Twelve year old Ayla Stone has just lost her beloved Grandpa George and isn’t sure what to do with all of the messy feelings that accompany her heartache. While searching for a moment’s peace to collect her thoughts near her home, Ayla is inexplicably swept off to another world far from her own. An echo of Earth itself, the alternate world called Eema is, by all accounts, a utopian, matriarchal society. The kind people of Eema who take her into their home—their family also a familiar echo of hers—have never known conflict, fear, or disaster until now. Ayla quickly learns that she’s been summoned for a specific purpose: to bring peace back to their world before their blissful society is torn apart by out-of-control tornadoes and wildfires. As others grow suspicious of Ayla’s sudden presence, conflict steadily brews on the outskirts that threatens to destroy the only way of life they’ve ever known. But could it be a path forward into a better, more compassionate society?

THE SOLUNA’S WAY is an adventurous middle grade novel that wastes no time in introducing Ayla to the intriguing utopian world of Eema. Ayla is a great heroine—sympathetic, funny, deeply compassionate, and willing to speak up even if it’s not easy, but especially when it’s the right thing to do. Her journey on Eema is helped by characters like Mina, her bubbly new friend who teaches her the ways of their society, and Noor, a Mother who leads their community. Noor’s maternal presence is warm and inviting, and there’s fantastic dimension to her character as the plot unfolds to show that the adults sometimes don’t have all of the answers, or even the right ones. The plot leaves room for all kinds of character nuance, from antagonists who are more than their initial first impressions, to a society that champions gender equality. Gender-nonconforming or nonbinary characters are accepted as the norm.

The book delves into Eema’s history as Ayla figures out how to avert disaster and work through a simmering political crisis in leadership. While Eema’s origins mirror Earth’s, their life philosophies and belief systems differ. A lot of complex world building is interspersed throughout, but some of it gets a heavy-handed approach, particularly when certain leadership and belief systems are rehashed. The concept of a Soluna isn’t introduced until the very last pages, and though it’s interesting, it’s somewhat disappointing that their presence in the book—considering the title itself mentions it—is more of an afterthought with no direct influence on Ayla until she departs for home. But her journey is enlightening, both for her and the people of Eema. Through Ayla’s uniquely human guidance, they open up to ways of more effective communication that enriches the whole community. The people of Eema have a beautiful way of dealing with complicated feelings of grief, which Ayla is able to carry home with her.

A hopeful science fiction/fantasy adventure, THE SOLUNA’S WAY offers positive messages of compassion and kindness while tackling the nuances of grief and effective communication skills for middle grade readers.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader