It's a well-understood trope for fatherless children to believe the absent parent is wonderful and special. In the case of these four young friends, it turns out to be fact, thanks to the parallel world of magic in this series.

Of course, 'the magical academy' is a popular theme as well, and this one gives Hogwarts a run for its money.

When the evil in a world is clearly labeled as such, that is also reassuring. These four friends are precisely the same age, even sharing their birthday, and begin the tale at the age of eleven. I'm hoping that as they get older, their perspective on the complexity of their magic universe is also given more dimension. But for now, the reason grownups are allowing them to be so close to dangers such as the Spell of Whirldungen is safely a product of mass hypnosis.

That universe is very engrossing and well-conceived. There are plenty of loose ends to sustain the coming volumes, but they have ended this first one with a satisfying triumph.

Spoiler: the being depicted on the cover is NOT a Whirldungen, merely a dragon. Vaguely disappointed by that. :)

Sadly, this book really failed to connect with me at all. Problematic writing with a storyline that felt like a Harry Potter fanfiction after the writer binge watched Lemony Snickett; it was hard to get through.

Chris Spratt is happy in his little town when one night something magical happens. No one seems to notice the strange occurrences except him - but what's a young boy to do when no one believes you except your friends? When the town's children receive an invitation to a prestigious boarding school that seemly sprouts up overnight, Chris knows that there is something evil about and that he may be the only person who could fix it.

For a children's book, the writing feels very dense and unsophisticated. Paragraphs don't flow, the obvious is overstated ad nauseum, people don't react to the fantastical as they should, and everything feels like a fait accompli rather than an unfolding adventure. It's one of those books that makes all the adults cardboard evil cutouts or doorknob stupid rather than giving us nuanced characters. Combine that with a plot that feels very recycled and you get an idea that there is something missing here. I found myself saying out loud several times, "Ok, we GET IT ALREADY! Move on!" in frustration.

I think most problematic for me is that I have read this type of book before but done so much better; e.g., Sage Blackwood's Jinx is a perfect example of a story that doesn't pander to its audience but has more than enough adventure to keep children invested. Whirldungeon feels like a debut book that needs a very firm editor to go through and streamline so that it understands its audience better. In all honesty, a rewrite might do wonders. The subject skews young but the writing is too dense for that audience to really sit through. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.