Uprooted

Agnieszka lives in a valley protected by a wizard called the Dragon, who claims one girl every ten years as payment. When Agnieszka is chosen instead of her beautiful best friend, she discovers she possesses a wild, intuitive magic that clashes with the Dragon's rigid, scholarly spells. Together, they must fight the Wood, a malevolent forest that infects people and land with a hive-mind corruption. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book deals with corruption and loss of self through a metaphorical lens (the Wood's infection). There is significant violence and body horror, including characters being 'changed' or 'hollowed out' by the forest. The approach is secular and folkloric, with a hopeful but hard-won resolution. EMOTIONAL ARC: The story begins with a sense of dread and resignation, building into a high-stakes battle for survival. The emotional tone shifts from feeling 'less than' to a triumphant, grounded sense of self-worth. IDEAL READER: A 15 or 16-year-old who feels like a 'square peg in a round hole' and enjoys atmospheric, dark fairy tales. Perfect for the teen who is intimidated by academic perfection and needs to see that 'messy' can also be powerful. PARENT TRIGGER: A parent might choose this after seeing their child suffer from perfectionism or academic burnout, or after a move that has left the teen feeling 'uprooted' from their support system. PARENT PREP: Parents should preview the scenes involving the Wood's corruption (which can be gruesome) and a semi-explicit romantic encounter midway through. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger teens (13-14) will focus on the magic and the scary forest adventure. Older teens will resonate more deeply with the themes of political corruption, the nuances of the central relationship, and the complex choices involved in staying true to one's roots. DIFFERENTIATOR: Unlike many YA fantasies that rely on chosen-one tropes, Novik roots magic in the connection to land and history, making the setting itself a living, breathing character.