"A fun, fast-moving adventure with plenty to say about courage, friendship, and responsibility." KIRKUS
"A strong start to the Wayfinder Girls series, which is sure to be a favorite with middle-grade adventure fans." The Children's Book Review
"A fast-paced and powerful mystery/fantasy/end-of-world story that will have young readers engrossed to the very end." Readers Favorite
Maggie is 12 and longs to be a courageous Wayfinder Girl. But that's not very likely; she is barely coping with life as it is, relying on her asthma inhaler, epi-pen, and the support of her best friend, Anahira Waititi.
Maggie and Anahira attend a Wayfinder 'apocalypse training' camp in London. Despite it being just for fun, the sight of a green-skinned person with other-worldly eyes sends Maggie into a panic, especially as it's a person that only Maggie can see.
And then Maggie learns of a dangerous secret that the Wayfinder Girls have kept hidden from the world. Anahira wants in on the secret. Maggie must decide whether to join her friend, even if she has no idea what that decision will ultimately cost.
Will Maggie face her fears and journey into the unknown?
"A fun, fast-moving adventure with plenty to say about courage, friendship, and responsibility." KIRKUS
"A strong start to the Wayfinder Girls series, which is sure to be a favorite with middle-grade adventure fans." The Children's Book Review
"A fast-paced and powerful mystery/fantasy/end-of-world story that will have young readers engrossed to the very end." Readers Favorite
Maggie is 12 and longs to be a courageous Wayfinder Girl. But that's not very likely; she is barely coping with life as it is, relying on her asthma inhaler, epi-pen, and the support of her best friend, Anahira Waititi.
Maggie and Anahira attend a Wayfinder 'apocalypse training' camp in London. Despite it being just for fun, the sight of a green-skinned person with other-worldly eyes sends Maggie into a panic, especially as it's a person that only Maggie can see.
And then Maggie learns of a dangerous secret that the Wayfinder Girls have kept hidden from the world. Anahira wants in on the secret. Maggie must decide whether to join her friend, even if she has no idea what that decision will ultimately cost.
Will Maggie face her fears and journey into the unknown?
“Welcome to the apocalypse!” the sign declared in large, cheerful red letters. “Please register here.”
I sucked in a long, deep breath. Surely the best thing to do when always fearing the worst was to attend an “apocalypse” training camp. And better yet, a fun camp run by the Wayfinder Girls at Dux Manor, a three-storied hostel and activity center located about a fifteen-minute drive from my home in North London.
Dux Manor seemed more like a place for a royal visit rather than a camp, with the red-brick exterior speaking of age and wealth. The large building, with matching wings on either side of a central entrance, reminded me of the Lego castles I’d built with my younger twin brothers. It was cool that Dux Manor had been converted into a hostel, and it would be a fun place to stay, as long as the rooms weren’t haunted.
But the rooms wouldn’t be haunted. Dux Manor was the Wayfinder World Center.
Please don’t let the rooms be haunted!
“Maggie and Anahira, we have to register over here,” my mum declared, doing her best to power walk toward the sign while carrying an oversized blue chilly bin.
I turned to my best friend, Anahira Waititi. “I’ll be okay, right?” I’d been to at least three Wayfinder camps before, but this was my first one at Dux Manor.
“I’ve got you,” Anahira replied, flashing me one of her spirited grins.
We followed my mum and joined the back of the line waiting by the sign. Most were Wayfinder Girls, dressed in official yellow-and-black Wayfinder hoodies, with pleated, knee-length black skirts and black leggings. It was nearing the end of the half-term autumn break, and we were all expected to obey our parents’ instructions to stay warm. We had more choice over our shoes, as long as they were sneakers. I wore pink light-up Skechers and Anahira had on a pair of black Converse high-tops.
Mum greeted the woman in front of her, and they soon became engrossed in conversation. I quickly stepped back when my mum said “Maggie’s special needs”. I wasn’t keen on sharing my personal struggles with a random adult.
The line moved quickly, with the registered Wayfinder Girls sent to sit at nearby picnic tables with their bags. The adults were sent home after the girls had finished registration.
So the apocalypse will begin without any parental supervision.
A man with a huge dragon tattoo covering his left arm stole my attention. The dragon’s tail started just below his shoulder and its head ended just before his wrist. The man wore a black singlet and had long wavy black hair. I watched as he waved goodbye to one of the girls and then turned to leave. My mouth fell open as I saw another dragon tattoo covering his right arm. I stared wide-eyed as he walked away, amazed that anyone had the confidence to display such fantastical tattoos.
As I watched him retreat to the carpark, I caught someone staring at me from a tree. A chill swept through me as I realized the person had green skin and seemed almost part of the tree itself. The person’s wide, deep-brown eyes held me momentarily spell- bound, as though they belonged to a different world. The eyes narrowed as the green-skinned person lifted a bony, green finger and pointed at me.
I spun around and squeezed Anahira’s arm. “Look!”
“What? What is it?” Anahira asked, rubbing the spot where I’d squeezed her arm.
“Someone’s watching me,” I whispered, pointing in the direction of the tree.
“Where?” Anahira responded, matching my whispered tone while staring in the direction I was pointing. “All I can see is a tree.”
I dared to turn my head and look back at the tree. The person with the strange-coloured skin and alien eyes had disappeared.
“It was a person,” I insisted in a shaky voice, as the tightness in my chest collapsed into a dull ache. “In the tree. Someone with green skin.” Something that wasn’t possible, unless they were wearing makeup or something. But how had they vanished?
Anahira glanced at me and then at the tree, and then back at me. “Maybe you’re just anxious about camp?”
I stared at the tree. I was definitely feeling anxious, but I tended to feel anxious about everything. Someone had been watching me.
Although it did sound crazy, especially the bit about green skin.
Had I somehow imagined it?
Maybe the man with the dragon tattoo had sent my imagination racing?
I squashed my fear about the strange watcher deep below my other worries as we finally reached the registration area. I didn’t need to trouble Mum with what I’d seen, or not seen. She’d just start to worry. A Wayfinder leader sat at a table, with a laptop open in front of her. The leader greeted us with a wide smile. “Ah, our lucky last campers. Good morning and welcome to the apocalypse. My name is Meiling. Who do we have here?”
“Margaret Elizabeth Thatcher and Anahira Waititi,” my mum responded, speaking on our behalf.
A part of me died as Mum used my full name. I wished she would stop doing that. Adults tended to respond with either disgust or pity when they heard my name. It wasn’t as if I’d chosen it. My mum named me after two powerful women, but she hadn’t considered the unpopularity of my namesake, Margaret Thatcher, the ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain. I couldn’t understand why adults disapproved of me simply because of my name, but they did.
It wasn’t the same for Anahira. Not only was she tall and athletic, but she shared the same surname as Taika Waititi, the supercool New Zealand film director and actor. Anahira had lived in London for three years, since moving from New Zealand with her family. She once claimed Taika was her uncle, and I hadn’t yet worked out whether she was telling the truth or not. She just grinned when I questioned her about it.
Either way, she got broad, welcoming smiles, and I got tight, disapproving stares.
“Well, you are both most welcome,” Meiling replied, checking our names on her screen. She gave no indication whether she disliked my name or not, which was a first.
Meiling darted a quick look to her left and to her right, wiggled the index finger of her right hand, and invited us to lean in closer. “Here are your top-secret passes,” she whispered, handing over two black lanyards, each holding a laminated name tag. The words Light the path, Lead the way were printed in yellow on the lanyards.
The tag displayed my first and last name above the words Apocalypse Survivalist-in-Training. At the bottom of the tag were the words Amazon and Special.
“Not that top-secret really,” Meiling added with a grin. “But definitely important. Please wear them at all times. Oh, and here are your room keycards. Don’t lose these.”
Meiling handed over two keycards. “You’re both in the Amazon room, on the second floor. I think you’re the only girls to have their own bathroom and shower. Lucky you.”
So Amazon stood for the room. And I wasn’t so sure about lucky. I mean, it was cool to have our own bathroom, but it might make it harder to fit in with the other girls at camp. Most of them would be staying in dorm rooms and having to share a bathroom.
“Margaret,” Meiling added, eyeing my name tag. “You have special dietary needs?”
“Please just call me Maggie,” I responded, looking again at my tag. So that was the reason for the word Special. But why broadcast it to everyone at camp?
“Alright, Maggie,” Meiling replied. “What can’t you eat?”
I waited for Mum to answer, but Mum instead turned to me and half-nodded. I was supposed to take more responsibility for my food needs or something.
My chin dropped. “I’m allergic to dairy, eggs, kiwifruit, and tree nuts, and I’ve also got celiac disease, which means I can’t eat gluten.”
Meiling’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you poor thing. Did you say kiwifruit? That’s an odd food to be allergic to, isn’t it? My friend has problems with peanuts, so I can appreciate what you are going through.”
I forced a smile through my clenched teeth. I knew Meiling meant well, but she didn’t know what I was going through. I mean, how could she? She didn’t have to live with the constant threat of food making her sick. Some food could even send me into anaphylactic shock and cause me to stop breathing.
“We manage the best we can,” my mum told Meiling, probably sensing my mood. “Now, I was told I could store Maggie’s food somewhere.”
“Maggie’s food?” Meiling asked, her voice rising in pitch.
“Yes. Maggie can’t eat the same food as the other campers.” “Oh, of course. Yes. You have her food with you?”
“Yes, it’s all here.” My mum indicated the large blue chilly bin
she was carrying. “Maggie’s food is all fully labeled. As is her chilly bin.”
Labeled with warnings like Don’t Touch and For Maggie Thatcher ONLY. Just one more way for me to stand out from everyone else.
“That’s good,” Meiling said as she stood. “I’ll take you inside and get someone to help. Anahira, are you going to wait with the others?”
“I’ll go with Maggie if that’s alright,” Anahira replied, shooting me a reassuring smile.
“Yes, that’s fine. You can leave your gear at one of the picnic tables.”
We walked onto the grassy lawn and put our duffle bags down at one of the vacant picnic tables, but I held on to my meds bag. It’s a small pink bag I use for my asthma inhaler and epi-pen.
I don’t go anywhere without my meds bag!
Meiling stood as we returned and addressed the girls waiting by the picnic tables. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She then turned and led us to the main entrance of Dux Manor.
We entered the reception area. The high ceiling, deep reddish- brown wooden walls, and polished white floor deepened the sense of history and wealth. It reminded me of a museum. On the wall behind the reception desk hung a bright mural displaying the three-star symbol of the Wayfinder Girls: a large four-pointed star with two smaller stars on the upper right. I’d attended Wayfinder programs since I was eight and felt a surge of pride every time I saw the grouping of the three stars.
A Wayfinder leader sat at the reception desk and smiled as we approached.
“Hi, Faatimah,” Meiling greeted the leader at the desk. “Any chance you could show...”
Meiling paused as another Wayfinder leader emerged from the room behind the reception area.
“Oh, Lady Marie. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“No trouble at all, Meiling,” the new leader replied as she came around the reception desk. “How may I be of service?”
“I just need someone to show Maggie where to store her food.”
“Ah, yes, Margaret Thatcher,” the new leader said, shifting her attention to me and reading my name tag. “My name is Lady Marie Studfall, and I’d be delighted to show you a safe place for your food.”
Lady Marie Studfall was the most elegant woman I’d ever met. Tall and confident, with hazel eyes and blond hair set in perfect waves. She also had more pins on her Wayfinder uniform than I thought were possible. She must have been the most highly deco- rated leader in Wayfinder history.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Studfall,” my mum declared while trying for some reason to curtsy. “My name is Gwendolyn.”
Mum’s behavior got super embarrassing when she met important people. Mum must have decided Lady Studfall was really important, as she usually just introduces herself as Gwen. She must have also forgotten she held the chilly bin, as she almost fell over.
“Just Lady Marie, please,” Lady Marie said as she helped my mum rebalance. “Do you require some assistance with the chilly bin?”
“Oh, no. No, I can manage,” Mum replied, her face red. “Thank you.”
“Alright.” Lady Marie turned her attention to Anahira, noting her name tag. “And you are Anahira Waititi.”
“Yes, Lady Marie,” Anahira answered smoothly. “Although Ana is pronounced Un-a, like Anna from Frozen.”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Anahira,” Lady Marie responded, pronouncing the name correctly. “Thank you for informing me. Now, if you would care to follow me, I will show you where to store Margaret’s food.”
Lady Marie nodded toward Meiling, turned to her left, and indicated for us to follow her.
Anahira had just corrected Lady Marie!
I darted a wide-eyed look at Anahira, but she seemed completely unconcerned, paying more attention to the surroundings rather than the adults with us.
We walked down a wide corridor, built with the same high ceiling, reddish-brown walls, and polished white floor as the reception area. On the walls to our right were a series of six framed pictures, one for each of the Wayfinder regional centers; London (England), Colorado (United States of America), Rotorua (New Zealand), Mumbai (India), Lagos (Nigeria), and Hong Kong (China).
I stopped beside the New Zealand one. “What’s this supposed to be?” I whispered to Anahira, pointing at the image displayed behind the word “Rotorua.”
“It’s some mud pools,” Anahira whispered back.
“Mud pools?”
Did I hear that correctly?
“Yeah, they're hot and smell like rotten eggs,” Anahira replied with a big grin.
No way.
Surely the image celebrating Rotorua would not have been some smelly mud pools? The English picture showed the Tower of London, Colorado had a huge mountain range, Mumbai had some kind of massive arch monument, Lagos had a cool-looking bridge, and Hong Kong showed off its harbor. But New Zealand?
Mud. Hot, smelly, mud.
“Margaret and Anahira,” Lady Marie declared, turning back to face us. “If you don’t mind, I do have rather a lot to do today.”
“Sorry, Lady Marie,” Anahira quickly responded.
“Yes, sorry.” I ducked my head and moved away from the pictures.
“There is a kitchen for guest use on the first floor,” Lady Marie explained as we caught up to her and my mum. “But the Wayfinder Girls are our only guests this weekend, and they will be using the dining room. So Margaret, you can use the entire kitchen for storing and preparing your meals. The kitchen is fully resourced with plates and cutlery, although I assume you will be using all your own equipment?”
“Yes, everything she needs is in here,” my mum answered for me, using her chin to indicate the chilly bin.
Lady Marie nodded and then led us to a wide, reddish-brown, wooden staircase. Large portraits of dignified-looking women lined the wall up the entire length of the stairs.
Lady Marie considered the chilly bin. “May I suggest we use the elevator?”
“Yes, thank you, Lady Marie,” Mum answered while contorting her body into something resembling a half-curtsy.
The elevator waited just past the staircase. Lady Marie pressed the button on the wall, and the elevator doors opened. The opposite end of the elevator door contained a mirror, with the name and logo of Dux Manor etched in white. The logo featured an old sailing ship with its sails puffed out, straining toward the three- star symbol of the Wayfinder Girls.
Lady Marie and Mum walked into the elevator first, and Anahira and I filed in behind. Lady Marie turned to the control panel, pressed “1,” and the elevator doors closed. The elevator carried us up to the first floor. Lady Marie led us out of the open elevator doors, down the hallway, and into a room with a kitchen and small dining area.
“Will this be to your satisfaction?” Lady Marie asked.
“Yes, it is perfect,” my mum answered as she placed the chilly bin on a table. “Thank you, Lady Marie.” Mum started to curtsy one last time, but thankfully managed to stop herself.
“It is my pleasure,” Lady Marie responded. “Now, I must leave you to attend to other matters. Margaret and Anahira, please assemble outside with the other girls after you are finished here. Do not go to your room.”
“Yes, Lady Marie,” Anahira and I answered in unison as Lady Marie turned and left.
I turned to Anahira, eyebrows raised. “Wow!”
Anahira grinned. “You let her call you Margaret.”
“Yes, well, my name sounded really posh when she said it.” “Maggie, please,” my mum commented. “There is no need to go gooey-eyed over Lady Marie. She is just a normal person.” Mum opened the chilly bin and began taking food out. “Now, will you help me with the food?”
I stepped forward to help but caught the confused look on Anahira’s face.
“Gooey-eyed?” Anahira whispered.
I laughed. It was one of Mum’s favorite sayings.
“Is something wrong?” Mum said, turning to look at Anahira and me.
“Not at all,” I replied, while trying to get Anahira to stop grinning.
“Good,” Mum responded. “It’s only an overnight camp, so you’ve got two lunches, one dinner, and one breakfast in here. You’ve brought plenty of snacks?”
“Yes, there’s some in the chilly bin and a few in my duffle bag.”
“Good. Let’s put your pizza and toasted sandwich in the fridge. Lady Marie said you are the only one using this kitchen, but your food is labeled just in case. Are you sure you’re okay with salmon and crackers for your lunch tomorrow?”
“Yes, Mum.”
“You’re okay with using the oven to heat up your food?”
“Yes, Mum.”
“You’ve got both epi-pens in your meds bag?”
“Yes, Mum,” I answered, patting the pink bag hanging at my side.
“You’re allowed to use your phone?”
“I think so.”
“Well, just ask Lady Marie if there’s any problem. She’ll sort it out.”
“Okay,” I responded, quickly covering up the beginnings of a laugh. Mum had somehow made Lady Marie sound like a close family friend.
“I’ll look after her, Mrs. Thatcher,” Anahira said.
“Thank you, Anahira,” Mum responded. “I’m so glad that you’re here. Now, Maggie, I’ll be with the boys at their football tournament, but call if you need anything.”
“Yes, Mum.”
“Alright. Well, we should stop wasting time. I’m sure they want to get camp started.”
Mum led the way out of the kitchen as Anahira grinned again. Mum was the one taking all the time, fussing over my food needs.
We made it back out to the courtyard, where Mum hugged me goodbye. I glanced at the tree that had hidden the strange watcher, but thankfully, I didn’t see any sign of him, or her, or it. Anahira and I went to sit with the other Wayfinder Girls at the picnic tables.
There were about forty girls in total. Most girls smiled as we sat down, although at least two girls stared at us before whispering something to their friends. We had been the last ones to arrive but the first ones to enter Dux Manor, and the question of special treatment could be felt in those whispers. The word Special on my nametag didn’t help matters much.
We waited a few moments before Lady Marie emerged from within the Manor and walked out to greet us. Meiling and the other leader joined her.
“Good morning,” Lady Marie began. “My name is Lady Marie Studfall, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Dux Manor. You have already met Meiling, but may I also introduce Faatimah to you.”
Lady Marie paused to allow Faatimah to smile and wave. Faatimah seemed to be a similar age to Meiling, probably in her early twenties, although it was hard to correctly guess their ages. Take Anahira and me. Despite us both being in Year 8 at Camden School for Girls, Anahira could pass for a Year 11 student, while I could easily find a home within Year 6.
It’s really not that easy being short.
“We hope you will enjoy the fun challenges these two days provide because it is important to be prepared, even in times of peace and prosperity,” Lady Marie continued. “Of course, the real question these two days will ask of you is, will you survive?”
A wry smile crossed Lady Marie’s face as nervous energy rippled through the group of girls, causing an outburst of gasps and giggles.
I ran my hand through my mess of dark curls. Lady Marie had captured the feeling I had going into any situation, whether it was an apocalypse training camp, a school trip, or even when crossing a bridge.
How can I be certain the bridge won’t collapse?
Anahira nudged me and smiled. “It’s alright, Maggie. We’ve got this.”
Lady Marie raised her hand, silencing the girls. “Your first challenge starts now. Within this courtyard are six objects. Six hidden objects. You must work as a team to find one of these objects. You each have an image of part of the object, but you must find the other girls to complete the image. Within the image is a clue as to its location.”
Lady Marie paused again, but this time in response to the confused looks on the faces of the girls, mine included.
“It might be prudent to check the back of your name tags,” Lady Marie added.
All of the girls lifted up their lanyards to check the back of their tags. My name tag had a small black shape with a thin strip of yellow on its right edge.
It could be anything.
A quick check of Anahira’s tag revealed something looking like two blue fingers.
“Well, I guess that means we’re not together,” Anahira concluded.
I dropped my head as a heaviness settled in my body. I knew I couldn’t have been with Anahira during the whole camp, but I didn’t realize we’d be separated so soon.
“And girls,” Lady Marie announced, raising her voice. “You have three minutes.”
A riot of activity erupted in response to Lady Marie’s announcement, with girls rushing to check one another’s name tags.
I stood up to participate and did a quick scan around the area. My breath froze as I caught a person watching me from a tree, a person with green skin! The green-skinned person again lifted a bony finger and pointed at me.
Another girl ran up to me and grabbed my attention with the image on her name tag. She had a long red shape, which didn’t match mine. She quickly moved on.
I shot a wide-eyed look back at the tree, but the green-skinned person had once again disappeared. I darted a look at the space around the tree, but there was no sign of anyone.
Could they be part of camp?
The Wayfinder Girls weekend camps were always creative and fun, such as the Jurassic Park camp I attended last year and the Mission Possible camp the year before that, but it seemed I was the only one who could see a green-skinned watcher.
So, they can’t be part of the theme.
Another girl rushed up to me, and this time, her object seemed a match, as it had a strip of yellow, the same size as my black-and- yellow object.
“Hey, we match,” the girl said with a wide smile. “My name’s Kayla. Shall we go find the others?”
I didn’t respond, as I was still trying to look past Kayla at the tree.
“Are you alright?” Kayla asked.
I turned my attention to Kayla, who had sparkling dark eyes and long, black, braided hair.
“Yes, sorry. My name’s Maggie. Let’s go.”
Kayla turned to start the search for the other girls who would make up our team. I followed, but my focus was not on the task. There had been someone with green skin watching me from the tree. I hadn’t imagined it.
But who were they, and what did they want?
And why do I get the feeling they meant me harm?
Maggie just wants to belong. To be 'normal'. Her entire life is a danger. Bridges could give out beneath her, the very food she eats could poison her and cut off her air, and even surfaces touched by others aren't safe for her.
But when Maggie is offered a position in a secretive society of protectors who stand between our world and others we've never even dreamed of, Maggie must finally face her inner demons and darkest fears, if she's to save the world.
Maggie and the Mountain of Light is a fast-paced, unpredictable adventure that focuses just as much on Maggie's growth as a person as it does on the journey she takes along the way. From fairy realms to more ominous would-be invaders, she must jump head-first into the workings of worlds she didn't know existed, all in the company of four elite young women with great potential--a great potential that she, herself, doesn't believe she measures up to.
I will admit that at first I was surprised that a book about a group of girls, in an organization meant to empower girls, and facing very specific struggles that girls have will discovering their purposes in this world, was written by a man. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see that most of the challenges that Maggie overcomes in the book were raw and realistic, and truly drove home the value of being human, no matter what your background is.
Maggie's struggles with her anxiety are poignant and well-written. Her crippling desire to be safe and healthy clash with her desperate need to finally be accepted by her peers. And in the end, the most beautiful achievement that Maggie makes in many ways is having a confidence in her own abilities. I tip my hat to Snoad, for capturing so many complex character development points in a single book.
The only reason this book was not a five-star read for me was due to certain aspects of the writing style which, admittedly, may be subjective (and even loved) by other readers. There were many places in the story where the dialogue seems to kick out the narrator and literally 'tell' the story, and because they were relatively frequent I felt as though I couldn't always keep the scenes in my mind's eye as I read through.
For younger readers, though, who are looking for a fast-paced story without too many world-building details to bog them down, this may be a positive.
Overall, Maggie and the Mountain of Light brings a strong start to what promises to be an exciting series, and I look forward to reading what comes next on Maggie's adventures.