Mez's Magic

The Lost Rainforest #1

by Eliot Schrefer

The Lion King meets Wings of Fire in the magical rainforest kingdom of Caldera in this new middle grade animal fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer.

Caldera has forever been divided into those animals who walk by night and those who walk by day. Nightwalker panthers, like young Mez and her beloved sister, have always feared daywalkers as creatures of myth and legend. Until the eclipse.

Now Mez has discovered that she can cross the Veil and enter the daylight world. Her magical power has unknown depths, but she must rush to discover it after a mysterious stranger arrives at her family’s den, bearing warnings of a reawakened evil.

Saving Caldera means Mez must leave her sister behind and unite an unlikely group of animal friends to unravel an ancient mystery and protect their rainforest home.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Animals, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 2018

About the author

ELIOT SCHREFER is a New York Times-bestselling author, and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” He is also the author of two novels for adults and four other novels for children and young adults. His books have been named to the NPR “best of the year” list, the ALA best fiction list for young adults, and the Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best.” His work has also been selected to the Amelia Bloomer List, recognizing best feminist books for young readers, and he has been a finalist for the Walden Award and won the Green Earth Book Award and Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in New York City, where he reviews books for USAToday.



Also: I love marshmallows and early twentieth century fiction. And apes.

Reviews

[Max]

This book was AMAZING! I love books were the main character is an animal and I feel others who feel the same way would love this book as well. Mez's Magic is definitely one of my favorites.

[Jill]

Mez’s Magic is an adventure story set in an magical rainforest called Caldera. The animals of Caldera are split into two groups; daywalkers and nightwalkers (diurnal and nocturnal). Nightwalkers do not come out during the day and daywalkers do not come out at night. If one should break this rule and walk on the other side of the “veil” they are exiled from their family forever.

The story is centred around Mez, a young orphan panther; who lives with her sister Chumba, aunt Usha, older cousin Mist, and three younger cousins Yerlo, Jerlo, and Derli. Mez learns that she is not like her family and has the ability to be awake during the day. This is something she is ashamed of and keeps secret, even from her sister. While out during the day, Mez spots and follows another nightwalker, a boa constrictor named Auriel. Auriel reveals to Mez, that she is special! She is a eclipse-born; a shadowwalker, a magical a creature that can walk during both day and night. Soon Mez’s aunt Usha finds out that Mez was walking on wrong side of the veil and exiles her.

Once she is alone, Auriel convinces Mez to come with him and other shadowwalkers to the Ziggurat of the Sun and Moon, to defeat the evil Ant Queen. Shadowwalkers are the only creatures who have the ability to stop her from resurfacing from the Ziggurat and taking over Caldera. Mez and her new friends and fellow shadowwalkers; a tree frog named Rumi, a bat named Lima, and a monkey named Gorgi set out on their adventure to save Caldera.

This was my first time reading a book by author, Eliot Schrefer. You can tell that Schrefer did in depth research on South and Central American. Many children’s stories with animals sugar coat the reality of animal instincts and behaviours. Schrefer does a excellent job at describing the unique abilities of each animal. My favourite character was the bat Lima. Schaefer describes her using her echolocation to manoeuvre the forest and to assist her daywalker friend’s at night. Schaefer puts a lot of emphasis on the predator and prey relationship in the wild. He is realistic about animals eating other animals to survive, especially since his main character is carnivorous panther.


I had a little trouble following the storyline at times. The narrative is fast moving and a bit choppy. I think a prologue with the history of Caldera would of been beneficial to the reader. For example, the characters keep talking about traveling to the Ziggurat, without really explaining what it is, until page 125 (it is a temple, I had to google it).


Overall I enjoyed the world Schrefer created. Mez’s Magic touches on many themes that children’s (and adults) deal with everyday, like discrimination, friendship, confidence, and trust. I look forward to reading more stories from The Lost Rainforest series.

[Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard]

I liked the message behind this and getting animal POVs but I found myself quite bored for long stretches...like even when there was stuff going on, it couldn't hold my attention

[Megan (ReadingRover)]

Not bad. Not spectacular either. Kind of boring at times. Maybe it will get more exciting as the series goes on.

[Molly N]

Pretty good, I am not sure I am going to read the next one though.

[Blue]

This was a cute story. Very predictable but still cute

[Emma]

This book was a very interesting read. I did not like the illustrations though, they weren't as good as I hoped. It's very weird to read about an ant queen killing humans. I do really like cats so I kind assumed it would be a good book but it wasn't what I expected.

[Angelina]

I need the next book!!!

[Allison Parker]

Mez has a secret: while her family sleeps deeply through the day, she is the only Panther who feels compelled to wake during the sunlit hours. When Aunt Osha discovers her secret, Mez is cast out from the den, for Shadowwalkers are considered unnatural, cursed. But Mez discovers she's not alone: a boa constrictor is traveling the rainforests of Caldera, gathering other animals who were born during the eclipse and therefore wake and walk both day and night. The snake has seen a prophecy that the legendary Ant Queen will rise from slumber and take over the jungles, unless the Shadowwalkers can unite, discover their magical powers, and stop her. I'm not the best audience for talking-animal-fantasy, but Schrefer's series starter kept my interest piqued, with cute side-characters (including a nerdy tree frog and gabby fruit bat) and some interesting ideas. The setting's dual worlds of day and night create a striking sense of isolation and ignorance among the day/night animals as they learn about each other's worlds. Also, I've never read a book with such
a subtle environmental message - the ants, with their massive powers of organization, play the stand-in for humans. A great choice for fans of Erin Hunter or the Spirit Animals series.

[laura c]

This book was a pretty fast paced read, and it is definitely a read for people who like books about animals going on an adventure to stop some evil from taking over their world! (Original much? *wink*) The plot is similar to Spirit Animals, but is combined with Erin Hunter's many series in the sense that it is told from the point of view of an animal. For example, in this book, it is told from Mez, a panther's, point of view. The animal characters are very unique, and their personalities are very relatable. Good for middle schoolers with immature tastes (Me!) in Fantasy books, and basically anyone else who just wants to read a typical adventure animal book!

[Leslie]

My young-reader self would've loved this slyly educational animal adventure; & the magic didn't hurt. I love how well (and so quickly) Schrefer characterized his diverse cast. The turns are well-played, the action is tense and suspenseful. That Schrefer doesn't shy away from the reality of predators/nature is a wonderful part of the experience; he handles it deftly enough for the more sensitive reader. I was very much entertained and eagerly anticipate Book 2 (and the author Q&A at the end of the book only sweetened that deal).

The illustrations by Emilia Dziubak are lovely.

[Barbara White]

My seventh and eighth grades students love Mez's Magic, and are looking forward to the next installment of The Lost Rainforest. It would also be appropriate for high school students. My students felt they learned about the rainforest and totally fell in love with Mez. As an adult, I also enjoyed this story. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my first copy of Mez's Magic.

[Julia]

Ein spannendes und zu gleich lehrreiches Buch mit sprechenden Tieren, dem Regenwald, einem Panter als Hauptfigur, Magie, aber auch dem natürlichen Thema 'Jäger und Gejagte'. Ein tolles Buch für Kinder um die 10 Jahre, die vielleicht schon Erin Hunters Bücher mochten.

[Katie Akerman]

*Read as part of the Shelf Stuff 2020 Summer reading challenge*

Mez is a panther unlike any other. She can stay awake in the daylight. This shadowalking is extremely frowned upon by all nocturnal animals. Mez hides her secret until one day she ventures out of her den to find another shadowalker. This shadowalking Boa constrictor tells her of her special gift being shadow blessed and tells her of a mission to save all of Caldera.

Reading this with my daughter she was very interested because she loves animals especially big cats. We loved encountering all the different animals of the rain forest that Mez meets along her journey and the diversity of the group that assembles at the Ziggurat.

The friendship between Mez, Goji, Lima, and Rumi proves that even those who are different and unexpected friends can become close.

This book kept me on the tips of my toes and really had me pushing to read all the way though it as quickly as possible to see what would happen to the ant queen and how these young animals would overcome her mighty powers.

I could not imagine the amount of adversity mez has had to struggle with for her whole life up until now and being able to push forward without feeling constant negativity with what life has dealt her.

I cant wait to read what happens next for the member of this group and who will appear in the next books.

[Anaiya]

Mez Magic is the first book of the amazing series called The Lost Rainforest. It has always been divided into animals who have walked in the day and have walked in the night. Nightwalker animal vary from mammals to birds. Panthers are on the top of the Nightwalker predators, like Mez and her sister. Mez and her sister have been educated on folklore about The Ant Queen and her doom but always believed it as a fairy tale. Until the dangerous eclipse. Now Mez enters her, she learns that she has the ability of walking on both day and night.But she must hurry. She has to discover the unknown, her magical power, friends, traitors and most importantly, the ant queen. But the only the question is can she survive the secrets and obstacles as she gets deeper in history and the rainforest.

[Awhona K.G. Paul]

Atmospheric, Immersive and Vividly picturesque- this book transports the reader to the beating heart of a dense Tropical  Rainforest with all its bubbling life forms and tropical species coming together in the form of a  captivating  story. The plot follows a young Panther Mez on her journey of self discovery and the turns and twists her journey brings about with its surprises and friends from different species under the pretext of one prophecy of a Dangerous and Evil Ant Queen whose powers were trapped from further use  during a complete eclipse of sun and moon  to bring about the end of her reign's era in the forest of Caldera where this story unfolds. Those animals amongst various species who were born during an eclipse bore the potent energies of shadow walkers - which means they were most active when the rest of their species were not- hence were termed and almost treated as an outcast by their own kind.  The gathering of such shadow walkers was brought about  by a huge boa constrictor - Auriel , who was of the shadows himself and assured that collectively they had to stop the Evil Ant Queen from returning to power. Shrouded in mystery with stunning  story telling- this was an intense and engaging read and can't wait to start the next in series.This book Mez's Magic is the first in The Lost Rainforest trilogy.

[Gillie]

A really good book, and I can't wait to read the next one. I have a question for the author. Are you going to continue writing the series in Mez's point of view, or are you going to write it in her friend's point of views'? I also think that the author struggled to keep the point of view in the present, not in past tense, and I also struggled to read it that way, so I was not happy about that. Otherwise, it was a great book, and I am looking forwards to the next one in the series. 😍

[Melanie]

This book was great. I wasn't interested at first, but after I read it, I wanted more. It gave me a mix of feelings while reading it and if you're a fan of fantasy, it definitely deserves to be recommended

[Jill Adams]

Harper is going to love this one--

[Abbey]

I think animal main character books just aren't for me. I understand I'm not the target audience. It was definitely a decent enough story, just not for me.

[Lucy]

Amazing book! Can’t wait to read book two!

[Mishell]

Úplně se vidím jak by to moje malé já milovalo

[Ian]

It’s a good story but the writing isn’t the best

[Felix]

A story about a magical panther and her friends that fight a giant ant is a cool plotline, and i did really like it but you don't actually know what mez is thanking or what she's feeling,and the writing could be a little better.(Though I do plan to read the next one in the series.)

[P.M.]

It really didn't hold my interest but it was better than the previous book I read - All the Things I'm Seeing Without You. That's not much of a recommendation.

[Kelly Erickson]

This was a really fun read, definitely more suited to younger audiences than all ages though. But it was an easy read, and the whole concept of "daywalkers" and "nightwalkers" was really interesting once I realized they were not simply interchangeable with "nocturnal". It had great pacing and watching Mez's character development was really enjoyable.

Definitely recommend for younger readers who like fantasy and any reader looking for an easy read

[Nanako]

The book was pretty full of action and was fun to read. However, some parts of the story took too long to progress, and some characters were introduced just for them to do nothing but be barely mentioned background characters. Overall, pretty good book. I liked the use of diverse species with diverse personalities. The characters were pretty likable, and the group of protagonists fit together nicely.

[Olivia]

NOT a great writing style, in my opinion. It makes the book less appetizing, as was the setting and events. And. Do jungle creatures really talk that way? I didn't enjoy that. But I do NEED to read the next book–what an ending!
And it was more fun with the suspense.
I'm reading it one last time to confirm my decision–GOODBYE

[The]

This book is a great start to a series!! The one thing I would complain about is that some of the sentences in the book have werid phrasing which got kind of annoying, but other than that a really great book with alot of twists and turns!

[Nadin]

Cute animal adventure with a tropical setting, an emancipation storyline+some magic...but I am not really excited...