The Real Boy

National Book Award Longlist * Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book of the Year "Beautifully written and elegantly structured, this fantasy is as real as it gets."—Franny Billingsley, author of Chime The Real Boy, Anne Ursu's follow-up to her widely acclaimed and beloved middle grade fantasy Breadcrumbs, is a spellbinding tale of the power we all wield, great and small. On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy named Oscar. Oscar is a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the village, and spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it. But now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the forest will keep his island safe. Now even magic may not be enough to save it. A Loner Hero: Oscar prefers the quiet cellar and the company of cats to the strange, unpredictable world outside. But when danger threatens his island, he may be the only one who can uncover the truth. Mystery and Magic: When children in the gleaming city begin to fall ill with a strange sickness, Oscar must venture out of his comfort zone into a world of secrets and powerful forces. A Classic Fantasy Adventure: Perfect for fans of timeless middle grade stories, this magical adventure is filled with wizards, magicians, and an enchanted forest where something sinister lurks. A Story for Sensitive Kids: A heartfelt and beautifully written tale about a boy who doesn't quite fit in, and the extraordinary power he finds within himself.