I wanted to read Aden Polydoros’ new middle grade book, Ring of Solomon, because I just loved The City Beautiful, by the same author, and I was intrigued by another Jewish folklore adventure. Ring of Solomon is described as the first in a planned trilogy for young readers, although it works perfectly well as a standalone novel — there are heavy hints that young Zach is not done with his adventures, but there’s an ending to this novel, not a cliffhanger.

I have to admit that I don’t read a lot of middle grades fiction. Young adult fiction, sure, I often find myself picking up YA novels long after my own teenage years. For many adults, YA fiction can be nostalgic and escapist, and a good young adult novel includes compelling and well-developed characters, often facing a coming-of-age discovery or personal high stakes, which can create that strong emotional connection for any age readers. 

Ring of Solomon is the kind of book I would have read as a tween, though… well, sort of….  There weren’t really any queer or Jewish tween fantasy novels around when I was that age. But I read a lot of stories about tween friends finding a powerful magical artifact and figuring how to NOT destroy the world, and as I read this one, I felt like I’d basically read this adventure story with Greek or Roman or Celtic creatures and characters before, and it was a real pleasure to read an action fantasy adventure with creatures from Jewish folklore instead.

Zach finds a mysterious ring at a flea market, which is a perfect call to adventure, isn’t it?  The ring calls up Ashmedai, the demon king. Ash is actually kinda the good guy in this… It’s the weird polo-wearing, white-teeth pro-apocalypse cult that you’ve gotta watch out for.  This hits the MG fantasy standards, with the hero, the magical artifact, and his friends going on a mission against evil. Zach’s allies are his bestie, Sandra, and sometimes his little sister Naomi and Sandra’s older cousin, Carmen. The adults in this world are almost completely absent (affectionate, but clueless), and the destruction from demon battles is somehow explained away. It’s all the hits I remember from this genre when I was younger.

Zach is queer and closeted, which I thought would play more of a role in the plot. Maybe it’s being set up here for a larger role in the rest of the trilogy? I did like Zach’s realization that his crush was handsome and cool, but not a very kind person under the surface, which is a sadly realistic realization.

I was less interested in the action scenes. Like I said, I don’t read much middle-grades so I’m not familiar with trends or writing conventions. But I felt like some of the battle scenes went on for ages, and started to feel like a kid describing the plot of their favorite show or Minecraft adventure to me. It was odd to find myself skimming in what I expected to be a dramatic battle at a climatic scene.

Overall, I think it would be a fun read for tweens, but might not hold up as well for older readers.