“A cryptic prophecy. A dangerous quest. An explosive family secret. And a crow with a white feather who is more than he appears…”
On March 31, 2024, Ottawa author N.P. Thompson’s children’s book River of Crows won a silver medal in the 2023 Wishing Shelf Book Awards. “It’s an international award with panels of judges in the UK and Sweden and, in the children’s book categories, all entries are judged by groups of students in various schools in London,” says Thompson. “It was also a finalist in the 2023 Canadian Book Club Awards, which is Canada’s largest readers’ choice award!”
N.P. Thompson. Photo provided.
River of Crows is the exciting first book in the Arcanium series, which “will appeal to readers of Harry Potter, Nevermoor, Wings of Fire, Percy Jackson, and Keeper of the Lost Cities,” Thompson explains. “It’s geared toward that gray area between middle grade and [young adult], and I usually call it “upper middle grade.” The series is an action-packed magical adventure that explores themes of friendship, family, bullying, and oppression. There’s also an environmental thread running through the books.”
River of Crows by N.P. Thompson. Image provided.
River of Crows introduces us to Ty Baxter, a normal seventh grader, as he is rescued from schoolyard bullies by a crow with a white feather. To save the crow when it is injured, Ty follows the “weird girl,” Ayslenne, through a portal to the parallel world of Arcania, only to watch the crow transform into a man, the general of the Black Guard, a deadly crow army oppressing the people of Arcania for the evil wizard, Gideon.
When the general flies away, Ty agrees to help Ayslenne find her missing brother, who was kidnapped by the Black Guard, making friends and enemies along the way. To complicate things further, Ty or Ayslenne might be Arcania’s saviour according to an ancient prophecy, and Gideon will commit any atrocity, even murder, to stop them.
River of Crows is an enchanting novel chock-full of adventure. It deals with big ideas like the death of loved ones and unfairness with thoughtfulness. “Stories help us understand and deal with life,” Thompson says. “And death and unfairness are a part of life. When we touch on these things in stories, we can give kids a way to process and understand them in a way that’s non-threatening and easily accessible to them. We can show them that even when bad things happen in life, we can get through them. Even when things around us are scary, there is always hope, and there are always things we can do to help make things better.”
The 2023 Wishing Shelf Book Award comes at a great time as the third book in Thompson’s Arcanium series, Stone of Serpents, was published on May 2, 2024.
Thompson adds that River of Crows and its sequel, Mirror of Wolves, “are currently available to borrow via the Ottawa Public Library, and for purchase through most major online retailers in both paperback and e-book formats. If readers would like updates about upcoming books, they can sign up for my author newsletter at NPTwrites.com.”
.gif)