Matty discovered that he has a supernatural "gift" where he can heal living things by touching them, at the cost of depleting himself.

Taking control of a market gathering known as Trade Mart, Trademaster offers any trade—from attractiveness to Gaming Machines—in exchange for one's best qualities.

Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and Common Sense Media's Matt Berman praised the thought-provoking themes and simple yet "beautifully textured" prose.

[2][3][4] In The ALAN Review, Sheryl O'Sullivan, a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University, commended Lowry for depicting evil with more ambiguity and gradualness than the two-dimensional portrayal of good and evil common in children's literature, mainly through Trade Mart's corruption of Village.

[5] Other reviewers also considered Trade Mart as an allegory for the societal impact of greed, selfishness and consumerism.

[1] She and Berman thought that plot aspects such as Forest's sentience and Trademaster's motives were insufficiently established or explained.