SLEEPING SPELLS AND DRAGON SCALES, by Wendy S. Swore, Shadow Mountain, April 2, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 8-12)
Two friends utilize fairy tale knowledge as they search for the cause of a mysterious illness in Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales, by Wendy S. Swore.
Something is wrong with Liam. He collapses during soccer practice, he can’t stay awake in class, and he’s starting to see a ghostly white fox that disappears into smoke. His parents and teachers accuse him of being lazy and staying up too late, but he knows it’s something worse. He feels like he’s disappearing bit by bit: his strength, his skills, his mind.
No one believes him except for Alaina, a friend and self-proclaimed expert in fantasy and fairy tales. She’s seen this sort of thing before and believes Liam has been cursed with a powerful sleeping spell. Her journal is full of possible ways to break a curse–stand in a circle of salt, trick a troll, or wish on a falling star. Liam is skeptical, but with his normal life slipping farther away, he agrees to try her potential cures.
As they search for answers in stories, Alaina shares that she also is dealing with something no one else can see: type 1 diabetes. It rears its head like an invisible dragon, and she carries her medical equipment as a knight’s lance and dragon-scale shield to battle it.
As Liam’s mystery illness worsens, he will need Alaina’s friendship—and perhaps a bit of fairy magic—to find a way to understand the truth of what is happening and regain the pieces of himself that are lost. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
When I was a middle-reader, there weren’t a lot of books about type 1 diabetes (then called juvenile diabetes). I know that because my older brother Jake was diagnosed with it when he was 4. Doctor and hospital visits were a way of life at our house, and I would have given anything to read more about the condition in a way that spoke to me. In fact, the first book I remember really addressing it was The Truth About Stacey, the third book in the Babysitters Club series.
Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales is just one of a number of more recent offerings that really dive deep into the T1D, and it does so with honesty and heart.
*Spoiler Alert* The other condition central to the story is narcolepsy, which author Wendy S. Swore also approaches with great care.
While the bits about fairies and their different magic is entertaining and creates the framework for Swore’s book, it’s the way she conveys the fear and frustration and winning moments that come with “invisible” diseases. She gives those who suffer with them a voice, and that’s what really stands out.
Of course, there are also themes of family, friendship, empathy, and lack of understanding weaved throughout that lend to Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales broader appeal. It’s not a particularly fast read, but a compelling one nonetheless.
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