Quintessence
By Jess Redman
Wow! I am not one to be without words but I couldn’t actually speak for a while after I finished this book. It could be because I stayed up until three in the morning to finish it but it is more because I was blown away by how wonderful this story was. I can’t help but think I am so very fortunate to be among the first to experience this delightful gift. Jess Redman has crafted a fantasy tale for the ages and I don’t think it’s too much to say that children will be reading this for many years to come.
Alma has moved from her beloved home, a place that was familiar and cozy to a new town, Four Points, which is hard and cold and NOT home. She begins experiencing panic attacks and anxiety related to the move and she retreats into herself and away from her family. The way she writes this element of Alma’s life is brilliant. As a parent of a child with anxiety and someone who deals with it to a certain extent I can say she TOTALLY nailed it…right down to the fumbling response of her worried parents. Anyone who has ever dealt with anxiety will see in Alma a kindred spirit.
Through a series of mysterious encounters and coincendences, Alma finds herself in the school’s Astronomy club with Hugo the quiet gifted student, Shirin the popular girl, and Dustin the loudmouth bully. It soon becomes clear that the mission of this club is more than studying the stars…they have to save one, and fast.
I think this book is right up there with The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles Of Narnia for spinning a tale of another world beyond our own and showing readers that the true magic is within us all.
This is a long book but readers will not be able to put it down. I highly (and I mean HIGHLY) recommend this book for readers from 4th grade on up, lovers of fantasy, readers with anxiety, and anyone who enjoys a fantastical tale of the quintessence in us all!

This book was enjoyable for so many reasons! The main character’s feelings about her panic attacks and how others might feel and react to them rang true. The friendships forming between characters who weren’t close in the beginning of the story were nice to see. The adventure was intriguing, unique, and will keep readers invested.

This book was magical, beautiful, and so needed for kids today. So many now struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. It’s important for them to see themselves in books, but also to understand that it’s ok. They don’t have to hide. This book really got to me on so many levels.

This is perhaps more proof that you can't judge a book by its cover, as I'm absolutely in love with this cover. My youngest daughter and I have been reading this as a bedtime book for what seems like forever but we've finally just put it aside and started another book. While the main character is likeable and the premise is exactly our sort of bedtime material (a sad, lonely girl sees a "star child" fall from the sky and must team up with some other misfit children to help the star child), it is so slow moving. From the description, I now know that she suffers from panic attacks, but it's written so that we had no idea what her "episodes" were. It was so vague that I wondered if they were anything from seizures to dissociative episodes. They were always referred to in a secretive, vague sort of way as things that had happened that she was embarrassed about and hiding from her family.

The book is just very long and very, very slow moving. We're at about 1/3 and very little has happened yet. This could be a great fit for a kids to read on their own, especially if they are fast readers. It's not working as a read-aloud though and we've shelved it, at least for now.

Digital ARC provided by Net Galley.

Highly engaging, magical, inspirational. Quintessence feels "true" or "real" in the way only really great middle grade novels can. Themes covered involve being true to yourself, change, friendship, and acceptance all wrapped up in a mystery with fantasy elements that are sure to have readers debating which element they represent.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read and review Quintessence by Jess Redman.
Quintessence is one of those books that looks good and you take it home set it in a pile to read later. You go back pick it up and next thing you know you've read the entire book in one sitting. It is a blend of friendship, finding your true self, and a little bit a magical essence tossed in. I cannot tell you in actual words how this book made me feel. I felt like a kids again reading it. The emotion and understanding that you feel for Alma are real. The panic attacks and how the build up for her feels real. I am sharing this with my son who has them. It is a wonderful read for all ages.
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