OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Adventures of Little Yaga and Her Friends" by L.B. O'Milla.]

A mixture of Russian folklore and American fantasy, Adventures of Little Yaga and Her Friends by L.B. O’Milla is an interesting novel filled with adventure and friendships. Written in the third person perspective, the story is told through various characters.

Little Yaga lives with her grandmother, Big Yaga, in a hut on a chicken leg located in the Enchanted Forest. She is often teased by the other inhabitants of the forest who are known as the Foresters. Unlike all of the Foresters, Little Yaga does not have a bony leg. While on her way to school one day, Little Yaga comes across a human girl named Ashley who had gotten lost and ended up in the Enchanted Forest. Little Yaga knew that any human stuck in the Enchanted Forest would be taken by Scraggard the Immortal, who is the ruler of the Forest. She agrees to help out Ashley and manages to bring her safely back home. However, Scraggard learns of what she has done and forces her, along with her friend Kikimra, to kidnap Ashley from her birthday party. Having no choice but to follow his command, they go back to the human world. Little Yaga decides not to kidnap Ashley, but Scraggard still manages to snatch Ashley away. Will Little Yaga and her friends find and rescue Ashley or is Ashley doomed to be stuck in the Enchanted Forest with Scraggard forever?

Although the book is under the young adult genre, I feel like the book is more suited for children and teens. From the way the book was written and the simple dialogue between the characters, I find that teens rather than young adults would connect more to the story. The struggles of fitting in with peers and building friendships are just a couple of themes from the book that I know teens and older kids can relate to. Moreover, there are also illustrations at the end of some chapters which can help with visualizing the story.

Not only were the characters relatable, but they also had distinctive personalities. I liked how even the normally non-living things like houses and clocks were brought to life with personalities of their own. I found the mixture between Russian fables and modern American elements to be a unique, but interesting twist. Although I am not familiar with Russian folklore, I found myself wanting to know more about Russian folklore after reading this book.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The mix between fantasy and folklore added a unique twist to story and made this book a captivating read. I would recommend this book to kids from ages twelve and up, especially to those who like to read adventure stories.

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Adventures of Little Yaga and Her Friends
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Like ZenaLei7's review? Post a comment saying so!

Sounds like a cute story! Thanks for a lovely review. I love that it's a hut that's on a chicken leg!

Sounds like a great book for children. Thanks for the review.

kandscreeley wrote:Sounds like a cute story! Thanks for a lovely review. I love that it's a hut that's on a chicken leg!

Thanks!

-- 23 Aug 2017, 07:25 --

ritah wrote:Sounds like a great book for children. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for reading!

I agree with you, it seems more suitable for younger audiences. Thanks for the review.

Kelebogile Mbangi wrote:I agree with you, it seems more suitable for younger audiences. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for reading!

This sounds like a delightful book. Everything about it sounds really charming. I love that everyday objects have their own personalities and that each personality is distinct. Incorporating Russian fable and American elements sounds genius to me. I'm going to have to add this to my to-read list. Thank you for the wonderful review!

Mallory Whitaker wrote:This sounds like a delightful book. Everything about it sounds really charming. I love that everyday objects have their own personalities and that each personality is distinct. Incorporating Russian fable and American elements sounds genius to me. I'm going to have to add this to my to-read list. Thank you for the wonderful review!

Thanks for reading!

Sounds like one great book. But I have to agree that this is more fitting for children instead of young adult. Great job on the review. Congratulations to L.B. O'Milla on such an obviously well written book.

I've been fascinated with all things Russian ever since I read a Russian novel in my high school lit class. Sounds like I may have to check this book out. Thanks for the review!

I love books that mix Russian folklore and fantasy. The fact that the characters have distinctive personalities is another plus. This sounds like a sweet book for kids. Alas, I am not the target audience. I am glad you enjoyed the book even though it is a kids' book. Thank you for the nice review!

I loved the review and I think I might just decide to read the book. Congrats #BOTD

I ve always loved folklores.. Mix it with fantasy and I truly believe that children would like it for sure.
Thanks for the rview:)

Interesting plot line that I'm sure children would enjoy it more, that I agree. I'm not quite well-versed in other countries folklore so I think I'd try reading this book. Thank you for your review.

What a cute and unique story! I don't know many Russian folklore, but the living in house on a chicken leg sounds very interesting. Even from just the cover, the book does look like it would be better suited for children than young adult. I love how building friendships and how the characters are relatable with distinct personalities is so prevalent here. This is so important in a young read. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy this adventure!