Callie LeRoux has put her grimy, harrowing trip from the depths of the Dust Bowl behind her. Her life is a different kind of exciting now: she works at a major motion picture studio among powerful studio executives and stylish stars. Still nothing can distract her from her true goal. With help from her friend Jack and guidance from the great singer Paul Robeson, she will find her missing mother. But as a child of prophecy and daughter of the legitimate heir to the Seelie throne, Callie poses a huge threat to the warring fae factions who've attached themselves to the most powerful people in Hollywood . . . and they **
From School Library Journal
Gr 6-9–In this sequel to Dust Girl (Random, 2012), half-fairy Callie LeRoux finds herself in 1930s Hollywood, seeking a way to rescue her parents, who have been kidnapped by a rival faction of fairies called the Seelies. Her quest takes her and her loyal human friend, Jack, to the glamorous MGM film lot. There, she's fooled into rescuing the Seelie princess, who is disguised as young and spoiled film actress Ivy Bright, and discovers a gate to the Seelie world, where her parents are being held as performers in a vaudevillian act. Callie's father is an UnSeelie fairy prince and also African American; this novel contains just enough subtle commentary on the race and class issues of the era to give readers pause. Callie discusses the need for “passing,” and with the surprising appearance of real-life singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, some of the struggles of being African American are brought to readers' attention, albeit in a fairly lightweightmanner. Callie ultimately finds herself in a dramatic battle to the death against Ivy as a tradeoff for freeing her parents. The exciting conclusion clearly sets the stage for the next book in the series. The simple writing style and tone make this title a good pick for reluctant readers–although, unless patrons have expressed interest in the previous title, this installation is more of an additional purchase than a necessary one.–Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Far removed from the desperation of the Dust Bowl (Dust Girl, 2012), Callie LeRoux, unwitting heiress to the Unseelie court throne, is now making her way among the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. Living in a “respectable” rooming house, Callie seeks work on a movie set with Jack’s help and finds a job in the home of Ivy Bright, a starlet as beguiling as her name would imply. Callie grows into her understanding of the Seelie fairy world and its consequences for her as she begins to focus her sharp temper and work the magic beneath her skin, all while delving into the enchanting spell of the movie industry. This sequel accelerates in pacing as the stakes rise, leaving readers both the satisfaction of a resolution to one of Cassie’s dilemmas and a cliff-hanger of an ending to her whole story. Racial and economic issues and social mores of the 1930s are ably explored, but this series will mainly appeal to fantasy readers rather than historical-fiction fans. Grades 7-10. --Heather Booth
Description:
Callie LeRoux has put her grimy, harrowing trip from the depths of the Dust Bowl behind her. Her life is a different kind of exciting now: she works at a major motion picture studio among powerful studio executives and stylish stars. Still nothing can distract her from her true goal. With help from her friend Jack and guidance from the great singer Paul Robeson, she will find her missing mother. But as a child of prophecy and daughter of the legitimate heir to the Seelie throne, Callie poses a huge threat to the warring fae factions who've attached themselves to the most powerful people in Hollywood . . . and they **
From School Library Journal
Gr 6-9–In this sequel to Dust Girl (Random, 2012), half-fairy Callie LeRoux finds herself in 1930s Hollywood, seeking a way to rescue her parents, who have been kidnapped by a rival faction of fairies called the Seelies. Her quest takes her and her loyal human friend, Jack, to the glamorous MGM film lot. There, she's fooled into rescuing the Seelie princess, who is disguised as young and spoiled film actress Ivy Bright, and discovers a gate to the Seelie world, where her parents are being held as performers in a vaudevillian act. Callie's father is an UnSeelie fairy prince and also African American; this novel contains just enough subtle commentary on the race and class issues of the era to give readers pause. Callie discusses the need for “passing,” and with the surprising appearance of real-life singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, some of the struggles of being African American are brought to readers' attention, albeit in a fairly lightweightmanner. Callie ultimately finds herself in a dramatic battle to the death against Ivy as a tradeoff for freeing her parents. The exciting conclusion clearly sets the stage for the next book in the series. The simple writing style and tone make this title a good pick for reluctant readers–although, unless patrons have expressed interest in the previous title, this installation is more of an additional purchase than a necessary one.–Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Far removed from the desperation of the Dust Bowl (Dust Girl, 2012), Callie LeRoux, unwitting heiress to the Unseelie court throne, is now making her way among the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. Living in a “respectable” rooming house, Callie seeks work on a movie set with Jack’s help and finds a job in the home of Ivy Bright, a starlet as beguiling as her name would imply. Callie grows into her understanding of the Seelie fairy world and its consequences for her as she begins to focus her sharp temper and work the magic beneath her skin, all while delving into the enchanting spell of the movie industry. This sequel accelerates in pacing as the stakes rise, leaving readers both the satisfaction of a resolution to one of Cassie’s dilemmas and a cliff-hanger of an ending to her whole story. Racial and economic issues and social mores of the 1930s are ably explored, but this series will mainly appeal to fantasy readers rather than historical-fiction fans. Grades 7-10. --Heather Booth