How to Heal a Gryphon is a book about a soon-to-be 13 year old, Giada. Giada lives in Italy with her family and in her older brother's shadow She is conflicted in taking a magical oath to become a healer. The rest of her family believes she should follow family tradition of healing, but she has always felt more comfortable helping animals. When her older brother, Rocco is kidnapped she must travel into the underworld of bad luck Stregas (witches).
I liked Giada! She is a headstrong, stubborn but loving little witch. She just wants to follow her heart and not disappoint her family. I love the connection she has to animals and enjoyed reading about her cat familiar, Sinistro. I also liked how real it was to read about a plus size middle grade character without it being a main theme. It just was there. I also enjoyed the snack descriptions. I was so hungry for pasta and mozzarella while reading!
While all the above was good, I didn't like the pacing of the story. It felt too rushed in some places, and the beginning felt so slow. Everything was well explained in regards to the magical world, but it still felt sometimes glossed over. I think my main issue were that so much of the story is that it's such a straight focus story, there wasn't time or room in the story for some fun. It was a lot of explaining and not a lot of being in the adventure.
I liked Giada! She is a headstrong, stubborn but loving little witch. She just wants to follow her heart and not disappoint her family. I love the connection she has to animals and enjoyed reading about her cat familiar, Sinistro. I also liked how real it was to read about a plus size middle grade character without it being a main theme. It just was there. I also enjoyed the snack descriptions. I was so hungry for pasta and mozzarella while reading!
While all the above was good, I didn't like the pacing of the story. It felt too rushed in some places, and the beginning felt so slow. Everything was well explained in regards to the magical world, but it still felt sometimes glossed over. I think my main issue were that so much of the story is that it's such a straight focus story, there wasn't time or room in the story for some fun. It was a lot of explaining and not a lot of being in the adventure.