Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the New Adventure Series for Children)
by Nicola Palmer
Genre: fantasy, paranormal
Publication date: March 2012
Format: ebook
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SYNOPSIS: Feisty thirteen-year-old Alice Parker knows something isn't right. Aches and pains have started, she hardly sleeps and her craving for fruit is out of control. Suddenly she is top of the class in every subject. Feeling at odds with the world and being bullied by the 'coven' at school, Alice can't take much more.

 Only when she collapses and experiences a life-changing transformation does she learn why she is different. But with this new identity comes responsibility and Alice isn't convinced she can rise to the challenge. She just wants to be normal! The fact is she's anything but.

Forgotten tales of a magical society are catapulted into the daily life of strong, memorable female characters who readers will grow to love. An intriguing blend of realism, suspense and fantasy, a must-read for girls of 7+.

THOUGHTS:
Alice Parker was a perfectly normal girl who had average grades and an average life, but then a sudden change happens, and she's introduced to a world of magic and dreams that has apparently been hiding under her nose all this time. Alice finds out that she is a finwip, a creature very much like a fairy from the bed time stories. She then finds herself part of an underground finwip community, which becomes her second home.

The author wrote such vivid descriptions, and I found myself wanting to be Alice, to be a part of her world. The storyline is very well-written and it lured me in from the first page. The story will make you guess and guess, but your guesses are hardly ever right. Alice was also very easy to love. She was a bit reluctant and uneasy at first,  but then she accepts who she is and becomes strong and determined. Her metamorphosis was also well paced, and it never felt rushed.  Alice was very smart, she always thinks before she acts and she shows compassion towards others. She hardly ever complained and she did what had to be done to save the people she cared about.

I never expected much from this book since it is a middle-grade fantasy and I thought it would just be okay. But Nicola Parker proved me wrong! Even though it's a book for middle-age readers,  the book is written in a beautiful sophisticated prose that would put adult fiction to shame. Even though the writing is smart, it's still perfectly understandable by all ages. The book reminded me of C.S. Lewis' and J.K. Rowling's works; smart and opinionated without losing a touch of magic. This book was such a breath of fresh air, and it certainly brought out the child in me.

THE NUB AND GIST: