MGMM~Finn Finnegan

MGMM is the brainchild of the fabulous Shannon Messenger, spotlighting middle grade tales and giving them the attention they deserve. For more MG participants, go HERE.

Title: Finn Finnegan
Author: Darby Karchut
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: March 12, 1013
Pages: 200

I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

Favorite Lines/Passage: Finn nodded. Like my parents, he thought. Memories of the last time he'd ever seen them flooded his mind, memories of a red-headed man swinging him high int he air, his eyes more blue than the sky. A voice filled with laughter. A fall of soft brown hair appearing next to them, stirred by a breeze. A woman's delicate voice and the scent of lemon soap as she kissed him goodbye. 

Description: Finnegan MacCullen: a thirteen-year-old apprentice with the famous Irish temperament.

Gideon Lir: a legendary Celtic warrior with a bit of a temper of his own.

Secretly, these blue-collar warriors battle the hobgoblins infesting their suburban neighborhood...when they are not battling each other.

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. 

Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish."

NIGHTSTAND WORTHY!! +1

My Splats: All kinds of middle grade awesomeness mingled with Fey, Celtic flair, and magic! We all can appreciate a great apprentice story.

I really enjoyed the MGish feel of the opening to this book. We first meet Finn while he's in the midst of a search. Soon, we discover he's not searching for something but someone--his trainer. As a reader I was thinking, "Trainer for what?" It was a clever beginning, luring me to read more and will definitely intrigue a middle grader. 

But proving even more clever was having Finn find that person--a raw and eclectic guy, not to mention huge in stature--rather quickly. At first, such a rapid reveal seemed anti-climatic, but soon it made sense. Because there was more, lots more to come. 

The story was filled with adventures and humor. Even some yucky enemies that go splat when illuminated during battle. Yup, they make a mess. The voice is wonderfully MG. Finn can speak boy-middle grade with the best of them. Although parents are absent from Finn's world, Karchut uses his relationship with his trainer, Gideon, to explore the actions, motivations, and hidden thoughts/feelings between a middle grader and a parental figure. Both share parts of themselves through journals, which are public to the reader but private to each other. I really liked this aspect of the story. 

The writing flows naturally as does the relationship it creates between Finn and Gideon. The Irish language and dialect Gideon shares with the reader are spot on. Meddling Fey or Fairies with Irish history was genius and quite believable. It was a great way to draw the reader into a never-ending battle that's been hidden from the mortal world for centuries and now depends on Finn's help to keep it hidden.  

Throughout the story, the reader watches Finn desperate to stay true to his heritage--his secret identity--while building a normal friendship with neighbor friends. As you can image, this proved difficult and added a complexity to the story. And when tragedy unexpectedly strikes Finn's new life with Gideon, he finds himself torn and reacting in a way he doesn't expect. 

This is an MG tale that really knows how to put the "fight" in the phrase "Fighting Irish".

Have you read any good middle grade stories, lately? What's your favorite from your MG days?