Oscar From Elsewhere

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for Oscar From Elsewhere through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

When two worlds collide in order to save the lives of an entire race, you’ll find the story of Oscar from Elsewhere come to life. Oscar is your typical American boy who loves skateboarding.  When through a slip in the grass finds himself in a world of magic.  Why is he there?   He soon discovers he’s there to help save a world…. It’s a world of figuring out who to trust and solving a mystery.  Come on, let’s take a look! 

The Basic Details of Oscar from Elsewhere

Title: Oscar From Elsewhere
Author: Jaclyn Moriarity
Pages: 400
Publisher: Levine Querido c/o Chronicle Books
Intended Audience: 10-14 years
Formats available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback
Reviewed for: Raincoast books
Received: ARC Paperback
Series: I think it’s part of the Kingdoms and Empires Series

About the Author

Jaclyn Moriarty, you may remember her from The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst, writes intriguing fantasy for middle school. An Australian by birth, she currently lives in Sydney with her son.  A lover of chocolate and blueberries, you’ll find a list of recommended authors on her website.  

About Oscar from Elsewhere

During a sleepover, a letter comes to five children begging for the urgent assistance of Esther, a newly-realized Rain Weaver; she must arrive before 10am on Monday to save an entire town of elves. When they arrive, the children find two incredibly odd things: first, the town of elves, buried under layers of silver; and second, a regular-size boy who, soon after seeing the children, dies.

Oscar is that boy who skipped school in our world on Monday to skate, and found himself in the city of the elves at just the wrong moment: He fled as fast as he could, but not fast enough because the silver wave struck him and he fell down dead.

Looking Deeper

The story of Oscar alternates between Oscar and Imogen, one of the six children who came to Oscar’s rescue.  I loved how Ms. Moriarty gave these two characters very different voices. 

These children face a number of obstacles and have a quest to finish… with three known clues and six hidden clues.  They are also faced with people they don’t know if they can trust. So the quest is hard but… should they complete it, a whole people group will be saved!

Each section is one more day in their quest.  They only have six days to complete this quest.   So each day’s chapters walk us through specific adventures.  As they seek out the answers we get to learn more about each of these unique youth.  Each has their own unique abilities and perspectives. 

I didn’t get a final version, but I found myself intrigued by the story line and wondering if they finish this quest completely by the time the book is done.  (no, I haven’t quite finished it yet!).  But I can easily see a sequel happening simply due to the diverse nature of the participants.   AH AH… I skipped ahead so I could see if the story continues on.  This is a complete story line.  Be prepared for surprises!   ENJOY the surprises it’s part of the fun of this read.  🙂 

Get it?

Keeping in that I have not read the entire book, but what I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed, I will recommend it.   I love the variety in the characters, the surprises along the way, and how overall these are just nice kids.     Learning to not believe lies from their past, working to help others not related to them, and how these youth have to work together to problem-solve.  

Oscar from Elsewhere is a fun fantasy read that will be fantastic for middle school youth to read.  An intermingling of worlds where skill-sets from each help save the elves.