The Legend of Brightblade

Gr 5-8–Alto, a prince living in a land where ballads played by bards wield magic, is more interested in perfecting his music skills than in his princely responsibilities. His mother, Lady Toril Brightblade, along with bard Eluvian and weaponsmith Calder, slew a dragon and brought peace to their kingdom. Toril is now in the midst of negotiating a peaceful alliance with the neighboring trolls’ kingdom, working to overcome distrust from their earlier conflicts. During sensitive negotiations, Alto’s fledgling musical magic goes awry and almost derails things, so Toril ends his lessons, demanding he focus on being a prince. Instead, Alto runs away and meets Ebbe, a troll bard who, like Alto, had to leave her community to pursue music. While traveling together they encounter the Discords, bards who use their music to create conflict among listeners. Alto is frightened to discover the Discords’ eventual target for their chaos. Alto and Ebbe, joined by young bard Clarabel, must overcome their youth and inexperience to figure out how to stop them. Relying on a soft yet vibrant palette, the gorgeous hand-painted watercolor illustrations lend the story a dreamy quality while still showing the intensity of action scenes and the power of the musical magic. The characters include diverse humans and members of various fantasy races; Alto, his family, and Clarabel are brown-skinned. Themes of friendship, following dreams, and relationships with blood and chosen family are deftly woven into the narrative.