Mia and the Lightcasters: Umbra Tales 1 (The Umbra Tales)

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Mia and the Lightcasters plunges readers into the middle of a game where the objective is to survive by overthrowing the reaper king - a demonic-inspired character set on destroying the world - and restoring peace. I really enjoyed how Mia's character evolves from beginning to end. Once, a young girl looking to her parents for guidance to being responsible for everyone's safety, including her younger brother. An interesting parallel story runs throughout, that of Mia and Miles. Once best friends and now face-to-face enemies, putting Mia in a complicated dilemma. Friendship and family are key themes running through the story: showing that it doesn't matter how hard things get: there is always someone to lean on for support. This is a difficult one, because there's not really a straight answer, it just happened. Compared to Lucas, who was inspired by the children I looked after when I worked at a nursery, Mia sort of just came about on her own in my mind. You can probably guess, but it's definitely gaming! That's my favourite thing to do to help me unwind after a writing session. I also enjoy listening to music and taking pictures. I've recently found a love for Lego building as well, haha! A lot of things! Right now, I'm editing Book 2 and writing Book 3, but what I can say is that there will be potential heartbreak, moments of pure joy and hope, and unbreakable friendships. World-building was one of the selling points for me. The story gives the right information when necessary without info-dumping. The map helped me imagine the story more! The Kingdom of Lunis is truly magical, and the constructs of the world are solid. (The author is careful not to stretch or break the rules, and explains the magic system in a detailed and easy-to-understand way.) The concept of the umbra, the Reaper King, Nightmare Plains, and Spiritual Plains, were all things that I adored.

The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c... Mia ist ein starker Hauptcharakter, aber sie bleibt durch ihre Schwächen und Ängste glaubwürdig und es wird dadurch einfacher, sich mit ihr zu identifizieren. Auch ihre enge Beziehung zu ihrer Familie, besonders ihrem kleinen Bruder Lucas, und ihren Freunden hat mir sehr gefallen. I think readers will also relate to the strong family bonds in Mia and the Lightcasters. Mia and Lucas's relationship is the heart of this first book. Whilst, like any brother and sister, they can annoy each other and fight, Mia will always be protective of her little brother and will fight anyone and anything to protect him. I’m sure those with siblings can relate! Lastly, can your character Mia give us any top tips on how to tame the fantastical creatures of her world, umbras? I’ve incorporated elements of gaming into the story; the action and martial arts scenes, for example, are something that will get the attention of fellow gamers. Those who love fighting games, like Super Smash Bros and Tekken, will especially enjoy those scenes! Ich LIEBE die Charaktere. Mia und Lucas gehört mein Herz. Die Beziehung der Geschwister sorgen bei mir einfach für all die Feels. Die ganze Familiendynamik war einfach wunderschön zu sehen.My umbra would be a mix of a red panda and a dragon. He'd be called Ren and he would be a cheeky umbra, similar to a certain one in the book! Then came the creation of the umbra. I wanted the kingdom to have beautiful yet dangerous mystical creatures roaming about, similar to how you will often have monsters roaming in open world games, and the idea of the umbra being made from shadows and stars fit that vision. Then came Mia! Der Klappentext klang vielversprechend, sodass ich mich zwar mit großer Vorfreude aber ohne große Erwartungen in dieses Buch hereingestürzt habe. I have a few, but two of them happen very closely together. It's the moment Mia is reunited with a certain someone, but at the same time taken away from loved ones. Das Cover des Buches gefällt mir richtig gut, da es sich auf den Inhalt der Geschichte bezieht und auch schon genau die Stimmung transportiert, die das Buch ausmacht. Die Geschichte ist ein wenig düster, voller Magie und lebt von einer starken jungen Protagonistin, die sich in der dunklen Welt von Lunis gegen alle möglichen Hindernisse und Gegner durchsetzen muss.

First was gaming. I wanted to write a book that could capture the essence and fun of gaming. I want my readers to love my characters like they would a character they play as in a video game, and be invested in the journey and the adventure at the same time. A few games actually helped inspire my original idea for Mia and the Lightcasters, such as Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider and Pokémon.Janelle cosplays as her favourite video game and anime characters, such as Krul Tepes from Seraph of the End (left) and Mileena from Mortal Kombat (right). So, how can Mia and the Lightcasters engage with young gamers? Mia and The Lightcasters is a book that you cant put down! It is an exciting fantasy novel aimed at children from aged 8+.

Mia ist eine Interessante Protagonistin, und obwohl sie ein Teenager ist, hat mich ihr Verhalten als erwachsene Leserin nicht genervt, was meistens bei jugendlichen Charakteren der Fall ist. Ihre Beziehungen zu den anderen Charakteren waren auch realistisch dargestellt. Readers who like their heroes brave, resourceful and caring, magical and with a skill in martial arts are going to love twelve-year-old Mia, star of Janelle McCurdy’s gripping new fantasy adventure Mia and the Lightcasters. In her free time, you can find Janelle holed up in her room, gaming and watching anime (some of her favourites being Inuyasha, Dragon Ball Z and Death Note), or attending numerous comic cons and gaming events. Mia and The Lightcasters is perfect for children who love sci-fi, fantasy, adventure or technology. It is a really great addition to books of these genres and one I know many children in our school will enjoy reading.Ever so often I find a book that I feel is the epitome of middle grade fantasy, and The Lightcasters is one of them! What I love the most about middle grade fantasy is an immersive fantasy world with great world-building, developed characters, and a book that transports me into another world. Janelle McCurdy accomplished all of these things. The Lightcasters is perfect for fans of The Marvellers, and Amari and the Night Brothers. Mia and her little brother, Lucas, are the city's only hope of survival, and Mia must learn to harness her umbra taming abilities to stand any chance of saving her city and rescuing her parents. If she can't, she'll lose her soul, and her family, to the Darkness forever. It's about sibling bonds, kids doing martial arts, bravery and adventure. The prologue sets up the story pretty well, establishing the relationship between Mia and Miles. Despite their friendship not being present for most of the story, the scenes they had together really helped to show their chemistry and years of friendship. Their friendship was complicated, while both of them still cared for each other. While views diverge, causing them to oppose each other in certain situations. Both provided an interesting view of the situation. Rarely are there stories where people still care for each other but not always on the same side, so I appreciate seeing that happen here. Ganz besonders toll fand ich auch die verschiedenen Umbra, die man in der Geschichte kennenlernt. Sie sind wirklich tolle magische Wesen und richtig fantasievoll beschrieben. Überhaupt fand ich die magischen Anteile in der Geschichte atmosphärisch und interessant beschrieben.

The second inspiration came from my fascination with stars and the universe. Overall, I wanted to incorporate the things I loved together, and so Mia and the Lightcasters was born. Bei „Die Chroniken von Lunis: Wächterin des Lichts“ handelt es sich um Band 1 der „Die Chroniken von Lunis“-Trilogie von Janelle McCurdy. The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... For fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, The Legend of Podkin One-Ear and Nevermoor, this is the first in the sensational Umbra Tales series, illustrated by Ana Latese.Die Geschichte selbst hat mir auch sehr gut gefallen. Die Idee mit den Umbras hat mich etwas an die Patronusse aus Harry Potter erinnert. hauptsächlich habe ich mir ihr Aussehen so vorgestellt. Das Buch hat mehr Liebe verdient, ich hatte noch nie davon gehört bevor ich es bei Netgalley gefunden habe. So viele Bewertungen hat es bei Goodreads auch nicht. Es hat mehr verdient. Ich muss zugeben ich hätte mir ein kleines bisschen mehr Info sowie Szenen mit der Königin gewünscht. Keeper of the Lost Cities meets Pokémon in this riveting first book in a middle grade series about a girl who embarks on a treacherous journey with her mystical animal companions to save her family—and the entire kingdom.