Cressi, who has an innate talent that is sought by unscrupulous people and her best friend Nate, a bundle of King and Heir-hating energy off to join the resistance.

If you've read many middle grade fantasy books, you've read this plot before. So the plus parts are the ways in which Beau, Cressi and Nate relate to each other, and the people they meet on their journey. The minus is that there's a great game, Fist, that we get glimpses of but not a full look. It feels like Chess mixed with Go and I so wanted to understand the game more because understanding the game will help Beau in his quest to right the wrongs of his father.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

I've recently finished up a Diana Wynne Jones' reading spree, so I was delighted that this adventure gave a similar tone and has that classical, heartwarming vibe. The stakes are high from the very first chapter, and one of my favourite aspects of the story are the multi-layered complex characters; many of whom are morally gray, and will make you continuously question who is the villain. I love how Beau, Cressi and Nate developed friendships and companionship out of survival, and the author does not shy away from addressing hard themes like class and privilege, all while taking us along on a fun and fantastic adventure. I really want to read more stories set in this world! Thanks to the author and publisher for this eARC.

Wishingrad's debut is perfection. I am in awe of how sucked in I was... this is totally NOT my typical genre I cling to, but the intricate world-building, descriptive language, vivid detail, and start to such a troubling situation pulled me in from the start. Wishingrad's writing and complex characters can easily be transformed into a movie. I think readers who enjoy multi-layered adventure-fantasy, books that feel like classics, and fierce characters will thoroughly enjoy this story.

What a tremendous book!

Alysa Wishingrad's debut is full of heart and charm. I immediately warmed to Beau, her protagonist whose physical and emotional journey carried me through the story eagerly. His friends, Cressi and Nate, are equally endearing, including their realistic flaws. The writing is wonderful and concise but descriptive, and the book builds to a satisfying climax that combines action with the fulfilling end of the story's emotional arc. I think middle grade readers are going to devour this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the early read.

As soon as I realized that everything Beau was taught in The Histories was false, I was delighted. Not for the poor downtrodden people of the land, but for readers, who would get a true, old-fashioned adventure novel.
I loved that the characters called it The Land. It’s so much easier to make it anywhere you can imagine that way- again like a timeless fairy tale. I think upper middle-grade readers will be demanding more!

This is classic, cozy, magical, beautifully written middle grade fantasy. It reminds me of so many classics I used to love as a kid, and I feel certain that today's kids will fall in love with it. One of the things I especially loved was how much freedom and agency the main characters were given, despite their young age, in a way that made sense and was also incredibly empowering. The magic system and worldbuilding were A+, and the characters were vivid, emotional, and well realized. Highly recommended for fantasy fans of all ages!