Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi is a fantasy book for ages 9-12. Set in a magical place called Ferenwood, this book follows 12-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow a girl deprived of many things. In Ferenwood, everything relies on color, because color means magic. But Alice is severely lacking in color. Her skin and hair are both white. Other than her clothes, the only color on her body is the pale pink of her cheeks and the slight honey of her eyes.
It is Ferenwood tradition for all 12-year-olds to “surrender” their magical talent. Based on their magical talent, they will be assigned a task. This task has to do with helping the community; the surrender is a big deal. At the start of the book, Alice’s surrender is coming up. But, Alice is living in an unstable home. Her father left three years ago with nothing but a ruler in his hand and her mother is stuck in misery. The three things Alice loves most are her father, who as I mentioned before is missing, her mother who won’t miss her, and color which she has been deprived of.
In Furthermore, Alice goes on a quest to find what she has lost with unlikely friends and enemies. This book is full of twists and turns, making it very unexpected and interesting. I would give it 5 stars because of how it is so unexpected, gripping, and because of how it is written. It is written as if it is a bedtime story, written in 3rd person and addressing the reader as “dear friend.” The sequel Whichwood is also good, especially for a sequel to a book where it isn’t necessary. Overall, this is a very good book and I highly recommend it.
