Juniper is one step closer to her dream of becoming a doctor when she wins a scholarship to a prominent private school. Excited to get the ultimate education at Ellsmere Academy, she discovers that she feels out of place as soon as she arrives. It turns out that she’s the only student there on scholarship. Making a close friend and evil enemy right off the bat, Juniper finds herself in for a wild ride during her first semester at the school.
This is such as sweet story that is more about friendship than anything else. Juniper is new and the only kid at the school on scholarship, so she sticks out from the rest of the kids for not being a rich legacy student. Meanwhile, Cassie has been at the school since she was a kid and doesn’t have many friends. Instead, she’s picked on and called an orphan by the resident school bully. I loved how positive Juniper and her new friend, Cassie, bonded and became essentially best friends right off the bat. Their friendship is what I love about the story.
The artwork is also absolutely beautiful. I love how vibrant the colors are and how the artwork really brings the story to life before you read the dialogue. I also enjoyed seeing the drawing process for re-inking the story at the end of the book. It was really need to see and I think it’s a nice bonus.
While I loved the story, I do have two issues. I’m disappointed that Emily, the school bully, got a slap on the wrist for her evil deeds. I know she was forgiven by Juniper, but I think it’s a shame that not much happened with Emily as the story ended. No meeting with her parents, nothing. Just a slap on the wrist and an order to stay away from Juniper and Cassie.
My second issue is the lack of a fantasy plot. I was expecting some form of magical realism, but a long running school myth and the appearance of a mythological being for a few seconds was it. From the synopsis, I was expecting much more on the fantasy front. Instead, it seemed to be inserted at the end without much thought.
That said, I do like the story. I just wish that the fantasy aspect was well executed and that the story itself was longer because it ends abruptly.
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