Into the Tapestry by Sabrina Vasta (Review)

Title: Into the Tapestry

Author: Sabrina Vasta

Publication Date: February 2012

Publisher: Self-published via Lulu.com

Age Group: 10 - 14 (my guess, author says young adults of all ages)

Source: Author (for review)

Into the Tapestry is the story of three children who discover a portal to another world in a tapestry. Grace, who was forced to move to England to live with her aunt after her parents' death, her cousin, Brian, and Wes, another orphan, must navigate their way in this new land and attempt to discover the secrets held in its history even as others in the realm attempt to manipulate them.

When I read the description of Into the Tapestry, I was a bit leery because it sounded an awful lot like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. I was willing to give it a try however because I'd read Sword Quest by Sabrina Vasta and enjoyed it. As I began reading, I was afraid that my fears had a solid foundation with the orphan, Grace, being sent away to relatives and knowing that the children would be entering another world via a portal in an ordinary object. I am glad that I continued reading though because the story takes time to establish firm relationships in this world and a different track once the children enter the Nation of Imagi.

As the children discover more information about the former queen and the charges of treason against her, they learn secrets that bond them more strongly to each other and to the realm itself. The quest for information takes place both in our world and in Imagi and events cross boundaries to reshape relationships.

There were a few aspects of the book that felt a bit forced or choppy but to identify them specifically would provide spoilers to the main plot line. Overall, I feel this is a solid story and could provide topics for interesting discussions with middle grade readers.

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