Benjamiah Creek is just an average book-loving boy who does not believe in magic. But then he accidentally stumbles into a crazy and dangerous magical world. And he finds that a quest awaits him.
Benjamiah Creek is just an average book-loving boy who does not believe in magic. But then he accidentally stumbles into a crazy and dangerous magical world. And he finds that a quest awaits him.
There’s no such thing as magic!
At least that’s what Benjamiah Creek has always believed. He’s just an average 11-year-old nobody with an average nobody life. Not much magic in that.
Of course, Benjamiah does have books, and you could say there’s something special there. Not fantasy books or outrageous adventure books, mind you. He prefers books about chess moves or architecture. And he has plenty of books like those to keep him busy and, well, relatively happy, since his dad owns a bookstore.
The Once Upon a Time bookstore is altogether illogical and swimming in dust. Amidst the stacks and shelves of books, the world smells just like old pages and binding. Benjamiah loves everything about the bookstore. After all, the place is much like him: unremarkable, untidy and filled with information.
I tell you all this because one night a strange object—something that most would say was quite magical—led Benjamiah on a chase through the bookstore and into its cellar. He ended up tumbling through a door that he never knew was there. And then he found himself …
… in the magical world of Wreathenwold. He quickly perceived it was a very dangerous place; a place of stone walls, enlivened doll-like poppets, men in strange eyeless hoods, and monsters.
It was at this juncture that Benjamiah realized that the door to Wreathenwold was no longer the door back home. For there was no door. Suddenly magic didn’t seem so impossible.
In fact, Benjamiah was on the brink of fully immersing himself in this magic world. He would soon meet a brilliant and fierce girl named Elizabella. And he would join her on a quest to find her twin brother.
That’s when the average, non-magical life of a nobody named Benjamiah would be completely changed.
None.
As mentioned, this book’s focus is Wreathenwold, a realm filled to the brim with strange, twisted magic. The milieu itself is broken up into walled-in, labyrinthian sections of streets, homes and buildings. As people walk from one block to the next, the weather and time of day might change. And after a few blocks, the magic of the place causes people to forget their way back to where they’ve come from.
Benjamiah and new friend Elizabella can only find their way forward in their quest with the aid of a magical string called Ariadne. It wraps itself around something they carry and points them in the direction of things, places or people they want to encounter.
Another magical item that everyone in this world possesses is a personalized, roughly constructed doll called a poppet. (In fact, it was a poppet that led Benjamiah into Wreathenwold in the first place.)
It’s said that these dolls are designed to be used for witchcraft. They connect with their owner and change form into various animals when their owner “casts a spell.” In this case, however, the “spells” are minutely detailed descriptions of an animal that the owner must memorize and mentally reconstruct on the fly. Benjamiah bonds with his poppet, but he never learns to cast a spell. (Actual witches and spells as we might understand them, are never seen or heard in this story.)
There are other magical creatures in the story mix, too, such as a Minotaur and a giant raven. And we hear tales of a time when powerful magic-casting magicians or “Magus” ruled the world. We meet a single surviving Magus who’s able to control “aether” in the atmosphere and manipulate the physical world.
Benjamiah and Elizabella discover a series of magical Whisperwicks—lamps that hold a whispered message when unlocked. The young pair also encounters a couple “soulblooms,” which are magical flowers representing the soul of a deceased loved one.
Benjamiah’s parents are seemingly both very kind and loving. But it’s clear early on that the two of them are struggling in their marriage. Benjamiah fears they may be on the brink of divorce. (They are still together by story’s end, but on shaky ground.)
Benjamiah’s grandmother is another very important figure in his life. She tries to get him to discuss his feelings and to talk openly with his mom and dad. “It always helps to talk, even when we’re afraid of what we might say. Or hear,” she tells the boy. And Benjamiah leans into her advice.
Soon after landing in Wreathenwold, Benjamiah encounters police-like officials called “Hanged Men, ”large men who wear sackcloth hoods without holes for eyes or a mouth. These undead enforcers are men who were actually hung for their rebellion against the authorities but who received magical permission to live on eternally as policemen.
Benjamiah then meets a man name Hansel and his 11-year-old daughter Elizabella. Hansel is a loving, but emotionally wounded father. And Elizabella is a strong-willed girl with a stare “so fierce it could leave blisters.” But with time, she and Benjamiah become the best of friends.
There are quite a few other characters, both good and evil, whom Benjamiah and Elizabella encounter on their quest to find Elizabella’s twin brother, Edwid. Two bad characters, The Viper and Manfred Tarr, use their various powers to manipulate and threaten harm.
Hansel eventually proves himself to be kind and understanding. He becomes a key individual who ties Benjamiah’s two separate worlds together. Hansel talks to the boy about loss and grief, and he challenges Benjamiah to think about a way through upsetting and frightening times: Living and loving for another day.
There are alcoholic beverages in Wreathenwold. Poppysyrup is one that’s repeatedly mentioned. Hansel, we hear, regularly drinks poppysyrup at night before drifting off to sleep.
Danger and peril stand at every turn in Benjamiah and Elizabella’s travels. They face everything from large creatures that attack them (such as a massive raven that imitates the voices of wounded children), to Hangmen that want to permanently lock them up, to evil magical characters who want to extract their eye color and cause them great harm.
We see magic used to destroy carriages and cause fires. Benjamiah meets an old man who declares that he is a Minotaur. Though weary and seemingly frail, he wrestles with the idea of eating Benjamiah. Someone dies through magical means. The kids’ magical poppets transform into a variety of different beasts that slash and bite at attackers. Elizabella’s poppet is wounded while protecting her. A young girl runs into a marble table and is knocked out cold.
Benjamiah and Elizabella start off very much at odds. But through their various struggles together, they eventually gain a mutual respect and then a heartfelt platonic love for one another. They never cross the line into romance, however.
Benjamiah and Elizabella are brave in the face of danger, and they rely upon each other. Have you ever made a brave choice? Do you have a good friend you can rely upon?
Take a look at Romans 15:13, Psalm 46:1-3 and Joshua 1:9. What do you think those scriptures are saying about being courageous and relying on someone for help?
Is our real world dangerous and scary? What does the Bible say about those things, and how we should respond in faith to our fears?
Proverbs 22:3 says: “The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.” Are there times when you’ve been wise and avoided danger that’s headed your way?
What was your favorite part of this story?
The Whisperwicks: The Labyrinth of Lost and Found is a compelling and immersive story that whisks young readers off to an exotic fantasy world. And through this sometimes-dark narrative, it challenges kids to think about the frightening things of our real world (such as death and divorce) and how one might navigate them.
That said, parents should note that this story also presents some scary situations and, in a sense, minimizes dark spiritual things through its fantasy setting.
You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected].
Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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