Star Knights

Gr 3 Up–A story of friendship and self-discovery cloaked in a complex web of sylvan and stellar myth-making. The story begins with Tad the Frog eavesdropping on a group playing a game of Star Knights, a lively legend of the forest floor. He tries to join in their game but is rebuffed for being a Mud Dweller. Animals from the muck can’t ascend to celestial heights, the others insist; Tad retreats, defeated, to the company of an equally geeky salamander. But suddenly, a star falls from the heavens, leading to a dizzying series of wishes granted, transformations, mistaken identities, and, ultimately, the weaving of a new Star Knight myth. Davault’s narrative somersaults through the swamp and forest floor to the moon and Milky Way. Her imagery is at once epic and adorable, with a muted neon palette feeling like the stuff of fluffy fairy-tale. The pace at which characters, story elements, and set pieces are introduced, however, is somewhat overwhelming—as soon as readers have got a grip on one theme or element of the Star Knight universe, they’re being visually flown away to the next. This roller coaster storytelling style may be delightful or distracting, depending on the reader’s personal proclivities.