IZIZA Publishing

What an honour to be one of the first to read Jade and the Serpent’s Circle. A unique mystery perfectly written with a clever story-line with an unpredicted twist. The characters were strong and the vocabulary exciting. The story keeps a steady rhythm of a drum, pulling you into a spiral of magic and power, love and pain, adventure and mystery – Alexandra (13)

I absolutely loved your book! It was well written and the plot was brilliant. I thought it was nice that you incorporated fact with fiction and I think that the book ended spectacularly. You used a lot of imagination and I hope your book will be a success! – Bronwyn (13)

I adored your book! When you read it the way the story pulled you in and had the feeling that you were there. It described everything so that the picture of the scene was planted in your head. I felt sad when I had to put it down. I wanted more as I finished a chapter! The book is perfect for my age group, it has brilliant insight that gave a better understanding into the culture, wonder and amazement in South Africa and the Cradle of Humankind – Kirsten (13)

The authentic twists and turns in Jade and the Serpent’s circle caught me and wouldn’t let me go. Ms Fikkert’s writing style is unusual and yet stunning and capturing. I look forward to seeing her book on the shelves – Ruth (12)

An awesome novel that pulls you inside a world which is impossible to forget. It combines fact and fiction so well sometimes you can’t tell the difference and no matter how many time you read this book you will be surprised, terrified and stupefied every single time! – Wesley (14)

Emily Thiel, aged 10, reviews Maggie Fikkert’s book, which is to be launched on August 1 at Maropeng:

The story is set in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Gauteng, South Africa. The way the setting is described gives you a great image in your head of a gorge, rivers, caves and a spread-out farm.

The story is about a magical girl named Jade who has to work with her brother (Stuart) and his friend (Rick) to try and stop a demon who wants Jade’s power.

Jade’s character is very well thought out. The demon gives you a lot of information on South African history – he is my favourite character.

The book’s main theme is friendship, as it shows a very good connection between Jade and the two boys and how far they are willing to go to help her.

I like the book because it mixes fact and fiction together. What I didn’t like about this book was that it was very scary, so I couldn’t read it at night. But I am positive that many children (and adults) will enjoy this book as much as I did (which is a lot!)