In Heather Fawcett's "The School Between Winter and Fairyland" the school in question is Inglenook School where young magicians come to study. While our protagonist Autumn Malog lives at the school with her gran and older brothers, she is not blessed with magic. Instead, she is a beast keeper whose twin brother has gone missing. Not believing the stories that her brother was eaten by the Hollow Dragon, Autumn enlists "The Chosen One"Cai Morrigan's help in finding her brother in return for her expertise with beasts.
The world building is decent and I enjoyed the mystery of the school.
A good pick for older kids and tweens who enjoy fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I think I am leaning out of my middle grade era. While this was fun, it lacks the depth I hope for in a fantasy. Yet, I cant fault it for being a fast paced story with good friendships and a lot of fun!

What a perfect middle grade book! It has everything; fantastic beasts, magic, self discovery, friendship, family, conflict resolution, a tiny bit of love, some comic relief, and a fair amount of mystery! What more could you ask for? I absolutely love the character development and interaction. The relationships between Autumn and her siblings was written so well. We love our family and can very much dislike them all at the same time. I love that Fawcett was able to show the mundane and fantastical all at the same time. So smart and well written.

Ahh. Autumn. A determine young girl trying to find her brother, Winter. But for the beasts she tries to control and mystery of missing peoples, and, of course, the Hollow Dragon. She must pair with someone she finds arrogant and greatly dislikes in order to unite her family.

My favorite part of this book was probably the constant mystery. I was always wondering what happened to Winter and who her new companion really was, although I had my theories. (which were wrong.. but close!) There were tons of great magical creatures and mysterious locales.

While I enjoyed the story, the ending bugged me. My favorite character kind of got reprimanded toward the end and I never felt it came to a satisfying conclusion. I understood the action he took and how it was a part of his character's development, and that it would have consequences on his relationship with Autumn. However, I was heart broken and felt like it easily could have been resolved and really wasn't.

We have a fair number of common elements here. There's a magical boarding school; a stratified society; a prophecy that will change the course of the entire world. We also have vastly different characters thrown together, each working to their own end. Fawcett devotes a fair amount of space to the nature and personality of assorted magical creatures, almost as much as is devoted to the actual plot. Now, the exploration of the class divide is more subtle than we typically see in middle grade fiction. We simply see the realities of their lives and are left to draw our own conclusions. The foreshadowing doesn't pay off the way we would expect and the messaging may be a bit too subtle for many readers. Entertaining but not engrossing.

I love that the familiar "Chosen One" trope was turned on its head and we get to see the traditional "sidekick" character become a protagonist and drive the story. This was well-written, had a good pace, and contained interesting characters and creatures.

Thanks to NetGalley & Balzer + Bray for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Autumn has been spending a year looking for her missing brother, Winter, who she just *knows* he's still alive somewhere. She's a beast tamer and manages the most wild of beasts and mythical creatures that comes in handy for Cai, a student at the magical academy who needs help conquering his fear of mythical creatures. She also enlists his help with searching for her missing brother...

It has really cool concepts but I wanted more of the Boggart and other mythical creatures. I wasn't really a fan of the protagonist and her drama when I wanted more of the creatures she supposedly had strong bonds with but wasn't always nice to them in the first place. Good ideas, just not a fan of the slow-paced writing style.

This book was so cute and unique! I loved it so much, and I think readers of all ages will love it! I got Hagrid vibes, and I think people that like Harry Potter will also enjoy this new take on magical boarding schools. The characters and creatures make this book so enjoyable, and I will be recommending this book for my library and purchasing it for myself!

This was a wonderful fantasy book that was about adventure, friendship, and family.
Autumn is a beast keeper/servant at her the magical boarding school. Winter, Autumn's brother, has gone missing and throughout the forest and the school she sees him or finds items of Winter's hidden. Cai, the chosen one, seeks Autumn out for the deal of helping him with beasts. This bargain transforms as the story progresses and the friendship blooms! The only critique I have is that the beginning was a little slow to start for me, and I could equally see some of my students struggling with it too.

4.5 stars. Another fantastic middle grade/fantasy stand-alone from Heather Fawcett. The Language of Ghosts was one of my favorites last year, and The School Between Winter and Fairyland proves to be another well-structured story that both deconstructs and pays homage to over-used children's fantasy tropes. I loved all the characters (especially Autumn and Cai) and the world building was just enough to make an immersive world without wasting time away from the stories and characters.

What I would have given for this book to have come out when I was a kid...no but seriously. It made adult me so happy and nostalgic for a story that felt so reminiscent of a time where reading was just so magical and the magic felt so real. I think Heather does an amazing job of creating this magical world that was simultaneously gripping, and fun. Between the creatures, the world building, the magic, the twists and turns, I truly could not put this story down. As in I read it on the day I was approved in one sitting. Seriously SO good. I also appreciated the fact that the author was not afraid to add some depth to the stories and the characters. She touched on some really hard subjects in a manner that is truly appropriate for middle grade, and I think would make a lot of different children feel seen and understood. I absolutely adore Autumn and Boggart and think that they really add different things to the story that make them so different but also amazing additions. I truly do not think anything was out of place in this story. I work within the foster system and I fully intend to buy this book when it comes out, because while it is fun, I also full heartedly believe that it has the potential to make a difference in children's lives. I would love to see this story in children's classrooms because it is just one that I can tell is special and will be around for awhile. I cannot say enough good things about this.

A lovely gentle fantasy with amazing monsters and a dedicated sister, Autumn and her connection with Winter plus her friendship with Cai nudge this book over the finish line.

What a wonderful creation for Middle School fantasy fans! Autumn Malog is a beastkeeper at a school of magic - just a servant, who is befriended by one of the most popular boys in school - and the Chosen One! As Autumn and Cai become unlikely friends, they help each other to discover their true selves and the mysteries that have kept their lives from being what they could be. A wonderful tale of self-discovery and empowerment as well as the power of friendship. Definitely very readable for all ages!

I adored this book. I love both Autumn and Cai and their friendship develops so sweetly. I really liked how the author went into the social hierarchy. I especially appreciated how Autumn was so used to being oppressed she never expected anything better. It reminded me of "learned helplessness" and helped make the character and her situation feel very real. When people are oppressed, sometimes they fight against the system, but other times they will become used to the corrupt system. Watching Autumn being so resigned to her fate was heartbreaking and really made me feel for her. As she bonds with Cai and her eyes started to open to more possibilities for her future I got really excited.

I've received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I was surprised how much I really enjoy this book as a 30 year old I think it is great for kids and adults.