Briarwood by Natalie Hyde
A wise and catchy YA novel about the power of determination + using your brain
It’s fun to think about magic. A snap of the fingers, a twitch of the nose—goal achieved.
But, in reality, intense brain work followed by sweating-it-out work is what gets things done. Take, for example, Malala Yousafzai. Everyone knows how Malala stood up to the Pakistani Taliban and demanded equal education for girls. Not even getting shot by the Taliban stopped her.
In her charming children’s book, Malala’s Magic Pencil, the Nobel Peace Prize winner created a heroine who wishes for a pencil to blot out her problems. Eventually she learns it’s better to resolve problems the regular human way. (Sorry, Harry Potter.)
Malala, meet Callie Garcia, the protagonist of the fun, snappily written young-adult novel Briarwood. Putting one’s mind to positive, productive solutions is author Natalie Hyde’s theme.
Callie is determined to get a spot at Briarwood, an elite summer camp. Elite—and mysterious. Previous and returning campers keep mum about what goes on there. Indeed, an admission-test question for would-be attendees, not to mention the opening sentence of Briarwood, is: Can you keep a secret?
A student who’d make STEM advocates proud, Callie aces the camp admission test. No surprise: she’s read over and over the journal of her ancestor, the brilliant scientist Theo Garcia. Do salt water and fresh water boil at same temperature? Just what is solar radiation? You can’t stump our science-keen heroine.
To Callie’s dismay, another student, goofy, klutzy Smedley—“No, really, that’s his name. Who names their kid Smedley?”—gets the teacher’s nod for class winner of the Briarwood test. Mean Mrs. Krakowski has it in for Callie, notwithstanding the conductivity meter Callie built, using Theo’s journal, to gauge what materials can conduct electricity. Potato, orange, baseball bat, eraser, pencil? If the meter’s lightbulb flashed, a current flowed.
Alas, Callie dropped the project on her way to school. Mrs. K. disdained even considering the broken meter and lightbulb. And, again, this teacher is mean. Granted, finding out that Callie nicknamed her Hairy Legs doesn’t help.
Shattered lightbulb or not, things then brighten for Callie. The camp director, Dr. Lewis Archer, visits the school and summons Callie for an interview. Seems he knows very well that she aced the camp test. Result: Smedley won’t be the only member of class going to Briarwood.
Speaking of, on the bus to camp Smedley is so pale from motion sickness that his freckles stand out “like raisins in rice pudding.” Callie does manage to dodge the Smed’s big barf. But, on arrival at camp, she finds more daunting challenges. Like, what’s with the airborne platforms that whish! campers to this or that impressive destination, e.g., state-of-the-art treehouses? Then there’s the Briarwood version of a walking stick—no regular cane this, but a set of twigs that, yes, walks.
And, hey, in his journal Theo wrote a puzzling command: Find Archer. Could Theo’s Archer be related to the camp director?
Appointed the camp’s assistant mechanic, Callie must figure out the how of all the above, and more. Also, the why of some sinister events, like the masked, cloaked figure she spies snooping around a camp administrator’s office.
Being both stubborn and innovative, Callie is up to the challenges. At last perceiving potential in clumsy Smedley, she enlists his help. And finds that being open to all the potential that the world offers, including the Smedleys—that’s when true magic happens. To quote Dr. Archer, “Sometimes inspiration and creativity combine in weird and wonderful ways to produce something unexpected.”
About the Author
Natalie Hyde is the author of both fiction and nonfiction for middle-grade and YA readers. Her books include Saving Armpit, Swept Away, and More than Words, and have received honours in both Canada and the U.S., including nominations for the Rocky Mountain, Silver Birch, and Nutmeg Book Awards. Natalie currently lives in Flamborough, Ontario.
About the Reviewer
Melanie Jackson is a Vancouver writer/editor. She’s also the award-winning author of middle-grade/YA suspensers, including Orca Books’ Dinah Galloway Mystery Series, and several chillers set in amusement parks. Visit Melanie at The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Book Details
Publisher: DCB Young Readers, February 2026
Interest Age: 9–12
Grade: 4–7
Language: English
Paperback: 246 pages
Paperback ISBN: 9781770868199
Ebook (EPUB) ISBN : 9781770868205