Savvy is a prime example of what I’m seeing more of. Important to note: this is different from magic as the learned power to manipulate inanimate forces (as in the Harry Potter series) or to conjure and control spirits (as in the Batimaeus series). But “new” does go in cycles, and we seem to be in a magical realism cycle now. Well, nothing is really new, as Solomon noted (cf. “Magic” is a staple of children’s literature, from fairy tales to Arabian nights, so what’s new?

Of course, stories where supernatural events occur in our own world (as opposed to a mythical kingdom or alternate universe) have plenty of representatives in classic children’s fiction-think The Indian in the Cupboard, or Tuck Everlasting, or-even farther back- Mary Poppins. Since the publication of Savvy, I’ve noticed a bunch of books cut on the same general pattern. (Even though, in this book and many others, the “savvy” is as much a problem as it is a solution.) The genre is best described as magical realism: a story set in an actual place and time, where the main problem or conflict is solved by other-worldly phenomena.

Savvy has certain distinctive elements: a real-life location (rural Ohio), a loving though eccentric family, quirky characters, a desperate situation– and supernatural intervention, because each member of the family has a particular “savvy,” or supernatural power, that’s revealed at his or her 13 th birthday. In 2008, a middle-grade novel called Savvy, by first-time novelist Ingrid Law, swept numerous awards lists and was anointed with the silver medallion of Newbery runner-up.

Savvy ingrid law series