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Summary
Summary
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson: his debut novel for the young adult audience
More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity's only defense against the Wild Chalklings--merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing--kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery--one that will change Rithmatics--and their world--forever.
Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense--the first of a series. With his trademark skills in world-building, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013 A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
Author Notes
Brandon Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He received a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in creative writing from Brigham Young University. His first book, Elantris, was published in 2005. His other works include the Mistborn series, the Stormlight Archive series, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians series, and the Reckoners series. In 2007, he was chosen by Harriet Rigney to complete A Memory of Light, book twelve in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. He has continued the series with Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light. In 2018 his title, White Sand Volume 2, made the Best Seller List.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (7)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestselling author Sanderson's first YA novel is a delightful fantasy set in an alternate early 20th-century America made up of 60 loosely federated islands protected by Rithmatists, who use powerful chalk-drawing magic to hold at bay the voracious wild chalklings. These mysterious, two-dimensional creatures from the dangerous island of Nebrask would wipe out the nation if they ever broke loose. Sixteen-year-old Joel attends Armedius Academy, a noted school for Rithmatists, as a general student; he has studied the intricate, magical chalk patterns his whole life, but missed his chance to become a Rithmatist. As his more talented schoolmates begin to disappear, apparently killed or kidnapped by wild chalklings, Joel; his new friend Melody, an incompetent young Rithmatist; and Fitch, their recently disgraced professor, become involved in a desperate attempt to avoid more bloodshed and save their schoolmates. Featuring ingenious magic (complete with profuse chalk drawing-style diagrams and illustrations from McSweeney), feisty characters, and a complex plot likely to unwind over several volumes, this high-spirited, exciting story will appeal to readers of all ages. Ages 12-up. Author's agent: Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky Literary Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this alternate U.S. (the United Isles), Rithmatists fight two-dimensional attackers by drawing chalk lines (helpfully diagrammed throughout the novel). Joel, a chalkmaker, was not selected as a Rithmatist, but as Rithmatic students go missing, his prodigious understanding equips him to help uncover and stop a mysterious threat. Both fantasy and adventure, this is a refreshing take on the magical-school trope. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Joel longs to be a Rithmatist with the magical power to bring two-dimensional objects, called Chalklings, to life. But he is 16, and Rithmatists are chosen at age 8. Surely he has missed his chance, or has he? When Rithmatists-in-training at the prestigious Armedius Academy begin to go missing, Joel a scholarship student there determines to find out what has happened to them. Could it possibly have something to do with the Wild Chalklings of the Nebrask territory? Could his success or failure determine the fate of the American Isles? And, for that matter, could he become a Rithmatist, after all? So many questions and so few answers in this spoiler-free review. Suffice it to say that with an intriguing premise and captivating characters in Joel, his friend Melody, and their teacher Professor Fitch, Sanderson's first YA novel is a fast-paced mash-up of fantasy and adventure that will grab readers' attention at the first page and hold it until the inconclusive end, which promises a sequel. An auspicious YA debut that will leave readers hungry for further adventures of the aspiring Rithmatist and his friends.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
THERE'S always a boy, and there's always a girl. They may not like each other at first, but they find a way to work together. Friendship always blossoms, sometimes romance. There's a society they have to fight against and a secret to uncover that changes the world. They win in the end, though there's heartbreak along the way and more danger ahead. Sound familiar? That's probably because you've read "The Hunger Games" or "Divergent" or "Beautiful Creatures" or any one of a number of recent young adult blockbusters. Why do so many current Y.A. novels - including, I must admit, some of my own - hew so closely to this formula? Every genre (if we can call Y.A. a genre) has its common motifs, of course, but perhaps these elements recur so frequently because they capture something essential about what it is to be a teenager: suddenly alone in a society you don't understand, friends who are both passionately devoted and heart-crushingly duplicitous, a new set of rules that you must learn but which no one will explain. Being a teenager is difficult, and when you're 16, a book that takes this fact seriously is water in a desert. As in every genre, though, it's not the motifs themselves, it's what you do with them. Brandon Sanderson, author of the final three volumes of Robert Jordan's adult fantasy series The Wheel of Time, is the latest to enter the fray with "The Rithmatist" Joel is a scholarship student at the affluent Armedius Academy on New Britannia in the United Isles, an alternate archipelago version of America where people live in places like Georgiabama. Alongside its regular students, Armedius trains "Rithmatists," wizarding types who duel with chalk. The training is serious. Wild chalklings - chalk-drawn creatures used in combat but here broken free - are extremely dangerous to humans. Rithmatist graduates serve out 10-year terms on Nebrask, trying to contain the wild chalkling threat. But Rithmatists are chosen by God on their eighth birthday, and no matter how much of an expert Joel has made himself on Rithmatist lore, he was not chosen and never will be. Melody, meanwhile, has been chosen but is expelled from Armedius because she is unable to draw even the simplest defensive circle competently. She's forced to take remedial summer classes with Professor Fitch, a Rithmatist expert Joel has secured an assistantship with Fitch, hoping there might be a way for him to work in Rithmatics, despite his lack of magic. But then young Rithmatists are attacked, possibly murdered, and Joel and Melody get caught up in the investigation. There are indeed secrets to be uncovered and the world to be saved, and "The Rithmatist" contains some good surprises on the way to a pleasingly nifty conclusion. As to be expected from a best-selling fantasy writer, the world of the novel is nicely fleshed out, with its clockwork horses ("Equilix Stallions") and hints of wider history. Mostly, though, the fantasy here is very comfortable - nothing to scare those clockwork horses - and that points to a key weakness. The best Y.A. novels have a kind of animating vitality. For the course of their stories, they make you believe that the world really is at stake. That's why they're exciting and so often moving (and read so widely by adults). "The Rithmatist" is a little bit soft at the edges. Aside from a brief prologue, there is almost no action until the climax, and try as he might, Sanderson never quite succeeds in making two-dimensional chalk drawings move from interesting to scary. The required elements of Y.A. are all present and accounted for. Joel and Melody are likable heroes, and everything moves along efficiently. But the world never quite feels as if it actually might end, which is what I think young adult readers are looking for, in whatever form. Because that is, after all, what every day feels like when you're a teenager. Wild chalklings - chalkdrawn creatures used in dueling but here broken free - are extremely dangerous. Patrick Ness's latest book is "A Monster Calls."
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-10-The idea that evil chalk drawings pose a threat to humanity quite frankly sounds silly. Add in the none-too-subtle Harry Potter parallels and you have the makings of literary mediocrity. And yet Sanderson has crafted an action-packed mystery that will keep readers hooked, especially toward the end. Joel is an underachieving, charity-case student at the elite Ardemius Academy where his mother is a cleaning lady and his late father made chalk for Rithmatists. In the hands of a Rithmatist, chalk is a weapon keeping North America safe from wild "chalklings," two-dimensional beasts of unknown origins. Only one in 1000 people possess Rithmatic abilities. Much to Joel's chagrin, he is not one of them. But when Rithmatic students begin disappearing, Joel gets a chance to help in the investigation, and maybe get another shot at becoming one of the elite. Part fantasy, part alternate history, part steampunk, this story succeeds nicely despite some flaws (logical inconsistencies and an annoying female lead foremost among them). An exciting ending and skillful setup for a sequel will have readers hungry for the next volume.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School Library, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The inhumanly prolific author of the Mistborn trilogy conjures similarly baroque magic for a lapidary series opener aimed at a somewhat younger audience. Set on an alternate, steampunk Earth among the many squabbling United Isles of America, the tale pits Joel, teenage son of a poor chalkmaker, and allies against mysterious baddies who are snatching students of exclusive Armedius Academy. Among other subjects, the Academy teaches Rithmatics--a geometry-based system of offensive and defensive shapes chalked on flat surfaces and then animated by those endowed with a special magical ability in a ceremony as children. Though he himself cannot bring his figures to life like a true Duster, years of obsessive study have made Joel a brilliant theorist and designer. His skills plunge him into the middle of the kidnapping investigation and ultimately lead to hints of a larger plot to release floods of deadly wild "chalklings" against humanity. Stay tuned. Between (and occasionally within) every chapter, labeled diagrams and smaller drawings lay out an elaborate but generally logical set of rules and behaviors for Rithmatical attack and defense. Fantasy readers should devour this well-crafted mix of action and setup, enriched by a thoroughly detailed cultural and historical background and capped by a distinctly unsettling twist. (Fantasy. 10-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Joel, 16, feels isolated at Armedius Academy, since he lacks the talent to join the elite students in their practice of Rithmatics, a form of magic in which geometrical chalk drawings unlock sorcerous power. When Armedius's most talented Rithmatist students begin disappearing, Joel and classmate Melody help a Rithmatics professor and the local police chief investigate and learn more about Joel's family legacy as they come closer to solving the crimes. In this start of Sanderson's (A Memory of Light) new YA fantasy series, the prolific fantasy author creates a detailed and unique magic system. It sometimes seems to come at the expense of character development, as the characters fail to strike more than one note most of the time, but the world-building he invests in this alternate America is fun and interesting. Narrator Michael Kramer creates distinct voices for the cast and brings gravitas to the story. VERDICT Recommended for those seeking an adventure with a "Harry Potter, boy detective" vibe.--Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ., Atlanta (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.