Caraval
vBy Stephanie Garber
vReview by Amanda Raiche, Yankton Community Library
In the 2017 young adult novel by Stephanie
Garber, the story follows two sisters on perilous
journey in the world of Caraval. Scarlett and
her sister Tella live on a small island with their
controlling and vicious father. After years
of dreaming of visiting Caraval, the magical
and immersive game where everyone plays a
role in the mystery, Scarlett and Tella receive
unexpected invitations to the annual event. Once
they escape their island and their father and
reach Caraval, Tella goes missing and it soon
becomes clear that this year finding Tella is
the goal of the game. As Scarlett learns to navigate Caraval in order
to find her sister, she struggles to know what is real and what is not - especially when
she starts to fall for someone. While Caraval’s saying is “Remember, it’s just a game,”
there can be very real consequences in the game and she fears for her sister’s safety. But
Scarlett is strong and clever and she slowly finds the clues that she hopes will lead her
to win Caraval – and save her sister.
This book is a world filled with magic, surprises, mystery, and romance. The
characters and surroundings are painted beautifully and the story of the two sisters will
keep you wondering if it really is just a game.
This International and New York Times Bestseller is fast-paced and fun and a great
read for adults, as well as teens. Caraval, Garber’s debut novel, is the first book of the
Caraval trilogy. The second book, Legendary, came out May 2018 with the conclusion
of the trilogy, Finale, coming out in spring 2019. Caraval is one of twelve nominees on
the 2018-2019 YARP/Teen Choice Book Award list, with another twelve nominees on
the middle school list. The YARP/Teen Choice Book Award is a great opportunity to
explore some great new titles and voice your opinion on them. You can vote and rate
each book you read, so start voting as soon as you finish your first nominated book.
You can reach the link for voting online by visiting the Yankton Community Library’s
website or by filling out a voting slip at the library. Voting opened as of October 7
and will remain open through April 1. The winning books will be announced during
National Library Week. Vote as many times as you wish! All the nominated titles can
be found at the Yankton Community Library. n
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