A weird story, even for the Young Wizards universe. Nice to see Kit and Nita grown up - I'm a few books behind, I think, I wasn't familiar with everything that was mentioned as past events. But the little owl's blossoming into...an unusual wizard, on a lot of levels... is fascinating, I hope we get to see more of her. And an elegant Ordeal, with the Lone One more thoroughly dealt with than usual. Definitely worth a read. ( )

In 2020, as Christmas approached, the Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center was brought to New York City from upstate New York. When it arrived, it was discovered to have a passenger, or rather, a resident. Rocky the saw-whet owl had been living in the tree--and she was not happy about what had been done to her home.

She was rescued, taken to a wildlife rehab center, and when recovered from her traumatic experience, released back into the wild.

Officially, that's the end of the story.

Unofficially, this is the story of what may have really happened, in the universe of Diane Duane's Young Wizards,

Rocky isn't willing to accept the loss of her tree, and she wants to put things right. And when the strength of her determination connects with something she never suspected exists, she seizes her chance.

This is a lovely new novella in the Young Wizards universe, and we meet old friends again along with new ones, including the little saw-whet owl.

Recommended.

I bought this novella. ( )

This is a really cute holiday story, and is the only story set in 2020 that I have been able to bring myself to read this year. (It does reference the pandemic; no story this definitively about this year could avoid that. But the focus is on the owl and the tree, and not the virus.) I think my enjoyment of the story was partly because I've seen pictures of Rocky and had no problem imagining her as I read. But also, it's a fun story, and—though Duane says "forget the heartwarming"—you know going in that it will have a happy ending.

I think it helps if you are familiar with the Young Wizards universe before reading this story, but you don't have to be up-to-date on the main novels. (I haven't read all of them yet, and it's been a long time since I've read any of the main series, so I have forgotten most of the events in it. That didn't hinder my enjoyment of this story.) ( )