Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach

291 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Wizard

Angel’s past is a blank slate, her memories buried deep within her. She longs for her real parents and to find out what happened to take them away. Her foster family is very kind and caring but Angel knows she belongs elsewhere, she’s different. Immersed in her drawings of fantasy creatures, Angel lives the life of any ordinary teenager while looking after her younger foster brother, Zack. That is, until she meets an odd boy, Gregor, with a foreign accent in the library. She and Gregor have an intense and unexplainable connection similar to the tingly feelings she occasionally gets when near trees. One night Gregor saves her life with his Gatemaking magical talent and takes her to his world, the Island of Toch, which is incidentally Angel’s homeland as well. Soon Gregor helps her to learn magic and access her Finding talent. Even with the island’s protective magic, evil lurks in the woods, an evil that desperately wants Angel’s power. Kat has created a wonderfully imaginative one of a kind world in which fantasy fans will revel. The descriptions of the forest and its flora are delightfully rich and detailed. There are trees, such as the Silver Spruce and the Bronze Oak which are named after the metals or alloys they contain that serve as conduits for their magical power and protection – how cool is that? There’s also tamed and wild dragons of all sizes, an Elven musical rock band and an ancient prophecy not to mention the man using science to regain his own lost power by stealing Angel’s. There’s lots of suspense and a nice blend of magic and science. Readers will be anxious for the next installment in this new fantasy series. (This book provided for review by the author, Kat Heckenbach).

 

Read More

Riley Mack stirs up more trouble by Chris Grabenstein

324 pgs.

Target audience: Ages 8-12

Rating: Wizard

Crises abound at Fairview Middle School and Riley and his crew – tech savvy Jake, theatrical genius Brianna, strong and loyal Mongo and boy magician Jamal are there to right injustices wherever they see them. This time they uncover a plot to sabotage the talent show where Brianna plans to sing her way to a college scholarship. The local country club is hosting the event. The gang’s nemesis, Sarah Paxton, whose father runs the club, is also competing. At the same time Riley and friends stumble upon an ecological disaster at their favorite swimming hole where all the fish are found belly up. They trace the source of the toxins to the newly built golf course at the country club. The kids know Mr. Paxton is up to no good and to prove it they need to find out what’s underneath the nineteenth hole. This is a grand mystery caper with something to please everyone – impersonations, chemical lab tests, nighttime digging, disguises, shady corporate deals and more. These clever, resourceful, detention worthy middle schoolers will have readers on the edge of their seats. Don’t miss a grade A blast of the best kind of troublemaking. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

 

Read More

Fyre by Angie Sage

Illustrated by Mark Zug
Target audience: Ages 8 to 12
Rating: Dragon

Sage wraps up the “Septimus Heap” series with the mastery of a true storyteller. She weaves all the threads of the six previous volumes together into a magnificent tapestry. Nearly all the characters are reunited in the final attempt to vanish the Darke forever. Marcellus Pye is busy deep beneath the castle intent on Awakening the Fyre which can be unpredictable and difficult to control. It is the only known substance powerful enough  to DeNature the Two-Faced Ring which holds the essence of the two most dangerous and powerful Darke Wizards. Over five hundred years ago the first Extraordinary Wizard, Hotep-Ra, trapped them in the ring and it is now Sealed inside the Wizard Tower.  Marcia suspects Marcellus is up to more than rebuilding the Alchemie Tower and Alchemie Way, so she assigns Septimus to him for one month. Septimus is torn between his desire to learn more about Alchemie and his love for his work at the Wizard Tower. Jenna is crowned queen and is determined to save the Dragon Boat, whose heartbeat she can no longer hear. Will the past come back to haunt them and pull them back into the Darke Domaine or will our Magykal troupe save the kingdom once again? Fans of this series will not be disappointed and get exactly what they expect from this gifted writer – swamp snakes, magical bowls, flying dragons, secret chambers, ghostly encounters, Fyre creatures, Djinn transformations, royal coronations, maps, humor, fabulous illustrations and much much more. We can only hope that Sage will continue to entertain us with more fantasy. It would be advisable to read this series in order. (This book provided for review by HarperCollins).

 

Read More

Daniel X: Game over by James Patterson (Audiobook, unabridged, 4 CD's)Narrated by Milo Ventimiglia
Target audience: Young Adult
Audiobook Rating: Wizard
Book Rating: Fairy

The fourth volume in the alien hunter series begins in a video arcade in Tokyo where Daniel is in pursuit of numbers seven and eight on the alien outlaw list. Milo Ventimiglia deftly portrays Daniel’s easy, comfortable banter with family and friends as well as the sarcastic repartee he saves for his alien prey. The suspense rises exponentially as the plot to brainwash addicted video gamers into becoming non virtual killers unfolds. The narrator transforms the very short chapters that would be distracting in book format into edgy layers of anticipation for the listener. Although Ventigmiglia's expert performance sets the perfect pace for this non-stop action adventure punctuated by explosive battle sound effects, his efforts cannot compensate for the implausibility of the story. Daniel’s abilities – manipulating matter to recreate anything he can visualize including his dead parents and friends who can fight, invent, interact with others all from his own brain, broadband internet in his head, ability to download a degree in engineering directly to his cerebellum, to transform into anything, time travel, enhanced senses - to name but a few referred to in frequent asides to the reader are over the top and far fetched even for the science fiction genre. There is virtually no character development making the story just a laundry list of alien battles. The “Maximum Ride” series by the same author would be a much better choice. (Audiobook provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

 

 

Read More

The witch’s curse by Keith McGowan

Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
296 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 9 to 12
Rating: Wizard

Once upon a time a royal hunter and his knights ignored the warnings of  curses and sought game in an enchanted valley. After years of successful ventures the prince was cursed by Monique, a powerful witch, to remain in the valley forever tracking down and killing animals who were once children. In a small town not far away lives Sol and his sister Connie who recently escaped from Mrs. Holaderry, their neighbor and author of “The witch’s guide to cooking with children.”  The children’s only hope remains with their Aunt Heather who lives on the other side of the mountains. After leaving a note for their one friend, Gertrude, owner of the store “All Creatures, Big and Small,” they board a bus bound for their last remaining relative. When the bus breaks down, Sol and Connie wander and become lost in the forest located unfortunately for them in the famed enchanted valley. Gertrude has her magic cane back and is able to send a thrush into the valley to help guide the children to safety. However Monique is cunning and knows just how to lure lost children to her bespelled streams where the water will turn them into prey. Even though Sol and Connie become caught up in her web, begin the transformation and are separated, they use their talents and love for one another to change their fate. In addition to the main perspective of Sol and Connie there are passages telling the stories of Gertrude, the cursed hunter and the poor thrush who is desperate to complete his mission. This delicious fractured fairy tale will beguile younger kids with the spooky magic and adventure while the gothic undertone will appeal to tweens. Tanaka’s lovely soft brushed black and white illustrations are a perfect match for McGowan’s ghostly yarn. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

Read More

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

360 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Dragon

Jinx lives up to his name, at least at first. His parents die and leave him their hut in one of the many clearings throughout the ancient Urwald forest. After his hut burns down, Jinx is shuttled off to his less than enthusiastic step-parents, Bergthold and Cottawilda, who after the arrival of their new baby see Jinx as rather unnecessary. The Urwald is a perilous place and those who stray from the path are easy prey for trolls, werewolves and other beasts plus wizards whom everyone knows are up to no good, especially the one named Bonemaster who “sucks out people’s souls with a straw.” Be wary and stick to the path is a rule known to each and every child. But one day Bergthold takes Jinx deep into the forest off the path and leaves him there. The wizard, Simon Magus, mysteriously appears and decides to take Simon in to help out with chores around his house. Even though Simon is a wizard, Jinx, knows it’s a far better fate than being alone in the Urwald. Jinx has a secret -  he can see people’s feelings as colored clouds. The work he performs makes him strong, but it’s the magic in Simon’s lab that draws his interest. Simon finally agrees to teach him to read and let him help out in his lab. As Simon explores the house and it’s immediate surroundings, he discovers that he can listen to the trees talk. Simon says there’s not been a Listener in over a hundred years and insists it’s just a myth anyway. Jinx runs away to find Simon’s witch friend, Dame Glammer, after a spell Simon casts takes Jinx’s power away. His adventures in the forest include making new friends, battling monsters, and sneaking into the dreaded Bonemaster’s lair. Each of the three adventurers has a problem that can only be alleviated by wizard magic. Jinx knows the trees are afraid of what is coming and that he and his companions must save the forest or all is lost, but whom can they trust? Simon who betrayed him, Dame Glammer who gave Simon the ingredients for that horrible spell or the Bonemaster whose motives are unclear. Blackwood has created a thrilling new fantasy filled with the characters you love to root for and deliciously tricky wizards. The reader won’t know what to expect next. Jinx may have an unlucky name, but his ingenuity, magic, and never-ending desire to help others make him the luckiest one of all. Let us hope for a sequel because no doubt Jinx and his companions will have many more adventures kids will love to read about. (Book provided for review by HarperColllins)

Read More