Jinx - by Sage Blackwood

About the Book

Jinx has always feared leaving the pathNthen he meets the wizard Simon. As Jinx's curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees and to Simon's unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trod paths.

Book Synopsis

The highly acclaimed first book of a fantasy adventure series set in a mysterious forest, starring a daring new hero.

"Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx" (SLJ, starred review), a wizard's apprentice, as he sets off on a quest through the dangerous Urwald, a magical forest full of wizards and were-creatures, and discovers that it is more complex than he could imagine, and that it needs him more than he could ever guess.

This humorous and smart tween fantasy adventure is perfect for fans of Septimus Heap, The Sisters Grimm, and Fablehaven.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

From the Back Cover

In the Urwald, you don't step off the path. Trolls, werewolves, and butter churn-riding witches lurk amid the clawing branches, eager to swoop up the unwary. Jinx has always feared leaving the path--then he meets the wizard Simon Magus.

Jinx knows that wizards are evil. But Simon's kitchen is cozy, and he seems cranky rather than wicked. Staying with him appears to be Jinx's safest, and perhaps only, option. As Jinx's curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees as closely as he does to Simon's unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trodden paths.

But in the Urwald, a little healthy fear is never out of place, for magic--and magicians--can be as dangerous as the forest. And soon Jinx must decide which is the greater threat.

Sage Blackwood introduces a daring new hero for an innovative new world as Jinx is joined by friends, battles enemies, and discovers that life beyond--and even within--the forest is more complex than he can imagine, and that the Urwald itself needs him more than he could ever guess.

Review Quotes

Complex characters, compelling fun, a marvelously dastardly villain, all steeped in a tasty stew of mystery and magic. What more could a reader ask for? - Bruce Coville
JINX is filled with real magic, not just the magic young Jinx learns, but the magic of a great book: memorable, engaging characters, humor that's actually funny, an original, fantastic world, and real human feelings. I can't wait for the next one. - John Stephen, NYT bestselling author of THE EMERALD ATLAS
JINX is a truly wonderful book full of magic, adventure, peril, magical forests, wizards up to no good, and a clever boy hero who will make you cheer while wanting to tear your hair out. I fell in love with this book, and then it broke my heart and stomped all over the pieces--but by the end my heart was whole again, and I was longing to read the sequel. JINX is a joy and a delight. It's my very favorite book of the year. - Sarah Prineas, the author of THE MAGIC THIEF
Blackwood fills her tale with drama and delightfully funny dialogue. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In this expertly paced, beautifully written fantasy, Blackwood elevates familiar fantasy elements with exquisitely credible characters who inhabit a world filled with well-drawn magic and whimsy. - Booklist (starred review)
[Blackwood] puts her central three [characters] through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx. - School Library Journal (starred review)
Flowing dialogue, easy interactions between the characters, a mixed Diana Wynne Jones/Lloyd Alexander vibe, and a setting both familiar and original make the novel immediately inviting and compelling. - The Horn Book