Aldridge, Ethan M. Estranged. Ethan M. Aldridge, Illus. Graphic Novel. HarperCollins, 08/2018. 208 [+7]pp. $21.99, 978-0-06-265387-1, PB $12.99, 978-0-06-265386-4. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 3-7.
In this fantasy adventure of two children switched at birth, a cruel sorceress steals the throne of the World Below. The Human Childe (kept as a novelty for the king and queen of the World Below) travels to the World Above to find safety and to bring Edmund, the real son of the king and queen, back to the World Below to fight for his rightful throne. Fans of the Amulet series will find everything they love here—dragons, strange World Below creatures, and dark themes of family betrayal and figuring out where one belongs in the world. Presented in glossy watercolor and ink panels that add depth and drama to an already dramatic story. Middle-grade readers will go ga-ga for this tale, yet older readers will appreciate the deeper subtext in its theme of belonging.
Emily Phillips, Claremont Middle School Library