A Whimsical World: Read Our Review of The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty, illustrated by Kelly Canby

This novel is the magical fourth book in the rich and whimsical world of the Kingdoms and Empires, which follows a non-magical boy called Oscar who finds himself caught up in a surprisingly urgent quest in an even more surprising world. 

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is the account of Monday through Friday of last week. That’s when Oscar found himself on a quest to locate nine separate pieces of a key, held by nine separate people, in order to unlock a gluggy silver spell that had trapped the Elven city of Dun-sorey-lo-vay-lo-hey.

The quest was an urgent one. Friday at noon, the spell would become permanent, the Elves would be crushed to death and Oscar would be trapped in this magical world forever. The account, it should be noted, has been written at the request of a small public school’s Deputy Principal. She wants to know exactly what Oscar considered more important than coming to school last week.

From award-winning author Jaclyn Moriarty comes an enchanting tale of cryptic challenges, breathtaking danger, and 360 kickflips. Moriarty is the author of novels for children, young adults and adults. The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is the latest addition to the series of standalone books for readers aged 10+ that can be read in any order. All of the books in the series have won or been short-listed for a number of prizes.

Moriarty has astounded me yet again with this fabulous addition to her series. What starts off on a Monday morning at the skate park turns into an elven world quest to break spells and save the day! I was instantly drawn to Oscar from the very first page. His honesty is refreshing and seeing his personality unfold throughout the story is captivating. We can all feel quite ordinary, but like Oscar, the mundane can be turned into something extraordinary when you believe in yourself.

I’m a big fan of the Kingdoms and Empires books. If this is your first encounter with the series, I highly recommend exploring the other three books, too.

Buy a copy of The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere here.