Pegasus: Olympus at War

Pegasus

Olympus at War*

By: Kate O’Hearn

Reviewed by Vardaan K.

This book is a sequel to Pegasus Flame of Olympus. This series is about the adventures of Emily and her flying horse Pegasus.

The characters in the book that are from earth are Emily (a twelve year old girl who lives in Olympus), Joel (Emily’s twelve year old friend), and Steve (Emily’s father and a policeman). The characters from Olympus are Cupid, Jupiter, Apollo, Diana, and Paelen. This story takes place in three places, the Nirad world, Olympus, and New York. A narrator tells this story from third person perspective.

In this story, Emily discovers her powers to shoot flames out her fingers in Olympus and takes lesson to control it. But her dad is still held captive by the CRU**. She, Palaen, and Joel fly on Pegasus and go to the CRU and rescue Emily’s father. Then Emily gets captured by Nirads (four armed, ugly creatures) and is taken to their world. But Emily realizes that the ones who are slaving the Nirads are the Gorgons (the sisters of Medusa). The Gorgons then try to force Emily to use her powers to kill Jupiter. Finally, a Nirad guardsman named Tange helps Emily escape and kill the Gorgons.

I like this book because it has adventure, fantasy and it keeps you turning the pages. If I were the author, I would make Pegasus have a more important role because he is the main character of the series.

I would absolutely recommend this book and the previous book in the series*.

*Read Pegasus the Flame of Olympus (the first book in the series)

** The CRU (Central Research Unit) is a government agency interested in peculiar stuff.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

FABLEHAVEN

RISE OF THE EVENING STAR

By: Brandon Mull

Reviewed by: Sofia G.

I chose the book Fablehaven, Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull for my fantasy book. The main characters are Seth and Kendra Sorenson. Kendra is two years older than Seth, and is going into ninth grade. She is one of the smartest people in her junior high school. She is supposedly fairystruck, which means the fairies have given her a few of their powers such as being able to speak the language of the fairies and to always be able to see and recognize mythical creatures. Seth is going into seventh grade and is very athletic. He isn’t fairystruck like Kendra, but later on in the series, he gets his own powers. The first part of the book takes place around Seth and Kendra’s neighborhood, but the majority takes place at their grandfather’s fairytale preserve which has fairies and golems and giants and all sorts of fantasy creatures. The story is told in the third person, but some chapters may specifically be about what Seth is feeling or doing, or it might be about what Kendra is feeling or doing.

It’s the end of the year at Kendra and Seth’s school. But something strange happens. In Kendra’s class, a new student turns out to be a goblin. Later that week, a mysterious man, who claims his name is Earl, walks up to Kendra and Seth, and says he is a friend. As if to prove he is a friend, he tells Kendra she is fairystruck, and it seems only a friend would know that. He says he is here to help them get rid of the goblin. He has Seth steal a frog statue that will make the goblin go away. Sure enough, the next day the goblin leaves. Later that day, they get an urgent message from their grandfather that they had to come to Fablehaven right away. He sends a friend, Vanessa, to pick them up and take them. When they arrive at Fablehaven, they hear the news. Fablehaven has a special artifact somewhere on the preserve. Their grandparents brought a potion master named Tanu, a magical creature manager, Vanessa, and one of their grandfather’s most trusted friends, Coulter, to help them find this artifact. The bad news is that a very powerful demon was stolen from Coulter; the exact same one Seth stole. Earl had tricked them, and now the demon will be after Seth.  The next day Kendra and Seth visit the Sphinx, a magical being who is helping them. He confirms that Kendra is fairy kind, not fairystruck. When you’re fairy kind, you inherit all of the fairies’ powers, except for flying. Afterwards, they keep this news a secret. They all work together to try and find the artifact, while trying to complete another mission: to cure Warren, another friend of their grandfather’s. Warren has been turned albino and mute by some sort of spell or spirit. He won’t do anything by himself, and nobody knows what caused this. They try to solve both mysteries at once. They’ve almost searched the whole preserve, except for one place, the Four Hills. All of this by itself is already more than a handful, but then they also discover there’s a traitor amongst them. The traitor has betrayed everyone and has taken over the preserve. Kendra and Seth are forced to deal with this by themselves, for they are the only ones who have escaped. Seth figures what caused Warren’s disease, and that it must be at the Four Hills. Against Kendra’s will, he embarks out and defeats the evil spirit that guarded the place where the artifact was and caused Warren to turn albino. Warren is cured, and he helps Kendra complete the tests and puzzles set up to guard the artifact. But the traitor is on their tail and as it turns out the traitor is working with Earl, and the artifact could end up on either side. But at the final test, Warren and Kendra prevail, and they capture the traitor. All is well.

The conflict in the story was finding the artifacts and keeping it out of the enemy hands. The artifacts are important because the yielder has mass power. This specific artifact heals every injury, magical or physical. If it’s placed in the enemy hands, they’d use it for evil. To solve the conflict, Kendra and Seth’s grandparents assign specific jobs to Vanessa, Coulter, and Tanu. Kendra and Seth were considered too young to help, but in the end they play the most important role in solving the conflict.

This story contains fairies, demons, goblins, giants, and spirits, making this book a fantasy/fiction book. This book does not have that much irony in it, but there are a couple of important examples of irony. I find it ironic that nobody lets Seth and Kendra do all the dangerous things, but in the end they are the only ones who can save Fablehaven. I also think it is very ironic that the person that helped Kendra and Seth the most in the beginning at Fablehaven turned out to be the traitor.

I really liked how in this story the two main characters are siblings, and in most books that is not the case. I loved how the whole fantasy-magic situation had a realistic background that tells you how everything came to be how it is. I find it cool that this fantasy business takes place everywhere, and I like how the situation is always a logical one, and the answer is never what you think it will be. I would change Seth and Kendra back stories, and I would make it more unusual. I would add some mystical events that happened when they were younger; like having Kendra see a Pegasus flying above her house when she was nine or something like that. Something that shows they have a magical before-story. That is the only thing I would change.

I would recommend Fablehaven to people who enjoy fantasy, magic, or action books. Fablehaven is like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson all at once. I would recommend it because it has a really nice story plot, and it has all the little details that you need to patch together such an advanced, complex story. Also, I love the characters, every single one has a distinct build, and none of them are similar in more than one way. I find it interesting how unlike a lot of fantasy books I’ve read; in Fablehaven fantasy creatures and magic are everywhere. In the Fablehaven series, they meet tons of people who know about the magic and the demons and the fairies and the imps and the dragons and all of it. I would recommend this book/series because of its catching story plot, the special characters and the unique adventures and conflicts in the Fablehaven books. 

Grimmtastic Girls: Red Riding Hood Gets Lost

Grimmtastic Girls: Red Riding Hood Gets Lost

By: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Review by: Ruby S.

The main characters in Red Riding Hood Gets Lost are: Red, Cinda [Cinderella], Snow [Snow White], Rapunzel and Wolfgang. Red as in Red Riding Hood has black fuzzy hair, brown eyes and is always carrying a basket. She loves to act. Red receives a magic basket as her magic charm for having a good heart. 

Cinda is a blonde, blue eyed girl who loves anything that has to do with sports. Her charm is a pair of glass slippers that let her twirl and dance, and without them, she's really bad at dancing.

Snow is a shy girl with short black hair, brown eyes, and is always being insulted by her step-mom, Ms.Wicked. She is mainly gets insults about her appearance and does not have a charm yet.

Rapunzel has long black hair and blue eyes. She is afraid of heights and constantly has to cut her quickly growing hair. Rapunzel does not have a charm yet.

Wolfgang is a boy who can shape shift into a wolf and is always calling Red by synonyms of the color red. He loves to act  and did not get a charm because boys don't normally receive them.

The setting is in a realm called Grimmlandia. It was made by the Grimm brothers to protect all: fairytale characters, nursery rhymes, folk tales and poems from a world of evil characters called E.V.I.L. [exceptional villains in literature]

The story is told by Red Riding Hood, even though it sounds like someone else is telling the story.

In a far away land called Grimmlandia, Red trys out for a play but has stage fright. Red then decides to focus on helping her friends to save the school from a group called E.V.I.L. The group is trying to locate some artifacts to weaken the wall that separates Grimmlandia from the world of beasts and Dastardlies so Grimmlandia will no longer exist.

The problem in this story is the group stealing artifacts and charms. The problem does not get solved in this book they solve it in the last book called Rapunzel Cuts Loose. Which is the last book in the series. The problem is solved by Rapunzel being brave and going to one of their meetings in the tower that she grew up in as a little girl.

A magic charm is an object that could be anything and it just appears any time you need it most. Red has a magic basket so it can deliver stuff though it that you need but can’t get it at the moment. The one thing that is a twist to it is that it only works for those that it came for and there is always some kind of code.

This story is a fantasy book because it involves lots of magic and here are some examples:

~A basket comes to her and can deliver anything through it.

~The school is in different realm with all the fairy tale creatures we read about.

~Her drama teacher Mr. Thumb is no bigger than a thumb.

~The Grimmstone library moves around on its own and changes its size and there is also a magic mirror that you can check out dresses, fruit, hugs and lots of other stuff.

~The wisest woman in Grimmlandia who is a good witch Grandmother Enchantress transports inside a crystal ball.

Those are examples of what makes this a fantasy book. I did not find any irony in this book when I was reading it.

What I liked about this book was that there was always an adventure. What I also liked was it left you on a loose end for you to get some answers in the next one. I also like how they described it so detailed and with lots of feelings. If I could change anything, it would be to put more evil characters in the book and make more books for the series. I would also put more description of who Grandmother Enchantress is. I would recommend this book to people who like fairy tales and enjoy stories of princesses with a bit of mystery.

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz
Author:  L. Frank Baum

Book review

By :Laynee R.

Characters: Dorothy is a Kansas girl how lives with her aunt and uncle, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

The scarecrow is a straw man who is very brilliant but wants brains.

The tin woodman is a tin man who was a real man but was cursed in a very disturbing way and survived, in the accident the tin woodman lost his heart and doesn’t have a heart now but is so passionate about everything and thinks even the tiniest lives matter to him.

The cowardly lion is an act tough look tough creature, on the outside he looks very mighty but inside he is a scared lion with no bravery.

Settings: There are four lands that Dorothy and friends visit, the land of the Munchkins, the beautiful blue land that the late Wicked Witch of the East ruled. The place of the beasts, were the lion kills the giant spider that has taken over the beasts land. Dorothy and everybody go to the Emerald city a “beautiful” green land. 

               In Kansas a girl named Dorothy lived with her aunt and uncle, they had a small farm house that fit no more than 2 beds, one stove, one table and three chairs. One day a cyclone came and uncle Henry yelled, “Get into the storm cellar!” So Dorothy and aunt Em went down to the storm cellar with Dorothy’s little dog Toto following behind. When the house blows away, Dorothy goes up the storm then walks over to her bed lays down takes Toto into her arms and falls asleep. Dorothy wakes up, she goes to look outside and there are three people as tall as she is dressed in blue, then  a women who was  dressed in white came up to the little girl and said, “you have killed the Wicked Witch of the East!” Dorothy act surprised, and didn’t mean to kill any one. The Wicked Witch of the east had taken over the land of Munchkins and now that the witch was dead they were free from the witch. The women dressed in white also explained that she was the Good Witch of The North and is the ruler of the Quadlings. The witch gave Dorothy a pair of silver slippers that the late witch had been wearing. Dorothy put the shoes on and before Dorothy left on her journey the witch gives her a kiss. The witch said that nobody would harm someone with this mark on their forehead. Although it didn’t seem that Dorothy wanted to go home or was sad it was quite the opposite, Dorothy had been very distracted by all the fuss that she forgot that she possibly millions of miles away from home. So the witch told Dorothy to go to the great Oz and follow the yellow brick road. Now Dorothy started on her journey and a little way outside the village Dorothy came to a fence on the side of the road and looked at the corn patch and saw a Scarecrow that slowly winked at her and then started to talk and eventually asked Dorothy to get him down from the pole he rested on, the scarecrow told Dorothy how he longed for brains so Dorothy invited him to go to Oz and see if he would give the Scarecrow brains. The Scarecrow agreed so Dorothy and the Scarecrow were on their way to Oz. they were on their way when they heard a groan coming from a bush they peered in and there a man completely made of tin with his axe in midair was frozen in this position he groaned to get his oil can and oil his joints. Once Dorothy oiled the Tinman’s joints they talked to the Tinman, and told how he longed for a heart so Dorothy asked if he would like to go with them on their journey to Oz the Tinman said yes so Dorothy, Scarecrow and the Tinman were now on their journey, after Dorothy had a night’s sleep. The friends fallowed the yellow brick road till they got into a scary part of the forest, then a lion jumped out and went straight for Toto till Dorothy slapped him on the nose and picked up Toto. The lion was hurt then Dorothy saw how cowardly the lion was and forgave him the friends talked to the lion and then he talked on about how he longed to have courage so Dorothy invited the lion to come to Oz with them and the lion agreed so they went on their way to Oz. They came to a big gate of emerald then Dorothy knocked on the gate and a little man appeared dressed in green garments asked them what they were doing there and they told him that they were there to see the great Oz and the man let them in immediately and escorted them to the palace where they were taken care of until Oz told them that they must kill the Wicked Witch of The West so when the friends got to the palace the witch saw them and sent wolfs, crows and bees but the tinman fought and beat them all then the witch sent the flying monkeys with a magic cap and the monkeys tore up the scarecrow, dropped the tinman and brought the lion, Dorothy, and Toto to the palace where the lion was kept captive and Dorothy living in the palace. The witch grew very fond of Dorothy’s shoes and one day the witch came up with a scheme to give her the shoes, she would place an invisible rode on the floor and hopefully a shoe would come off so Dorothy tripped over the rode and one shoe came off and the witch stole it without thinking Dorothy grabbed a bucket of water and killed the Wicked Witch, the witch had an odd disability, she would melt if touched water. All the friends returned thanks to the help of the people that lived in the land, but before Dorothy left she grabbed the magic golden cap. All friends returned to the emerald city and discovered Oz was no wizard just a tiny man behind a curtain Oz gave all the brains to the scarecrow he could ever want and the tinman a big heart and the lion a cup of courage. The Oz couldn’t figure out a way but then he said that they could fly away on a hot air balloon, so Dorothy made the hot air balloon and when the day came to fly out on the hot air balloon Toto was chasing a kitten and before Dorothy could get Toto and in the balloon it was too late Oz yelled from the balloon that the scarecrow was in charge. Dorothy still wanted to go home so she called the monkeys and asked to carry her to the witch of the south so they did and the witch told Dorothy that the shoes had the power to transport her back to Kansas so Dorothy grabbed Toto and and the witch told her to click her hells three times, so she clicked her heels together three times and Dorothy rolled on to the fields and saw the new house uncle Henry had built then Dorothy ran towards aunt Em and gave her the biggest hug ever.   

Problem/solution: Dorothy is stuck in the Land of Oz but clicks her heels three times and is whisked back to Kansas 

Irony: The scarecrow in certain situations has very smart ideas but says that he has no brains, I think that instead of not having brains he doesn’t have common sense. The Tinman also in some situations is so compassionate but he has no heart, like in the book he kills a lot of things but he cares for thing.

The narrator explains things very well and gives not always pleasant imagery put give a very interesting one. This book has witches talking lions, scarecrow and tinman. The winged monkeys would be my favorite part, they are really funny. This book is very different then the movie I would recommend this book to anyone over eight. There is a lot of gruesome things in this book, a lot of murder.                

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

Book by Sophie Kelly

Reviewed by: Kyle M.

The story is a really good first- person murder mystery. It is set in a quaint town where our main character, Katharine, has just moved. She has chestnut brown, very short hair and blue eyes. She is also head librarian for the only library in town.

When she goes to the theater to get someone to help her assemble the new chairs in the computer lab. When she finds the dead body of Gregor Easton, a famous composer!

 One of her cats jumps into her bag on the way to work, she finds out that Hercules (her cat) can walk through walls! She soon discovers that her other cat, Owen, can turn invisible!

 On her next workday, she suffers a myriad of injuries from getting shocked by an electrical outlet to getting hit on the shoulder by falling plaster. Katherine and her friends, Violet and Maggie tail the building manager to find out that he is in love with the last head librarian.

 She contacts Gregor Easton’s ex-girlfriend and she sends Katharine the picture of the music class that she and Easton were both in.

 In the evening Will Redfern (the building manger) confronts her about his relationship with the ex-head librarian and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t leave. He hints about killing Easton.

 When the music class picture arrives, Violet is in the picture. Katharine confronts Violet and she confesses. It turns out Easton took inappropriate photos of all the girls in the music class except her and then ruined their reputations and he invited Violet to the theater and tried to convince her to pose and she pushed him and the floor was concrete so he died when his skull connected with the ground. Violet didn’t mean to kill him.

 Case closed. I really liked this book but it was a bit inappropriate so I recommend it to ages 15+.

 I really liked this book because it’s a mystery and also fantasy. Another reason I liked it is because it was very misleading and you can try theories but it’s best to just enjoy and keep your hands and feet inside the ride. The last reason I liked it is because there was no irony. Irony is confusing.   

Jennifer Murdley's Toad

JENNIFER MURDLEY`S TOAD

By: BRUCE COVILLE

Reviewed by Kaj H.

     The main characters are Jennifer and her toad, Bufo. Jennifer is very ugly.

     All the characters are Bufo, Jennifer, the Witch, Mrs. Applegate and Ana.

     The narrator is third person. The setting is in Moody Hollow city in Texas.

     The thing that makes it a fantasy story is that there are talking animals, magic, transformation,

     If I could change anything it would be that there are mirrors everywhere in the hair salon.

     The problem in the story is when the witch wants Bufo’s jewel of happiness.

     The problem is solved when the witch is contained unconscious by Jennifer who is a giant toad at the moment.

     I didn’t find any irony in the book. The book starts out were Jenifer buys the frog Bufo.

     Then she notices Bufo talks and reacts by running away. Later she notices that Bufo can turn anyone into a toad by kissing them. Then they run into a witch who wants the jewel from Bufo`s head because the jewel is meant to make people`s lives happier and easier.  

     A few things I liked about the book were the name Bufo and that they chose a toad for the animal.

     I would recommend this book to a 4-5th grade level of reading and for people who like toads, kissing and magic.

The Spoon in the Bathroom WallBy Tony Johnston

Book review by Dylan F.

Martha Snapdragon is a bacon-loving nice person who stands up for other people.  She lives with her dad, Luther Snapdragon, at Horace E Bloggins School. Martha was poor and lived in the school boiler room along with her dad who was the school janitor and handyman.  Dr. Klunk was the principal at Horace E. Bloggins and was very mean to kids and teachers.  One day Martha gets bullied by Rufus, a spy kid for the evil Dr. Klunk.  Rufus has a little gang of kids that bully other good kids. Rufus especially likes to bully Martha a lot.  His gang calls and chants at Martha, “Marthur!  Marthur! Marthur!”   Martha runs to teacher Furlin for help. Furlin is nice and likes to help Martha.  Furlin is a magician. 

               The story is set at Horace E. Bloggins in modern times in an English speaking country.  The main character is Marthur and the novel is written in third character.

One day Furlin made potatoes float in the air and orbit around a pumpkin. Furlin opens and egg carton and grabs two eggs and puts them on a slanted table Martha tries to catch them but the eggs sprout little legs and start to dance. Furlin says, “Marthur is a fine name it’s not a name like Martholomew” then Martha says “I like my name Marthur better then Martholomew my name is know Marthur!” One of the eggs tries to get away and they shout,” catch that egg!” They catch the egg and Marthur hears someone on the door. Then she leaves and goes to her dad. The next day Marthur wakes up to Rufus yelling,” I want those dancing eggs so I can tell Dr. Klunk.”

One day she and Dr. Klunk and Luther find a spoon in a wall.  There is old writing on the wall that says “who pullith this spoon will be the king.” So Dr. Klunk tries to pull the spoon but is unable to and falls back. The next day a giant line of people are outside the bathroom and people try to pull the spoon but can’t get it out.  Once it is Marthur’s turn, she pulls the spoon out and then Dr. Klunk sees the freed spoon and he snatches the spoon from Marthur. As the spoon starts beating up Dr. Klunk and Marthur yells “stop.” The spoon obeyed Marthur then Marthur just noticed she was the new king.  She asked Furlin “why did I become the new king?”, and Furlin said “because you stood up to bully’s and you helped kids.

What’s the conflict and what is the resolution?

It’s a power struggle for who will become the new king.  The resolution is to be the new king.  Since Marthur can pull the spoon out she is the chosen one to be king     

Why it is a fantasy is because It has dancing eggs, a griffin, and dragons, flying potatoes and pumpkins, and writing on the chalk board with just using your mind.

There is no irony

I like this story because there are dragons that burn up Rufus’ pants and Dr. Klunk’s name is funny. I like how the some character’s names rhyme with names in King Arthur like Furlin and Merlin and Marthur and Arthur.

Are like King Arthur but Marthur. The names are weird and my favorite character is Furlin because she is supposed to be Merlin.    

Texas 

I enjoyed this book but would make it like Hogwarts and about teaching magic, Fairies, monsters, flying brooms, wands, and owls and potions and spells and more magic.  The story would be better, in my opinion, if it also had a big epic battle between good and evil.  Overall, it is a great story that talks about theme of bullying and being famous.

I think the kids who like King Arthur should read this book because it has a lot of magic it will make you want you finish the book. It has dragons and dancing eggs, and an Excalibur-like spoon.   

The Hobbit

The Hobbit    

By JRR Tolkien

Reviewed by Anna C.

This is the story of a Hobbit. A Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who lives in a cozy little Hobbit hole in the ground in an area known as The Shire, with everything he needs. A hobbit hole is a hole in the ground. It is not a dirty hole li  Hobbits are little creatures smaller than dwarves that have a thick layer of skin and fur on their feet, so they almost never where shoes. Hobbits love eating and drinking and are normally fat. Hobbits also love comfort and they are in no need of adventure. Just their own cozy Hobbit hole full of food and comfort.

One day the Wizard Gandalf came to Bilbo’s home with a company of 13 dwarves. Gandalf is a tall, powerful wizard who believes Bilbo is an adventurer at heart. The dwarves’ names are, Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur and Thorin. They are all skilled, homeless old dwarves with very long beards. Thorin is a descendant of rulers from the town of Dale who were once very powerful.

Gandalf believes Bilbo would be a good thief to take on the dwarves’ mission to take back Dale from the evil dragon Smaug. Smaug lives inside Lonely Mountain which towers over Dale and he sleeps on a pile of treasure stolen from the once amazing town. The town is now in ruins and no one lives there. Thorin wants to bring back the beauty of the town. The plan is simple. Get to Dale, defeat Smaug, split the treasure. The journey just to get to Smaug’s lair in Lonely Mountain would be long and dangerous, though. They will leave the Shire, go through Bree, Rivendell, the Misty Mountains, by the goblin’s lair, pass Carrock, through the dark forest of Mirkwood, where many hidden dangers lurk, past the Long Lake, and finally arrive at Lonely Mountain to face Smaug.

Suddenly craving just a little adventure, Bilbo agrees to go on the mission. Along the way he was wishing he hadn’t said yes, but still loving the feeling of adventure. Bilbo will meet many dangers like goblins, trolls, giant venomous spiders, the deceitful creature known as Gollum, wolves, and most of all, Smaug. Bilbo’s key to success is his ring. He found it in the cave of Gollum on the way to Lonely Mountain. The ring can make anyone invisible when they wear it, but if it falls into the wrong hands, the results would be catastrophic. He will trick people many times by slipping the ring on his finger. He will also make many friends on this adventure, like dwarves, forest elves, and eagles. Bilbo will learn to love adventure on this dangerous journey. In the end he will take part in a dangerous battle fighting over the treasure with the evil forces of the land, winning his prize of a share of the treasure and will return home victorious.

 It was a little ironic that everyone thought Bilbo was a normal Hobbit with no skills and he ended up being the key part of the mission. This book is a fantasy because of evil goblins, shape shifters, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and dragons. I love the way this book is told in the third person by JRR Tolkien and how wonderfully words are used to tell the story. It was so detailed that I could really see what the characters were seeing. I can relate to Bilbo in how he was hesitant to try something new, but ended up loving what he tried. I wouldn’t change anything in this book and nothing should be changed. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good story.

Magyk by: Angie Sage                Ana M.

Characters:

The book Magyk by Angie Sage is the first in the series about Septimus Heap. Throughout most of the book Septimus is known as Boy 412, his army number. Septimus is the seventh son of the seventh son and the seventh son is known to have great powers. His parents are Silas and Sarah Heap. Septimus was stolen at birth by DomDaniel, because of his magical powers and was raised in the Young Army till he was ten.

Jenna is the Queen’s daughter but did not discover her true identity until her tenth birthday. Jenna was orphaned at birth and raised by Silas and Sarah Heap.

Marcia is the Extra Ordinary Wizard and has a lot magical powers and takes her job very seriously. She was Apprentice to Alther Mella who was the Extra Ordinary Wizard until DomDaniel’s Assassin killed him.  Marcia has a temper and isn’t very fond of Silas. Most people are afraid of Marcia, but she doesn’t realize it.

Silas Heap is the seventh son of a Wizard and he is a Wizard himself. Silas was Alther’s Apprentice and on track to become the Extra Ordinary Wizard but gave it up to marry Sarah. He has seven sons and found Jenna as a baby and took her in. He is a very loving father and very attached to his wolfhound Maxie.

Aunt Zelda is Silas Heap’s sister. She is a very kind woman who is a little out of the ordinary. Aunt Zelda is a White Witch. Aunt Zelda lives at the Marram Marshes in the Keeper’s Cottage. Her job is to watch over the dragon boat, which is kept in a secret underground tunnel. Aunt Zelda is good at making magical potions but not so good at cooking.

Alther Mella is a ghost. He used to be the Extra Ordinary Wizard. Alther was Apprentice to DomDaniel but hated Darke Magic and didn’t want to get involved. Alther was next to DomDaniel when he plunged himself from the Wizard Tower and into Darke Magic. People respected Alther for ridding the castle of Darke Magic. Alther is very close to the Heaps and Marcia and is loyal to Jenna the Queenling.

DomDaniel is the evil X Extra Ordinary Wizard. He practices Darke Magic and tries to kill Jenna so he can return to the castle and regain power. DomDaniel killed the Queen on the day Jenna was born and tried to kill Jenna the Queenling but was unsuccessful.

Nicko is Silas and Sarah’s sixth son. He is very close to Jenna and very protective of her. Nicko is a Wizard but his passion is sailing.

Dragonsong

                Dragonsong

By Amelia E.

Dragonsong is by Anne McCaffrey.  The main character of this book is a 15 year old girl who is named Menolly and she loves to sing and play instruments. She lives on a fishing boat where they have a human  harper who sings and plays instruments. The harper has never been a female. Although the harper has never been a female it doesn’t mean they can’t be a harper. Harpers don’t have anything to do with dragons but dragons are an important part of the story. It can be done although Menolly’s father does not wish for her to be a harper.  She is the apprentice of a harper although her father still doesn’t approve. Eventually she escapes the people on the fishing boat and finds a nest of fire dragons. She raises them and many of them become loyal to her. In the end she ends up in the harper hall which is where those with great musical talents go to learn how to become a harper.

It is a book that has third person view.  I personally am not a big fan of third person view but this book was by far the best with third person view. I would really recommend this book to dragon lovers. It has lots of dragons and firedragons, which are miniature dragons, there are also dragonriders that ride dragons, there are also something called thread that falls from the sky and is like acid.. I just love it. I wouldn’t change a single word in it.  There isn’t much irony in it for those of you that love the funny books that make spit come out of your nose.  I would recommend it to anyone who is good at reading and loves dragons.

Ferno the Fire Dragon

Ferno the Fire Dragon

First book in the Beast Quest series by Sawyer H.

                Caldor the Brave stood at the foot of the misty mountain. The knight’s bronze armor gleamed in the pale morning sunlight. He gripped a heavy sword.

               Turning to his squire, Robin, he used his weapon to point up the mountainside. “I’ll climb above the mist,” Caldor told the boy. “The dragon is close by. I can feel it. I just need to get above the mist so that I can see it.

               For the sake of our kingdom, it must be stopped!”He was soon lost from sight, swallowed by the eerie mist. Robin had never seen a mountainside like this before. With his master gone, he noticed how quiet it was. He shivered, although the air was warm.

               Suddenly, the mountain started to shake. Robin could feel the vibrations traveling through his feet and up his legs. He stumbled to one side and a huge shudder threw him to the ground, knocking his head so badly that his teeth clattered. There was a metallic taste in his mouth and he put a hand to his lips. Blood! What was happening?

             “Caldor!” Robin yelled, scrambling to his feet as the rocks shifted beneath him. “Come back!” But there was no way he could be heard above the grinding screeches that filled the air. The whole mountain shuddered and Robin froze. Was it about to come crashing down?

Rolling out of the way, he glimpsed Caldor high above him, clinging to the dark slope of the mountain. The spiked head of a huge beast reared up behind the knight. It's face was the same color as the slippery stones of the mountain. It's eyes glinted with dark fire.

              In this mythical, fantasy, adventure book: The main characters are: Tom, Elenna, Robin, Caldor, Ferno the fire dragon, King Hugo, Aduro the Wizard, Storm the Horse, Silver the wolf and the blacksmith.

             They live in Avantia--a  land that has been peaceful for ages--with terrains of deserts, mountains, seas, ice lands, forests and plains. Here Tom is  trying to do is put the beasts back to good because the evil wizard Malvel has cast a spell on the beasts so that they wreak havoc on Avantia.

Tom sets out on a quest to free the beasts from Malvel's spell. freeing the dragon restores water to Tom's town. The way Tom frees the beasts is by unlocking the enchanted chain and lock that Malvel put around each beast's neck. Each time tom frees a beast he gets a token, the fire dragon gives him a scale which he puts in his shield ,then his shield can withstand extreme heat.

             This book would be great for 3rd to 5th grade adventure lovers. My experience reading the Beast Quest series is that it is has balance of good, evil, tense, relaxed and happy. the other books in the Beast Quest series have an ice beast, centaur, cyclops, sea serpent, phoenix and many dark monsters like: a giant ape, stone charmer, moon wolf and a ice dragon.

The Secret Series

The Secret Series

By: Pseudonymous Bosch

Reviewed By: Madeline S.

This book series by Pseudonymous Bosch is unique because it is all about a secret, THE secret. I think that Bosch’s style brings you close to the story because he writes in a way that intrigues the reader and really brings the story to life. I personally think that this book series is good for ages 7+ and anybody who likes mystery, humor, fiction, and most of all secrets. The plot will make you want to read through all five books in all your spare time.

This series starts with the book The Name of this Book is Secret and with a warning, that’s right a real warning. “Warning: do not read beyond this page.” The narrator goes on about how dangerous this book is. Then he X’s out the first chapter, he apologizes and says that he can’t tell you the real names of the people, the real place, or anything else real. He makes up names for his characters: Max-Earnest and Cassandra, or Cass for short, then he launches into the story. He starts off with telling you all about Cass, then all about Max-Earnest. The story really begins, though, when Cass overhears one of her Grandpas’ customers telling them about the newest house she is selling. Her name in the book is Gloria and she is a relator.  She always drops off old junk at the abandoned firehouse that Cass’s grandpas call home. They have an “antiques” shop downstairs and live upstairs, but whenever someone comes they never buy anything, they just give away their old stuff to the shop. Gloria drops by all the time and tells stories about the houses she sells. The story about the current house, however, really intrigues Cass because the house belonged to a magician, a magician whose kitchen suddenly burned down! When the gardener smelled the smoke, he went to investigate but found no remains of the magician. Cass starts to wonder if the magician really died or if he escaped.  When Cass and Max-Ernest go investigate at the house, they find themselves pulled into a great and dangerous mystery. The kids join the ancient Terces Society. Throughout this series they are on a quest to discover THE Secret and protect it from falling into the wrong hands!  They and the other Terces Society members have to fight many battles against the Midnight Sun, a group of villains who are also after the Secret. Will Cass and Max-Ernest ever discover the Secret or will it remain just that, a secret? Will you the reader ever find out what it is? Do you really want to know? Bosch warns the reader that this information could be deadly!

I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense that are present throughout this series. There are some surprising twists and turns in the plot that keep you guessing what is coming next. But the best part of this series is that Bosch makes the story really fun to read because he uses so much humor!

The Trespassers

The Trespassers

By Logan W.

The Trespassers was not that good of a book and did not impress me. It seemed like it was trying to be scary but wasn’t. Also, parts were added to make it dramatic but the book had foolish endings. The conflict was too quickly solved, not allowing the reader to understand how the disagreements and tragedies started and developed, instead the Trespassers gave too much information on what the surroundings were like.

The story starts when summer vacation starts and an older sister has to help her eight-year-old brother [thus being Neely and Grub]. Neely is the only person in her family who can help Grub get through his strange emotions. They usually go up the hill to a mansion known as Halcyon House. Halcyon House’s previous inhabitants had bad luck running through their rich blood, making some to believe the manor is haunted. Despite what others say, the two sneak into the house and explore; that is until the owners, the Hutchingson’s, return to the mansion. Neely and Grub and the family that live at the home will have to get along before and accidents happen in this haunted mansion.

The story is not scary and does not explain how the conflicts are solved. It includes a very bad ending, by not explaining how things happened. The book told me useless information about the past. To top it off, the main conflict is in the last 18 pages [has no climax!]. This book is unfitting to its genre and is not good. The book is for people over age 10 who want short reads and no fantasy [if you still want to read this book].

The Magicians Elephant

The Magician’s Elephant

Reviewed by: Griffin H.

This unusual little tale begins in the French town of Baltese, where a young boy named Peter Duchene lives with an old soldier. His mother, father and sister are all dead. Or so he thought. One day when the boy was sent to the market to get some food, a mysterious fortune teller appears. She states that an elephant will lead him to his long lost sibling, Adele. A little while later, an elephant crashes through the roof of an opera house during a magic show. There then begins a most peculiar adventure, involving a police officer, a homeless man with an amazing voice, a blind dog, a man that is bent sideways and cannot control his humor, a noblewoman, a manservant, and most important of all, an elephant. Filled with unusual dreams, what seems to the public eye as insanity, joy, sadness, magic, wonderful news, and loneliness, this is a great book for most ages 10 and under.

Great book if intending to read with family, no violent themes, and many interesting people, back stories, and details that all great writers would include makes this book worth reading for most. A short, simple story if you can spare 5 minutes.

The Incorrigble Children of Ashton Place

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place- book 1 The Mysterious Howling

Reviewed by M.P.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (book 1 the mysterious howling) by Maryrose Wood is a very good book about strange children that were raised by wolves. Found on a hunting expedition in the huge woods of Ashton Place are three children (later named Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia) that seem to have been raised by wolves. They are not wearing any clothes and do not speak English, instead they speak in barks, howls, and yaps. Clearly they need a governess. Fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley, recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, answers the call of Lord and Lady Ashton. Miss Lumley is a great governess and the children love her, but will she be able to civilize them in time for Lady Ashton’s Christmas ball? Should she even try?

I would say this book is good for grades 2 or 3 and up. It is not violent or anything, but younger children might not understand it. This book is for anyone who likes good stories, or if you are a fan of books like A Series of Unfortunate Events (the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place isn’t nearly as dark though). This book is part of a series of 5 I think but I am not completely sure. I am reading the 2^nd one now and it is also really good. The first book is available at the Seabury Library and I am not sure about the others. If this book sounds good to you, you should definitely read it.

The Emerald Atlas

The Emerald Atlas

^{by Logan W.}

The Emerald Atlas is a good book with a great action story inside. The book mixes time travel and fantasy, so it can get very confusing too.  The unordinary mix of time and place, along with many un-needed characters who go back and forth throughout space-time creates some turmoil.

The story starts out with three siblings, Kate, Emma and Michael, who were left by their parents when they were young. The children went to numerous orphanages but never stayed in one place for very long. All three children had messed up their adoption interviews and were soon moving to an orphanage in Cambridge Falls, NY. They discovered the town was mysterious with a very bad past. The orphanage also was mysterious, all the rooms were abandoned and they were the only children there.

After a couple of days at the orphanage, the three find a secret room and a book with a worn green cover. The book that they found was probably a photo album. They also found an image. The siblings put the photograph in the book and discovered the Emerald Atlas.

The team used this book as a time traveling device. A child would put in the image and would go to the destination that the image was taken at. Trapped through time, the children soon learned that only they could harness the power of the book and use it to stop evil.

The Countess, a greedy witch that was hoping the Atlas could be hers, used her magic to try to take the book out of the children’s possession. As Kate, Michael and Emma meet various figures throughout the book they fight bookbook to keep it out of the wrong hands. The book is an action packed sequence of time travel that will really tempt 3^rd-7^th Graders to read the Emerald Atlas.

The Emerald Atlas is a good book that shows a lot of humor and fantasy, with a little bit of history and backstories that really explain the characters. The reader will find it very interesting. The book is available at the Tacoma Public Library, Seabury Library, King County Library, and Amazon. 

Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian

The 4^th book in The Chronicles of Narnia series

Reviewed by Sawyer H.

Sitting on a train station bench were the siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. It was a sleepy morning. The train station was almost deserted. All of a sudden, Lucy said, “Ow!” Edmund was about to ask Lucy what was wrong, when he too said, “Ow!” “Susan let go!” said Peter. “I’m not touching you,” said Susan “someone is pulling me.” “This is magic I can feel it" said Edmund.

Then the bench, the luggage, and the platform disappeared. Then they were in a thick wood so thick that you could hardly see a yard in front of you. "Peter do you think we could be back in Narnia?" said Lucy excitedly. "We could be anywhere." said Peter. “Let’s try to get out to the open… if there is any."

With some difficulty, a few nettle stings, and thorn pricks, the children stumbled upon a beach. There was no land in sight or clouds in the sky. The sun was where it should be at 11:00 in the morning. Five minutes later, everybody was barefoot and wading in the water.

"This is better than being on a stuffy train on the way back to Latin, French and Algebra." said Edmund. Then for quite a long time, there was no more talking, just splashing and looking for shrimps and crabs. “All the same,” said Susan “I suppose we’ll have to make some plans. We shall want something to eat before long.”

“We’ve got the sandwiches Mother gave us for the journey,” said Edmund. “At least I’ve got mine.” “Not me,” said Lucy. “Mine were in my little bag.” “So were mine,” said Susan. “Mine are in my coat-pocket, there on the beach.” said Peter. “That’ll be two lunches among four. This isn’t going to be such fun.”

“At present,” said Lucy, “I want something to drink more than something to eat.” Everyone else now felt thirsty, as one usually is after wading in salt water under a hot sun. “It’s like being shipwrecked,” remarked Edmund, “In the books they always find springs of clear, fresh water on the island. We’d better go and look for them.”

“Does that mean that we have to go back into all that thick wood?” said Susan “Not a bit of it,” said Peter, “If there are streams they are bound to come down to the sea, and if we walk along the beach we’re bound to come to them.”

This book makes me feel adventurous, exited, happy, and always on the edge of my seat. This is not the first time they have been to Narnia, but Narnia has changed. In Narnia you can stay for years and years and when you leave almost no time at all has passed.

 When you are here, time in Narnia seems to speed up. For example, if you were here for a year it would be thousands of years in Narnia. That is the case of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy

These siblings are going to "Aslan's How", a cracked stone table with ancient writing on it with a maze of tunnels under it. (The Stone Table, you will know what this is if you've read the other Chronicles of Narnia series.) It sits atop a lush green hill in the land of Narnia, with a forest to one side and on the other side an ocean.

  In the book, they encounter the three Bulgy Bears, Prince Caspian, Trufflehunter the badger, Trumpkin the dwarf and three Centaurs. They have to work together to defeat the evil. Because so much time has passed in Narnia it is a very different experience for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.

The Candymakers

The Candymakers

By: Wendy Mass

Reviewed by: Madeline S.

The book The Candymakers by Wendy Mass is unique because there are five different sections in the book, each one told by a different main character. The first four sections are actually the same events but as seen from the perspective of each character. As you read farther into the book you learn more about each character and what really happened to them. I think that Mass’s style brings you close to the story because she tells it through an all-knowing narrator that can see into all of the main characters’ thoughts in turn. I personally think that this book is good for anyone 6+ who likes a book that keeps you on your toes and who likes a good mystery. The plot will keep you guessing and wanting to read more.

This book opens with a boy waking up to the smell of sweet cotton candy. His name is Logan Sweet. He is the son of a famous candymaker who runs a factory called Life Is Sweet. Logan has been accepted to compete in the Annual New Candy Contest, which is only for 12 year olds. The contestants have to make a candy, the judges then taste the candy and read what ingredients were used. The judges decide which candy is the best; that candy will be sold all over the country in lots of candy stores. Logan is very excited to compete but also nervous because his grandfather and father previously won. He feels like he has to prove that he can also be a great candy maker by winning the contest. This year his dad’s factory, Life is Sweet, is hosting some of the contestants; their names are Miles O’Leary, Philip Ransford III, and Daisy Carpenter. On the first day, Logan greets the others at the door, and then Max, one of the workers, gives them a tour of the factory. Daisy is super cheerful and awed by the factory, Miles is very quiet and his favorite part is the factory library, but Philip wants to start making candy right away and is very rude when they don’t. Finally they are introduced to the candy lab where they will be making their candy for the contest. The contest is just two days away. Will they all make good candies? Who will win? Will it be one of them or one of the other 28 contestants?

I really enjoyed the mystery that is present throughout the book. There are some surprising twists and turns in the plot that keep you guessing what is coming next. Mass makes this story fun to read because she tells the same events through each character’s eyes — it is amazing how much more you learn about the same event when you see it through every character’s point of view!

Equal Rites

Equal Rites

A book review by Daniel S.

Equal Rites is another book of the Discworld series, following Rincewind the Wizzard and Mort. Just as the previous books in the series, this book is great. This one is a bit different from the others so far, in ways that you will find out only by reading it. I also recommend the Discworld series to Harry Potter fans. The book is an excellent way of just letting your mind wander, and will be very enjoyable if you like the books with fast paced plot, scene shifts, and originality, you will most certainly like this book.

All wizards on the Discworld are male, but always we portray wizards as male. All wizards are, indeed, male. Until now, in this story. This is the story of a female wizard, which on the Discworld, is 101% different from a witch. Witches just use herbs, and borrow creatures minds (more of a gentle steering than possessing, rather, you are inside the creature’s mind, and it does not work with humans).  Wizards on the other hand… they are very powerful. You think they hurl fireballs, send lightning, and create huge tidal waves. No, those are sorcerers, the most magical creature on earth. A wizard is an old, tattered man, and looks as if he has seen too much. They in fact, have seen too much.

The female wizard’s name was Eskarina Smith. Her staff, was hidden until she was eight years old. Then her magic began to emerge, very suddenly. But she thought logically, completely baffling any wizard. Or anyone, in fact. She knew how magic worked. This was crazy! No one could possibly know, because it doesn’t. and female wizards were against the lore. There could not be one, it was impossible.

All in all, the rating I give is a 8/8 for ingenuity, originality, comedy, and intensity. The only problem with this, you cannot find a good place to stop. No book could have even been close to similar. Nothing can reflect why anything in the world is as it is, but this does for wizards being male, because wizards don’t exist.

Kitten's First Fill Moon

Kitten’s First Full Moon

By Maxine P.

The book Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes is very cute and funny. It has very unique artwork that fits the story perfectly. In the story, Kitten sees the little bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. She chases it and chases it and lunges at it and jumps at it but never seems to get close. Poor Kitten! In the end she returns home where there is a big bowl of milk waiting for her, and she drinks it all and then curls up and goes to sleep.

It is a picture book, so for young people. Older people may enjoy it too. It is very cute and also amusing, it is worth reading. It is available in the Seabury library.