Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test
by Christina Soontornvat
Genre/Category
Legends of Lotus Island is a fictional children's novel primarily of fantasy and adventure. The category I am reviewing for is Pre-K-6th grade Bluebonnet Award Nominee.
Target Age Group
Legends of Lotus Island is recommended for children aged 8-12, or those in 3rd-7th grade.
Summary
In a world where few are in tune with their guardian abilities (the ability to transform into a magical creature in order to protect the natural world), young Plum is admitted into an academy to learn how to unlock such abilities. Plum must train in the arts of Breathing, Heart, and Hand in order to pass her transformation test and become a Novice, and ultimately a guardian. Along the way she makes friends, and frenemies, who challenge and help her grow. The first in a series of 4 books, The Guardian Test sparks the beginning of Plum's journey and hints at a potential conflict between human greed and the Guardians.
Justification
With Christina Soontornvat being a two-time Newberry Honor recipient, and Legends of Lotus Island a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, I was excited to embark on this fantasy adventure. Fantasy/adventure series such as this were what sparked a love of reading for myself when I was younger. Immersing oneself in a fantastic world of magic and creatures is a rewarding experience for all ages.
Evaluation
While this title is rich for evaluation in many areas, I have limited my scope to the setting/world-building, conflict, and characterization.
Setting/World-building
From the unique island, fruit, and animal names alone I was interested to understand the world I was reading about. "Fox-bats," "Chai-melon," "Gillybears," "Big Crab Island" and more are all elements that create a whimsical mood throughout the narrative. The magical elements of this world are not without purpose, either. Plum's guardian power is directly tied with her connection to communicate with nature and animals, making the world feel alive as it aids our protagonist. The guardian forms are purposeful in the narrative's world-building as well. Similar to familiars, a person's guardian form is related to their specific power such as large bird form being able to flap its wings and bring a sense of calm over another person. Overall, Soontornvat's worldbuilding develops with the character's connected to it, allowing for the reader to make interesting connections and observations throughout the narrative.
Conflict
The conflict in The Guardian Test is layered both internally and externally. Internally, Plum is tasked with living up the potential her mother has set out for her without fully knowing what it is, dealing with her cruel dormmate Rella, and trying to unlock her guardian form whilst knowing she is intuitively different from her peers. Externally, there is a hint of future potential unrest between the guardians who serve the natural world and order, and human civilizations whose greed threatens the balance of nature. Though this is the first book of four and this external conflict will hopefully develop further, I would have appreciated more insight into this conflict as it would have created more urgency for Plum and her friends to develop their guardian forms. Both nature vs. human and human vs. human conflicts are at play in this novel, and the complexity of the layered conflict creates tension that the reader is eager to see unfold.
Characterization
The Guardian Test begins quickly and does not slow down. Plum learns about her admittance into the Guardian Academy right away, and from then on is determined to excel in her classes, connect with her peers, and transform into her Guardian state to fulfill her mom's dream she has for her daughter. With how much Plum is experiencing, the reader is given more about what Plum does than who she is. We know that she was raised by her grandparents, is kind and eager to make friends, is a motivated and dedicated young girl, and can communicate with plants and animals. As this is the first book in a series, this novel has does an excellent job at establishing the world and laying the foundation for Plum on her journey to understand her powers within. Her interactions with other characters (who are all quite dynamic and fun to read) were realistic and provided insight into her good nature as well. This novel laid the groundwork for a narrative with great potential of further characterization and conflict development and I am excited to finish the series.
Reference
Soontornvat, C. (2023). Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test (Kevin H., Illus.). Scholastic.