The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp by Jonathan Auxier , Olga Demidova
Release: October 20th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Abrams Kids / Amulet Books
Source: Netgalley
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The first book in a magical chapter-book adventure series by the Governor General Award-winning author of Sweep.
Auggie Pound is eight years old and has the greatest job of all time: he cares for all the animals in the Fabled Stables. The Fabled Stables house the rarest creatures in existence–all of them one-of-a-kind. Auggie’s job is to care for these creatures, as well as track down and safely capture endangered magical beasts in the wild. Some mornings, he arrives to find an empty stall with the name of a new creature to rescue. One day, the Stables rearrange themselves out of the blue, creating a new stall. The sign over the gate says, “Wisp.” But what is a wisp and where is it? All Auggie can see is a moonlit swamp stretching out before him. Then a hungry HOWLLLLLLL rings out in the darkness. It’s up to Auggie to go into the swamp to find the wisp before it’s too late.
About the Author
Jonathan Auxier is the New York Times–bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Peter 
Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, The Night Gardener, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, and Sweep. He lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can find him online at thescop.com.
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Olga Demidova has illustrated many books for children around the world. She studied at the Moscow Art Institute of Applied Arts. Find her online at olgademidova.ru.
The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp Review:
What a cute, whimsical story! I read The Night Gardener (by the same author) a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though The Fabled Stables is a read-along for children, it still highlights how talented the author is. He manages to make this short tale unique and creative. Moreover, I loved all the quirky, mutated creatures on the Island like ‘the Hippopotomouse’ and the ‘Bush Squid’. Auggie and Fen have a very adorable friendship. Auggie is upbeat and positive, while Fen is grumpy and pessimistic. But they still look out for each other when needed.
As I read the advanced copy, few of the artwork was still in progress and not included. However, the sketches included were whimsical and beautiful. I love the colors Olga Demidova uses for her illustrations in children’s books. Similarly, I feel the artwork would be breath-taking (like the cover) in the published version.
The only reason I didn’t give this book 4.5 instead of 5 star rating was because I felt the story missed a few details. For instance, we don’t get to know who Professor Cake is and how the Island came into being. Perhaps it would be mentioned in the future books, but I got curious about the island while reading, and was hoping for a tidbit of its history.
Apart from that, Willa the Wisp is a wonderful start to this children’s series. I hope to see the duo add many more books to it.
