The Serpent’s Secret Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1 by Sayantani Dasgupta Adventure Fantasy Mythology Tween * * * Stars (Pretty good) Kiranmala thinks she’s just an ordinary Jersey kid, but on her 12th birthday, she finds out she’s really a princess from another dimension. Before she can even really wrap her mind around that her guardians (people she’s thought were her parents all these years) are kidnapped, her house gets ransacked by a rakkhosh … Read more
The Hidden Oracle The Trials of Apollo #1 by Rick Riordan Audio Edition Adventure Fantasy Mythology Mystery * * * * Stars (Great!) The Greek god, Apollo, has been transformed into a teenage boy named Lester – complete with acne and flab! He’s not sure why he’s being punished (or what for), but he quickly discovers he’s in danger. He’s lost most of his godly powers and those that remain are hampered by his mortal … Read more
La Belle Sauvage Book of Dust #1 by Philip Pullman Adventure Fantasy Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) In this first book of a series that takes place prior The Golden Compass, Malcolm (12 years old) learns of the existence of baby Lyra (said to be the child of Lord Asrael and Mrs. Coulter) who comes to be looked after by the nuns at a nearby convent where Malcolm helps out. He becomes … Read more
Sink or Swim Whatever After #3 by Sarah Mlynowski Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Abby and Jonah go through the mirror again! This time they fall into the story of the Little Mermaid and it starts out in the water. When they finally swim to shore, they are in the Kingdom of Mustard (Prince Eric’s). When they try to find Ariel they take a painting of the prince and it … Read more
If the Shoe Fits Whatever After #2 by Sarah Mlynowski Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) When Abby and Jonah knock on the mirror (again!), this time they fall into Cinderella’s story!!! And when they are trying to help Cinderella find some kind of job to get out of her evil stepmother’s house, they try cleaning (she hates cleaning). That doesn’t work. They try sewing (she’s not very good at sewing). … Read more
Fairest of All Whatever After #1 by Sarah Mlynowski Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Abby, a girl who wants to be a judge when she grows up, has just moved!!! New school, new friends, and new everything! During nighttime when she finds her brother knocking at a giant mirror in the basement, she finds the purple mirror hissing! (It turned purple and then it sucks Abby and Jonah in!!!) When … Read more
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Greta is training to become a blacksmith and isn’t really seeing the value in producing something like swords, which no one really uses anymore. Then she finds a tiny green dragon – one of the tea dragons – whose caretaker introduces her to the care and keeping of these special creatures and it opens her mind to the … Read more
Stargazer Land of Elyon #4 by Patrick Carman Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) I like how “Star Gazer” has a lot of adventure and is full of fantasy. I also like how Alexa becomes a leader. But the book is drawn out and you get bored until further in the book.
The Power of Poppy Pendle by Natasha Lowe Fantasy Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) This book is about a girl named Poppy Pendle who is born a witch. Her parents are very proud because they don’t have powers and Poppy got powers from her grandmother. When Poppy turned 7 she went to a special school called Ruthersfield Academy. She does really well, but her real passion is baking, not magic. She tells … Read more
Lady Midnight Dark Artifices #1 by Cassandra Clare Adventure Fantasy Mystery Romance Supernatural Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) It is in the world of Shadowhunters and it is very well written. You can never predict what is going to happen and that is what makes Cassandra Clare one of my favorite authors. It follows a girl named Emma and her parabati – her sworn platonic partner for life, Julian. She … Read more