Seeking books set at magic schools—but want them queer? Try these two new middle grade series! One stars a trans boy on a harsh ice world where magic means survival; the other brings us a Between World, spooky creatures, and normalized queer relationships. Read on for reviews and additional titles.
Ice Apprentices, by Jacob North (Simon & Schuster), stars Oswin, a trans boy found as a child on the Endless Expanse of ice that comprises most of the world. He knows that as a “stray,” he’s a burden to the people in the settlement of Tundra. He therefore works hard for his strict adoptive mother planting splinters that magically grow into logs, which he then harvests and ships away. It’s back-breaking work, made harder by his fragile lungs, and he’s a small cog in the larger economic system.
One day, however, he receives an unexpected invitation to Corridor, the school that trains young Tundrans how to wield magic in order to survive in the frigid land and be contributing members of society. Oswin never dreamed that as a stray, he’d get such an offer. He’s both determined to prove himself and still cowed by years of hearing that strays are just a drain on Tundran resources.
His adopted older brother (an actual Tundran), who is already at the school, tries to help Oswin settle in, but Oswin soon finds out that their whole family is treated skeptically because of the criminal actions of an uncle. Many students also harass Oswin because he’s a stray. Oswin, who was taught little about magic or Tundran life outside his home, finds himself at a disadvantage, but will still have to pass difficult survival exams if he’s going to stay at the school. Oswin tries his best—until sabotage and an influx of monsters from beyond the settlement raise the stakes even higher. Can Oswin (and maybe some burgeoning friends) figure out what’s going on and put an end to it?
Author Jacob North has created a compelling and original world that keeps the story from feeling like a tired rehash of the “magic school” trope. Sure, there are some things here that readers of other such series will recognize, like school uniforms, quirky professors, taxonomies of monsters and spells, snooty classmates, and yes, bullies. But this is far from a clone of other series. The unforgiving climate and the isolation of the Tundran settlement mean that every action could have an impact on survival. The magic system is wielded first and foremost to create needed resources and protect the community.
Oswin is an original protagonist, too, irrepressibly curious and questioning, with a quirky sense of humor, yet harboring deep doubts about his own worth in a world that has long told him strays have none. And Oswin’s classmate Ennestasia, who plays an important role, gives us a nice twist on the “student from an important and wealthy family” trope which I won’t spoil, except to say her character is more nuanced than one might expect.
Notably, though, Oswin’s trans identity is a non-issue, as are the nonbinary identities of another student and a professor, and the fact that one male professor wears a skirt. (We also learn in passing that one character, unremarkably, has two dads.) There’s a definite message about belonging here, but refreshingly, it doesn’t center around queer identities. At the same time, we do see moments of how being trans impacts Oswin; he wears a binder, for example, and is happy to find another student at the school whose gender isn’t the same as that assigned at birth.
The story wraps up satisfyingly, but with clear hooks for a sequel. Put on a warm sweater and curl up with this recommended tale.
In The Labyrinth of Souls, by Leslie Vedder, illustrated by Abigail Larson (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), Ix Tatterfall knows she’s different. Not only did her mother mysteriously disappear and her father’s soul get trapped in the Between World of the Labyrinth of Souls, but Ix can cross back and forth into the Labyrinth, home to Sorrows like Wrath, Misery, Greed, and other personified ills. She can also see the Nightmare creatures that live in the Labyrinth and sometimes slip into our world, although most people can only feel their effects. Normally, too, the Labyrinth can only be visited by the dead (who pass through Death’s Door at the center), souls lost in dreams, and members of Candle Corps, the elite guards who protect the Kingdom of Spinar from Nightmares.
When Ix’s powers are noted by Candle Corps, she’s given a choice: Join the Candle Corps Academy and learn to channel her powers, or be taken into custody. She chooses the former.
As outcast Ix tries to settle in at the Academy and make friends, it becomes clear that things are increasingly wrong with the Labyrinth. A scarecrow named Raggedy Jack, neither Sorrow nor Nightmare, has been wreaking havoc there, and a growing number of Nightmares are slipping into the Waking World. Ix and her friends, shy Ollie and prickly Morrigan, work to unravel the mystery, revealing old and dangerous secrets that may even be connected to Ix herself. Ix is clever and brave but not perfect, a young person trying to figure out herself and her world, and sometimes making mistakes.
Many familiar beats of magic-school series are here: a trio of friends; a large, spooky campus; an entitled student who becomes an enemy; a secret magical town—but the worldbuilding is also fresh and original in many ways, starting with the Labyrinth and Sorrows but extending to the wide range of Nightmares. There are Weighty Sloths that cause crushing feelings of defeat (best dispelled by thinking about doing small things on your to-do list), Quarrelswarm Wasps, whose sting makes people snappish and angry, and many more. Some Nightmares are simply fearsome, such as Warty Hornswaggles and Jimber-Jawed Hounds, while others are harmless, like the Inkling who becomes Ix’s adorable pet/companion.
Underlying the spooky worldbuilding, however, are themes about belonging, found family, overcoming sorrow, and how a community treats those in its midst who are different. While the messages are obvious, author Leslie Vedder stops shy of becoming pedantic. Queer relationships are also normalized in this world, and one of Ix’s friends was “practically adopted” by a two-man couple who become important to the story in ways I won’t spoil. I also get a queer vibe from the overall-clad Ix herself, but maybe it’s just me; perhaps future volumes will clarify.
And yes, although the ending is satisfying, there’s a clear hook for a sequel. Enjoy this recommended read and be ready for more adventures ahead.
More Queer-Inclusive Magic School Titles
Here are a few previous titles set at magic schools, with queer protagonists and/or significant secondary characters. Deephaven and Witchlings already have sequels out, too. Click images for reviews and more!
