Genre: Fantasy

The Serpent’s Shadow

Following the events of Book Two of The Kane Chronicles: The Throne of Fire, Carter and Sadie prepare to face the Serpent of Chaos, Apophis. “It had been six months since the Chaos snake Apophis had escaped from his Underworld prison, but he still hadn’t launched a large-scale invasion of the mortal world as we’d expected.” Apophis has attacked several Nomes—organized groups of magicians—but Apophis seems to be waiting for the perfect time to launch a destructive attack on the entire mortal world. As Apophis’ attacks on groups of magicians continue, Carter and Sadie are determined to find a way to defeat Apophis, before he can reach his goal of overrunning the mortal world with chaos.  

In this book, Carter and Sadie reflect on and experience a lot of loss, which some readers may be able to empathize with. Carter explains, “I’d already lost so many people. My mom had died when I was seven. My dad sacrificed himself to become the host of Osiris [Egyptian god of the dead] last year. Over the summer, many of our allies had fallen to Apophis.” Having lost so many people that they love, Carter and Sadie have grown closer, and they recognize how important it is that they support each other. As Carter explains, “I needed [Sadie].”  

An important theme in The Serpent’s Shadow is Sadie’s evolving relationships with Anubis, the Egyptian god of funerals, and Walt, her friend and fellow magician. Middle-grade readers will likely sympathize with Sadie as she struggles to understand her emotions. Sadie explains that she does not really know what she wants and feels conflicted. “My heart had been torn between [Walt] and Anubis for months now, and it just wasn’t fair of Anubis to pop into my dreams, looking all hot and immortal, when poor Walt was risking his life to protect me.”  

Things take a dramatic turn for Sadie when Walt, who has been dying of an incurable curse, is able to live—but only by becoming the mortal host of Anubis. At first, Sadie is mortified and does not know how to handle both Anubis and Walt being in one body, but she is ultimately able to accept this. Sadie “saw [Walt] smiling down at me. Anubis, too. I could see them both, and I realized I didn’t have to pick.” Sadie ultimately decides to pursue a relationship with Walt even after he becomes Anubis’ host, saying, “This was a new boy in front of me, and he was everything I liked.”  

Ultimately, to defeat the Serpent of Chaos, Apophis, the gods and goddesses must work together with the mortal magicians. While the gods and goddesses keep the serpent at bay, Carter and Sadie are able to perform a spell and defeat Apophis by destroying his shadow, or his sheut. Carter and Sadie visit their parents in the underworld, where their mom emphasizes the importance of magicians working in tandem with the gods to create harmony. Carter and Sadie’s mom says, “Keep teaching the path of the gods. Bring the House of Life [the organization of the magicians] back to its former glory. [Sadie] and Carter will make Egyptian magic stronger than ever. And that’s good . . . because your challenges are not over.”  

Readers who enjoy mythology, action, and magic will love this series, which is an absolute must-read because of its message of working together to make the world a better place, or in Carter and Sadie’s case, to defeat the Serpent of Chaos.  

Sexual Content  

  • While running from an angry goddess, Walt, Sadie’s friend and fellow magician, kisses Sadie. “He nodded, then gave me a hasty kiss. ‘Good luck.’”  
  • After successfully performing a spell to avoid being captured, Sadie kisses Walt. “I kissed him properly—or as properly as possible given our situation.”  
  • Carter and Zia, Carter’s friend from the first two books and fellow magician, kiss. “She leaned over and kissed me. I’d imagined this many times, but I was so unprepared, I didn’t act very cool about it. . . I said something like ‘Hum-uh-huh.’” 
  • Carter and Zia kiss while on a date in the mall’s food court. “She leaned over and kissed me.”  
  • After Walt explains to Sadie how he agreed to become Anubis’ mortal host so that he could stay alive in spite of his curse, Walt and Sadie kiss. “[Walt] leaned down and kissed me.”  

Violence  

  • Carter and Sadie fight alongside a group of magicians from another Nome, or magician group, from Texas. However, in the course of the battle, the demons sent by Apophis kill all the magicians that came to help Carter and Sadie. Sadie says, “The Texas magicians had welcomed us and supported us . . . ’They’re dead,’ [Sadie] said. ‘All of them.’” The killings aren’t described, but Carter and Sadie find remnants of some belt buckles worn by the magicians that passed away.  
  • A rebel magician leader, Sarah Jacobi, has gathered a group of supporters who believe that Carter, Sadie, and their relatives are dangerous and that Carter and Sadie, not Apophis, have caused the many deaths of other magicians. Jacobi threatens Carter and Sadie, “The Kanes are a plague . . . you must be destroyed. Surrender yourself and your family for execution.” Carter and Sadie do not surrender to Jacobi, knowing that she is wrong, and that Apophis is the threat to magicians and to the mortal world at large.  
  • A river monster attacks Carter and his friend, Zia, and Carter changes into a falcon so that he can get a better view of the monster during the fight. Carter says, “I dove at the monster’s eye, raking it with my claws . . . but I could tell that I hadn’t done any real damage.” Carter and Zia are saved by a giant who appears in the river and defeats the monster.  
  • When Carter and Sadie cast a spell to destroy Apophis’ shadow and defeat him, the Chaos serpent explodes. “His head exploded. Yes, it was just as gross as it sounds. Flaming bits of reptile flew everywhere.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Characters occasionally say stupid and shut up.  

Supernatural 

  • Carter and Sadie discuss the various parts of the soul. Carter and Sadie’s friend and the goddess of cats, Bast, explains the shadow part of the soul. “You can never be free of your shadow—your sheut. All living beings have them…The sheut is not just a physical shadow. It’s a magical projection—the silhouette of the soul.”  
  • Carter is able to channel the power of Horus, a god, since they worked together in the past two books. Because of this, Carter is able to use Horus’ power to change into a falcon if he needs to. “I changed into a falcon . . . it was fairly easy magic for me, since the falcon was Horus’ sacred animal.”  
  • While the gods fight off Apophis, Sadie and Carter are able to combat Apophis with a spell. Sadie explains how she uses the magic. “I faced down my own chaos. I accepted my jumbled emotions about whether I belonged in London or New York, whether I was a magician or a schoolgirl. I was Sadie Kane, and if I survived today, I could bloody well balance it all . . . I stilled my restlessness and let go of my doubts. ‘Ma’at [order]’ I said.”

Spiritual Content  

  • Like in the other Kane Chronicles books, Carter and Sadie encounter the gods and goddesses of Egyptian mythology throughout this book and often fight Apophis, the Serpent of Chaos, alongside the gods. The Egyptian gods in this series are not really worshipped in a traditional sense, but rather are given human characteristics—anger, revenge, love, and jealousy.  
  • Sadie explains of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, “the gods are not human. They have trouble thinking of us [humans] as more than useful tools or cute pets. To gods, a human life span doesn’t seem much longer than that of the average gerbil.”  
  • Characters rarely exclaim “gods of Egypt” when frustrated or surprised.  

Daughter of Sparta

Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis, who holds Daphne’s brother’s fate in her hands, upends the life she’s worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus. If Daphne cannot find them, the gods’ waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother’s life will be forfeit.

Guided by Artemis’ twin—the handsome and entirely too self-assured god Apollo—Daphne’s journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves. A reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, Daughter of Sparta turns the traditionally male-dominated mythology we know into a female-led adventure.  

Daphne desperately wants to fit into the world of Sparta and is willing to jump into battle to keep her family’s honor. She has “strived [her] entire life to be Spartan, to leave behind the Mothakes title hanging over [her] head.” When Artemis threatens to kill her brother, Daphne is forced to go on a perilous adventure. But Daphne isn’t willing to play by the gods’ rules. Instead, Daphne uses her bravery, battle skills, and intelligence to find the missing Muses. Daphne is a heroine worth admiring because she is determined to beat fate and live her life according to her own designs.  

Soon after leaving Sparta, Apollo finds Lykou—Daphne’s childhood friend and possible love interest—following them. The untrusting Apollo turns Lykou into a wolf, who becomes Daphne’s faithful companion. Lykou’s determination to help protect Daphne from danger makes him likable and gives the love triangle an interesting twist. And although Lykou cannot talk, readers will still fall in love with him. On the other hand, Apollo clearly loves Daphne, and although he comes across as arrogant—he is a god after all—readers will find Apollo capturing their hearts as well. 

Readers not familiar with Greek mythology will find Daughter of Sparta difficult to read because of the Greek words, ginormous cast of characters, and many gods and mythological figures that appear. The book contains a glossary of terms, and readers will have to flip back and forth between the text and the glossary in order to understand the plot and how the characters are interconnected. As with most stories of the Greek gods, there are epic betrayals, bloody and descriptive battles, and supernatural enemies that are suited for more mature readers.  

Readers who loved reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan and are ready to jump into a more mature book revolving around the Greek gods will enjoy reading Daughter of Sparta. Daphne is a compelling character who isn’t afraid to make her own mark on the world. Plus, the non-stop action, shifting alliances, and mystery behind Daphne’s birth mix into an exciting adventure that shows that women are just as capable as men and are worthy of respect—even from the gods. 

Sexual Content  

  • After sparring with Lykou, Daphne goes to a celebration. Later, Lykou congratulates her on her battle skills. Daphne’s “gaze trails the line of his bicep, my mouth suddenly dry. Maybe I could let myself enjoy Lykou’s plush lips, find out what it feels like to run my fingers through those dark curls. . .”  
  • When Daphne was born, her father said Daphne was “godspawn and a curse.” He accused his wife of being a “whore.” He cursed the gods and said, “Damn the gods. What more can they do to me? They have nothing left to smite me with. They have taken my wife and given me the spawn of Tartarus as a daughter.” 
  • While at a party, Apollo pushes Daphne against a wall. “His gaze is like a tendril of smoke, the arm around my waist the flame, scorching the narrow space between our bodies. My mind and heart do battle. . . It’s hard to focus on anything else but the arm pressing me close.” Finally, Daphne pulls away. 
  • There is sexual tension between Apollo and Daphne. For example, Apollo “takes my chin in his hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. His thumb passes gently over my bottom lip, and my heart skips a beat. . . His face starts to slowly lower itself toward mine, eyes dropping to my lips. His lips are mere inches from my own when Lykou snarls behind us.” 
  • Daphne cleans herself in a river. After she gets out, Apollo steps in her way. “His body is an unyielding mass, scorching against my chilled skin. His hips press against mine. My knees tremble despite my best efforts as he reaches behind my head, fingers running gently through my soaked curls. . .” Despite her attraction to Apollo, Daphne pushes him away. 
  • Daphne and Apollo argue. Then, Apollo’s “eyes dart to my lips, hunger brewing in his gaze. I catch his hand as it travels down my neck, placing it firmly between my own. . . Warm and sweet, our lips fold together in a warm embrace. A fire erupts inside me . . .I moan against his mouth.” Lykou attacks Apollo. The scene is described over a page and a half. 
  • Before Apollo goes into the underworld, Daphne kisses him. “With no reservation, I pour every one of my burgeoning feelings into our kiss. . . feeling stirs inside of me with each pass of his tongue across my lips. He is the sun, and I am the Earth, underling beneath his lips.” 
  • The story mentions that one of the gods had male and female lovers.  

Violence  

  • Since Daughter of Sparta contains excessive and gory violence between humans, gods, goddesses, and mythological creatures, not all violence is described below. 
  • During a celebration, Daphne spars with her friend Lykou. “He leaps across the arena and strikes his dory [spear] wide. . . I barely roll from his reach in time, my shoulder hitting the dirt hard enough to steal the breath from my lungs. Before he can attack again, I swipe for his legs.”  
  • During the fight, Daphne tricks Lykou. “With an exaggerated grimace of pain, I slump my bruised shoulder ever so slightly. . . [Lykou lunges] for my injured shoulder. . . I twist and swing to meet him as he jumps right into my reach. . .my dory has already grazed his side, tearing what little he has of a chiton in a strike of victory.” The fight is described over two pages. 
  • When Apollo turns Daphne’s friend into a wolf, her “fist meets Apollo’s chin with a solid crack. He spins, crumpling to his knees.” Realizing what she had done, Daphne falls to her knees. Apollo doesn’t punish her.  
  • A god leads Daphne into the forest. “Her claws dig into my arms, dragging me to my feet. . . Wrenching from her grasp, I slash my dagger across her pale throat. . . The handle of my dagger is slick with her blood, but I find my grip and plunge the dagger forward. She chokes, cackle cutting off with a gurgled screech as my dagger finds its home in her heart.” The woman falls and transforms. “Apollo is spread-eagle across the ground, a river of red pooling beneath his tangled curls.” Daphne prays to Dionysus, who saves Apollo’s life. 
  • Daphne and Lykou (who has been turned into a wolf) are looking through outdoor stalls. A blacksmith gets upset that Daphne is trying to barter with him. “The blacksmith swings at Lykou’s throat just as the wolf leaps into the air. . .” Daphne steps between the two, and Lykou’s “fangs barely miss my fingers. I slam the blacksmith’s wrist into the brick wall. He yelps, dropping the sword. . . The blacksmith’s meaty fist soars above my head. . .” 
  • During the fight with the blacksmith, his apprentice jumps in. The apprentice “flings a hammer at my head, and I duck just in time to hear it sing past. A fist follows in quick succession. . . I catch his fist a heartbeat before it can pummel my gut.” Daphne outmaneuvers the men and quickly flees. 
  • King Minos wants to end the gods’ reign. He says the gods “have suppressed, stolen from, and murdered us . . . We no longer bow and scrape to their selfish siblings, no more sacrifices of our children to appease their unruly children’s whims.” To weaken the gods’ powers, King Minos throws three Muses into the Minotaur’s lair. 
  • While Daphne is sneaking through King Minos’ palace, guards capture her. As the guards question her, Theseus appears holding weapons. The guards turn their back on Daphne, and she “slip[s] the dagger from beneath my sleeve and ram[s] it deep into the nearest guard’s back. . . angled up to pierce beneath his bottom ribs. He collapses. . .” 
  • When the other guard sees his dead friend, “he swings the sword for [Daphne’s] head, and [she] roll[s] beneath his reach. [Her] dagger slices right through the tendons on his ankles. . . [Theseus] slams a blade through the back of his neck.” Daphne and Theseus hide the bodies. 
  • Daphne and Theseus go into the Minotaur’s lair to save the Muses. When the Minotaur finds Daphne, “It lunges. I leap to the side, narrowly avoiding obsidian claws as they rip through the air. Theseus is not so quick and releases a horrible, anguished yell. His shoulder shreds beneath the Minotaur’s reach. . .I spin and lash out with my sword. . . the blade barely leaves a mark.”
  • During the fight, the wolf Lykou “leaps and catches the beast’s arm between his teeth. The Minotaur only growls in annoyance, shaking the wolf off. Before Theseus can jump away, it sends him hurtling backward with a solid kick to the gut. . .” At Theseus’ request, Daphne flees. The bloody fight is described over two pages. 
  • Daphne finds the Muses in the Minotaur’s lair. “Amid a ruin of rubble and rotting bodies, a cage sits in the center of the landing. Bones make the bars, the locks and corners held together by circles of stone. . . Three tattered women huddle inside it.” The cage was closed using “magic only a few Olympians can wield.”  
  • Blood is the only thing that can open the cage and free the Muses. Daphne details, “I draw my blade across my palm. Blood pours from my hand, and I slap it against the carvings. My blood runs freely, too quickly, and my vision begins to spin. The bone crumbles beneath my hand. . .”  
  • Daphne leads the Muses through the Minotaur’s maze. The Minotaur “grabs Terpsikhore [a Muse]. His claws dig into her arms. A choked scream escapes her. Lykou snarls, jaws clamping down on the beast’s other arm. He only holds on a moment before the beast flings him across the room.” 
  • While in a large room, Daphne finds a broken statue and grabs the kerykeion, the staff carried by Hermes. Daphne attacks. “I land on the Minotaur’s back again. My legs wrap around the broad torso. My thighs burn with the effort, my battered arm barely keeping its grip. . . With a single stab, the wing of the kerykeion pierces the Minotaur’s eye and pushes deep into his skull. A last shuddering exhalation shakes its entire mass. It collapses and I rocket across the floor.” The Minotaur is dead. Theseus, Daphne, and the Muses escape. The scene is described over three pages. 
  • The god of war and Hermes go to Tartarus and meet an unnamed goddess. Ganymede, a Trojan prince who was abducted by Zeus and taken to Mount Olympus to be his cupbearer and lover, follows Ares. When Ganymede is found, “The herald’s arms are like bands of iron, keeping Ganymede from fleeing. . . Ares’ hand lashes out, catching Ganymede by the throat. . . [Ares] gives the spy a sharp kick in the ribs. The god’s ribs crack audibly . . .” Ganymede is injured but not dead. 
  • Daphne and her companions are sleeping when Minos and his soldiers surround them. A fight ensues. “Lykou snatches [a soldier] and drags him screaming beyond the camp. White teeth flash, the sharp tang of blood hangs heavy on the air. A moment later, Lykou returns to tear another soldier into the dark, his screams snatched from the air by a terrifying snarl.”  
  • Apollo also fights the soldiers, and “blood arcs through the air and screams erupt around me. . . [Apollo] moves through the line of soldiers with deadly efficiency and precision, a warrior when threatened. The sharp song of metal meeting metal echoes into the night. . .” 
  • During the fight, Minos attacks Theseus and “rams a dagger” into him. “Theseus collapses in the dirt, eyes locked on mine. His blood pours into the earth. . . He chokes slightly, his eyes desperate, begging me to reverse this. The warm pool of blood beneath him stains my knees.” Theseus dies. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • During a celebration, many people, including Daphne and Lykou, consume alcohol, some to the point of being drunk.  
  • While at a party, Daphne and other guests drink wine. One guest “downs goblet after goblet of the fruity wine.” 

Language  

  • Profanity is used rarely and includes ass, bastard, damn, and shit.  
  • Daphne thinks Apollo is an “arrogant ass.” 

Supernatural 

  • When Artemis finds Daphne’s brother Pyrrhus spying on her, she turns him into a stag. “No warning or dramatic fanfare precedes the transformation. One second Pyrrhus is crumbled on his hands and knees at Artemis’s feet, and then in a blink of an eye, a stag stands before me.” 
  • Apollo shapeshifts and makes himself look like King Minos.  
  • After fighting the Minotaur, the Muse Urania uses her power to heal Theseus. She touches him, and “the bruising begins to fade, and his nose reassembles itself. . . Her finder continues down Theseus’s broken body, and the slashes across his legs and chest begin to knit together.” Another Muse heals Daphne’s wounds.  
  • To give Theseus time to heal and to escape Minos’ palace, one of the Muses stops time.

Spiritual Content  

  • The story occurs in Sparta during King Menelaus’ and Queen Helen’s rule. The Greek gods play a prominent role in the story and intervene in human affairs. Below are just some examples of how the gods play a role in the story. 
  • One man warns, “The drought has left our people with ire. The kings of Greece grow restless, their people hungry, and the gods bored. A reckoning awaits beyond the horizon.” 
  • Each year, Sparta celebrates and makes a sacrifice to the gods. An oracle says, “With this race, we not only ask for Apollo’s divine favor but must also give him our strength. . . [Beyond Sparta] children of the Mesogeios sacrificed each year to beasts lurking beneath cities. . . These ills. . . will reach us, just as they have reached even the gods from the heights of Olympus.” The oracle believes the gods are causing natural disasters. 
  • When Daphne and four men begin a race, Menelaus says, “May the wings of Hermes be beneath your feet.” 
  • Artemis appears to Daphne. Artemis says, “My powers—my family’s powers—are dwindling. Olympus is at its weakest, the love and worship of men long since waning. Soon, I will die, my family will die, and all the gifts that we bestowed upon men will wash away like dust across the stones under a heavy rain.” Artemis forces Daphne to help the gods. 
  • Daphne refuses to leave Sparta and help Artemis, so the god takes an arrow and “slices deep across my skin. I cry out involuntarily as searing heat envelops my chest and spreads to my limbs. . . My blood drips from the weapon. . . The arrow slashes out again, faster than any mortal could react, ripping across the belly of my chiton and driving into my stomach.” 
  • Artemis curses Daphne. Artemis says, “The Midas Curse will envelop you, enslave you, and bind you to me. The gold can spread to your toes, molding you into a tool that I might wield as I choose. Mock me, and the gold will crawl to your neck, choking off any insolent words before they can be uttered.”  
  • Apollo accompanies Daphne on her journey and helps protect her. He carries a golden arrow that can bring someone back to life. At the end of each day, Apollo drinks wine. 
  • When Apollo discovers Lykou following them, Lykou “falls to the ground, thrashing and roaring. He claws at his head, back, legs, and neck, skin rippling and contorting in the firelight.” Lykou turns into a wolf. 
  • Daphne almost falls off a cliff, but she catches herself. “As panic seizes me, I send up a prayer to the goddess Tyche for luck and press close to the rock, clenching my eyes shut.” Daphne is able to drag her body over the ledge and is safe. 
  • Daphne meets Prometheus. He is “spread-eagled between twin stone columns, hangs limp from his chained wrist before us.” Prometheus gives Daphne the gift of knowledge. “My life and a thousand others whip before my eyes, there and gone in a blink. And then they return, upended and awash with blue and gray.”  
  • Hermes plays a role in the story. He is a “trickster and foil to many of Apollo’s schemes. . . The god of heralds and thieves is twice as likely to give with one hand while stealing with the other.” 
  • While in the Minotaur’s lair, Daphne finds the Muses locked in a cage. Pasiphae appears and says, “I thought to return and see what foolish nonsense my husband was up to now. . . And it’s a good thing I did, or else these Muses would be dead, and my powers completely gone.”  

Boy 2.0 #1

Win “Coal” Keegan has just landed in his latest foster home, with a big, noisy, slightly nosy family named the McKays. They seem eager to welcome Coal, but he’s wary of trusting them. So, he doesn’t tell them that he went for a walk with chalk in his pocket to cover a nearby street with his art. He doesn’t tell them that a neighbor found Coal drawing, pulled a gun on him, and fired it. He doesn’t tell them the police chased him. And he definitely doesn’t tell them that when everything went down, Coal somehow turned invisible.  But he did.   

Now he has to figure out how. Is he a superhero? Some kind of mutant? A science experiment? Is that why he has no family of his own? As Coal searches for answers and slowly learns to control his invisibility, he turns to the McKay kids and friends both new and old for help. But they soon discover they’re not the only ones looking for a Black boy with superpowers, and the situation is far stranger—and more dangerous—than they ever could have expected.   

From the very first page, readers are pulled into Coal’s life, which is full of mystery and danger. Being thrown into a new foster home would be difficult enough, but Coal is also in danger because he is Black. From the start, Boy 2.0 reminds readers that young Black people have a lot to fear—including the police. Despite being abandoned by his mother, living with strangers, and chased by the cops, Coal isn’t cynical. Instead, he desperately wants to understand his new “superpower” and discover why his mother abandoned him. Readers will relate to Coal’s struggle to understand himself and find a place where he belongs. 

Luckily, Coal has always been able to rely on his friend Door, who adds humor and heart to the story. In addition to Door, Coal begins to trust his new foster family. The kids band together and travel to Mirror Tech’s doors, a company that is conducting military experiments in genetic modification. Soon, Coal learns that he may be a product of one of the experiments, and now Mirror Tech and the military want Coal in custody. This adds suspense and shines a light on real-life issues such as global warming, cloning, genetic modifications, and the dangers that face all Black boys. 

Boy 2.0 is an action-packed story full of plot twists that will leave readers unable to put the book down. The mystery around Coal’s birth is compelling, but the characters give the story heart. He is surrounded by a group of interesting and likable characters who walk into danger with him. Unlike many books, Boy 2.0 showcases a villain that isn’t completely evil—instead, readers are left to wonder if the villain truly wants to help Coal solve the mystery of his power or if he wants to exploit Coal. Although Coal learns more about his heritage, the ambiguous ending sets up the next book in the series but still leaves the reader smiling as Coal realizes the power of friendship and family. Find your next adventure by reading the Jack and the Geniuses Series by Bill Nye & Gregory Mone and the Wild & Chance Series by Allen Zadoff. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Coal reads an article about Allana, a black woman who was killed during a traffic stop. The article doesn’t appear in the text. 
  • Coal’s former foster parent, Tom, has a mental disorder. Coal heard him yelling. Tom “said I should run, that they were coming to get me. . . His eyes were wild, looking in all directions like somebody was going to pop out of the bushes. And he started screaming that I needed to go. . . He pulled out a knife.” No one was injured, but Tom was put in a psychiatric facility.  
  • Coal was using chalk to draw in the middle of the road when a man pointed a gun at him. “As the chalk fell from his hand and hit the ground, Coal heard the crack of the gun. It was louder than he expected.” Coal runs away, frightened but uninjured. 
  • Coal’s mother tells a story about her uncle Saul, who lived in Montgomery, Alabama pre-civil rights. In the Jim Crow South, “successful Black people would find themselves lynched, their businesses burned, their families broken from terror and loss.”  
  • Uncle Saul knew a mob was coming to burn his shop. Saul watched as the mob appeared. “He knew if he ran, it would be torture first, and then murder.” Saul was saved, but “the mob broke everything in that shop and then walked off.” 
  • Saul’s son, Jonas, “was walking home from school when a bunch of white boys started to pelt him with stones. . . He started running. But they were bigger and faster, and he skidded down a slope to a little rivulet.” The boys didn’t find him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Coal’s foster mom gives him melatonin “to help [him] relax and fall asleep.” 
  • Tom’s previous foster parent had a mental illness, and “he was on medication for a long time and that seemed to help.” 

Language  

  • Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes crap, shit, and hell. 
  • Coal calls his friend a jerk. 
  • Coal’s foster brother calls a man “Dr. Jerkface.” 

Supernatural 

  • After getting shot at, Coal ran. When he sees cops, he is terrified and runs away from them. Even though the police are right beside Coal, they don’t see him. After the police leave, Coal “looked at his palms to check for scrapes and dirt. Only there were no palms. Or arms. Or a torso. His pants were standing on their own.” Somehow, Coal had become invisible. 
  • Being able to turn invisible is a hereditary trait in Coal’s family.  

Spiritual Content  

  • Coal’s mother tells a story about her uncle Saul. When in danger from a mob, “he put his hands together, and he prayed. He prayed that he would be safe, that he would be covered by the blood of Jesus, that somehow he would be spared what he knew was coming.” 
  • When the mob passed Saul, “he felt like he was burning, so he opened his eyes. . .” He had turned invisible. “Uncle Saul figured it was the Lord who saved him.”  
  • Saul’s son, Jonas, was in danger and prayed. He turned invisible but thought he was just covered in mud and debris. Jonas’ father “gave him a flogging on the spot for saying that and not believing that, once again, it was the Lord. Jonas went on to become a preacher. . .I think he believed his father would have found a way to come back from the grave and flog him again if he didn’t. Becoming a preacher, he said, kept his father’s ghost at bay.”  

Prince of Song & Sea

Before Prince Eric’s mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him of the deadly curse that plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, plus rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona. The answers he has been searching for come to him in the form of a letter that reveals Eric must find his true love—the one with a voice pure of heart—or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in the first place.

Now, Eric sets off on a quest to find the Isle of Serein, the witch’s legendary home. But after he is rescued by a mysterious young woman with a mesmerizing singing voice, Eric’s heart becomes torn. Does he enter a battle he is almost certain he cannot win, or does he chase a love that might not even exist? Then, when a shipwrecked young woman with flaming red hair and a smile that could calm the seven seas enters his life, Eric discovers true love isn’t something that can be decided by magic. 

Prince of Song & Sea retells the story of The Little Mermaid from Prince Eric’s point of view. However, most of the story focuses on Eric’s backstory, allowing Eric’s personality to become fully formed. Eric hasn’t been able to have normal relationships because of the witch’s curse. However, he does have two close friends who follow him in his quest to find the sea witch. His two friends add humor and depth to the story. Although Eric wants to break the sea witch’s curse, his reasons aren’t purely selfish. When he discovers that the sea witch wants to control Vellona, Eric puts the needs of his country above his own. Ultimately, Eric’s quest allows his bravery and compassion to shine.  

Anyone who loves The Little Mermaid will find Prince of Song & Sea a fun read. While it stays true to the Disney version of the story, focusing on Eric’s life adds an interesting perspective that allows readers to understand why Ariel was willing to risk her life for Eric’s love. Ariel is not portrayed as a love-sick teenager but as a curious, brave, and selfless woman. While some readers may miss Skuttle and Sabastian in this version of the story, Ariel is still a loveable character. 

Fans of fairytales will be swept into Prince Eric’s life and enjoy seeing what the world looks like from his point of view. While Prince of Song & Sea is an enjoyable read, it mirrors The Little Mermaid, which makes the story less suspenseful. Despite this, readers who love fairytales and mermaids will find Prince of Song & Sea entertaining. 

Sexual Content  

  • Eric thinks about kissing Ariel. Eric thinks, “She was wild and beautiful, hair damp with the sea. As they stared at each other, her tongue wet her lips, and Eric couldn’t help wondering what they would feel like against his own. They both leaned closer, her eyes fluttering shut. Eric reached for her, and – the boat tipped.” 
  • One of the female pirates flirts with another girl, and later, the two marry each other. 

Violence  

  • Pirates attack the ship Eric, and his friends are sailing. “A footstep cracked behind Eric. He twisted away, the blade of a short sword piercing the railing where he had been. . . Eric rammed his hilt into [the pirates’] temples.” 
  • Eric’s adviser, Grimsby, fights a pirate named Sauer. “Grimsby plunged his hand into his coat. A shot rang out. Sauer fell backward, blood splattering across the rail. They steadied themselves, blood dripping down their badly grazed cheek, and covered their faces with a hand.” Sauer is injured but doesn’t die. 
  • The pirates tie up the crew. “A purple welt marred Vanni’s cheek, and Gabriella’s bottom lip was busted. Not a single person had died, but neither were they unharmed.” The pirate battle is described over five pages. 
  • After the pirates capture Eric and his crew, they encounter sirens, which can make people see what they most desire. One of Eric’s friends, Gabriella, “lunged toward the edge of the ship…A wide, glassy grief lit her eyes, and she choked back a sob.” 
  • A supernatural storm batters the ship. “Another wave washed over the ship, rocking it to its side, and half the crew vanished in a blink.” The ship breaks up during the storm, and everyone climbs into a rowboat. Eric hears his dog, Max, and climbs back onto the ship. “His foot plunged through the wood, and he tossed Max as hard as he could. The dog vanished over the side of the ship. . . Pain shot through his ankle, and his heart stopped with each clunk of the loose barrels rolling across the fiery deck. . . And the world exploded.” Eric reawakens on the beach. 
  • The crew is attacked by “a malformed tentacle made up of eels. Hundreds of them were knotted together in one monstrous mass, the tangles so tight that blood rained. . . The tentacle curled over the ship, snapping rope and ripping away part of the sails, and gripped two of the masts tight.”  
  • The eels are able to generate electricity. “A terrible crack split the air. . . suddenly the eels along the tentacle bared their teeth. Eric lunged at it, butting through one of the small eels.” When Eric kills the eels’ leaders, “they untangled themselves from the knot of eels, and the electricity fizzled out.” No person is seriously injured. The scene is described over five pages. 
  • Ursula, the sea witch, disguises herself as Vanessa and compels Eric to marry her. But before the wedding, seagulls attack. “The flock swooped again, dropping half-eaten fish and seaweed on the deck. Vanessa shrieked, and the guests scattered. . . the world became a swirl of white feathers. . . A pair of sea lions barreled through the crowd, sliding across the deck and into Vanessa.”  
  • Ursula changes into her true form, grabs Ariel, and jumps into the sea. Eric follows on a dinghy. Ursula “had pinned Ariel against a rock, jabbing the trident at Ariel’s neck. . .[Eric] hauled his arm back before launching the harpoon. It sliced through Ursula’s arm, drawing a hazy cloud of blue blood.” Ariel escapes. 
  • Ursula’s eels grab Eric and “pulled him deeper and deeper, and salt burned in Eric’s eyes. He struggled against his hold, but teeth nipped at his hands every time he tried to break free.” A fish rams into the eels, and Eric gets free. 
  • Ursula causes a whirlpool that “pulled Eric in, sucking him beneath the waves and the holey hull of an old ship passed over him.” Eric pulls himself onto the ship. Before Ursula can kill Ariel, “Eric screamed, muscles aching at the grip it took to keep the ship steady. . . the bowsprit cut through her stomach, impaling her, and the pale waters ran sapphire blue with her blood.” Ursula dies. The battle is described over 14 pages.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • When a storm arrives, a crew member asks, “Which one of you pissed off Triton?” 

Supernatural 

  • Eric’s mother “saw a body floating in the surf. It was a child, small and chilled to the bone. . .” Eric’s mother saved the child, but a witch claimed that the child was hers. When Eric’s mother refused to hand the child over, the witch cursed her unborn child. The witch said, “If that thing in your belly ever kisses someone without a voice as pure as their spotless soul, someone who isn’t its true love, then it will die, and I will drag its soul to the bottom of the sea.”  
  • Before going on a voyage, Eric’s friend Gabriella “tipped a full bottle of wine into the sea before they left the bay as tribute to King Triton of the Sea, and there had been clear skies since.” 
  • Eric hears rumors of a Blood Tide and a ghost ship. “Once you acknowledge the ghosts are there, they ensnare you and force you to make a deal with them. Used to be they just offered. Now you have no choice.” The ghosts use their voice to control people.  
  • The legend behind the Blood Tide and the witch is explained. People would “make a deal with something in the depths so they could live their wildest dreams. The costs, though, were always souls.” 
  • There is a debate about whether ghosts are people who are dead. The pirates capture a ghost, who is “as translucent as a spiderweb in the wrong light.”
  • The witch captures souls, and “they require no maintenance other than a space to store them.” The witch turned Eric’s mother, Eleanora, into a ghost. “A ribbon of seagrass burrowed into her chest. Her form spun and shrunk, bones cracking and mouth open in a silent scream. She condensed. . . all that was left in her place was a ragged brown blade of grass with two branches like flailing arms. It shimmered with trapped magic.” 
  • The witch knows how to use magic in various ways, including how to compel people. At one point, the witch changes into a beautiful woman who uses her voice to control Eric. In addition, “the witch can transform people into whatever they want.” 
  • Nora discovers that one of her parents was from the mer world. Because of this, Nora transforms into a mermaid when she goes into the ocean. A merman explains, “You should’ve been taught how to control the transformation so that it became as natural as breathing. Most children who are part human and part merfolk transform every time they leave or enter the sea, but it can very much be controlled.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

City of Wishes

Make a wish. . . During the New Year’s break, Plum and her friends travel to fancy, fashionable Nakhon City to stay with Sam and his mother, the powerful Lady Ubon. The New Year always brings food, parties, and the grand old tradition of making a wish. 

At first, Plum is dazzled by the big city. But under the glittering surface, many secrets lurk. Mysterious tremors that shake the ground are growing worse by the day. Nakhon’s troubles give Plum a chance to fulfill her own New Year’s wish: to do something big and meaningful with her Guardian powers. But how far will she have to go, and what will she have to give up, to make that wish come true? 

City of Wishes follows Plum and her friends as they travel to Nakhon Island, which is overpopulated. Plum and her friend Cherry are excited to explore Sam’s world—one of wealth and power. Their fun is interrupted when the city experiences several tremors that endanger the citizens. Plum and her friends discover Master Render, an ancient rock creature who is responsible for the tremors. Unfortunately, Master Render acts like a small child whose primary concern is food. Master Render’s appearance adds little to the story other than helping Plum escape from Nakhon Island.  

Sam’s mother, Lady Ubon, offers Plum an opportunity to become a leader for the city. In her quest to become someone important, Plum loses sight of what is important. When trouble erupts, Plum realizes, “Wanting something—wanting it with your entire heart—could make you forget everything else was important.” Even though the villain works for Lady Ubon, Plum and Sam are confident that the villain works alone. This trust doesn’t feel authentic because Lady Ubon knows that the problems surrounding overpopulation have no clear solution. To solve the problem, the villain is determined to take over Lotus Island so the residents of Nakhon Island can relocate. 

Rella, a girl who was expelled from the Guardian Academy, makes another appearance. Plum and most of the other students believe that Rella is untrustworthy. In the end, Rella helps Plum and her friends escape the island, and she serves as a reminder that some mistakes cannot be fixed. Rella knows she can never return to the Guardian Academy and says, “I wish I could do everything differently. But I can’t. Those are wishes that will never come true.”   

City of Wishes feels a little disjointed because the story lacks focus. Plum and her friends explore the island; however, their adventures are not described in detail, which may make it difficult for some readers to visualize the setting. However, black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book to give readers a visual of the diverse characters and some of the key scenes.  

Readers who have read the other books in the series will enjoy seeing the characters in a new light. City of Wishes concludes with Master Render, Plum, and Cherry leaving Nakhon Island and traveling to an unknown destination, which sets the scene for the next book in the series, Temple of Secrets. Adventure-loving readers ready to jump into books with a more advanced plot should read the Legend of the Animal Healer Series by Lauren St. John and the Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Plum and her friends discover that a man plans to use hoverbots to attack Lotus Island. To stop the hoverbots, Plum and her friends turn into their Guardian forms. The hoverbots “were becoming mirror images. . . of us. . . Each of the hover bots had shifted their shapes to mimic our Guardian forms.” 
  • The hoverbots attack Plum and her friends. Plum changes into a roan. “Suddenly it reared back on its hind legs and charged straight into me. I lowered my antlers just in time to take the shock. . . The roan-bot slammed its head against mine. Stars flashed at the edges of my vision as I staggered back.”  
  • A sloth-bot attacks Mikko. “The sloth-bot reared its blocky fist back, aiming a blow straight for Mikko’s face. . . Before the punch could land, the bot was tackled by a large mass of gray fur. . . The bot was fighting an enormous wolfhound.” The battle is described over six pages; no one is seriously injured. 
  • Using Guardian magic, Rella changes into shadows. “The shadows pulsed like they were alive. . . The shadow mass oozed towards [the hoverbots], wrapping itself around them until they disappeared into the dark.” Rella disables the hoverbots. 
  • Rella uses her magic on the villain. Shadows “wove themselves around him, covering him like a cloak. We heard his muffled cries from inside the shadows, but we couldn’t see him at all.” Plum and her friends flee. It is unclear what happens to the villain. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • “Holy pomelo seeds,” “holy celery,” “Holy fern fronds,” and “holy smokes” are used as exclamations. 
  • A girl is called a “sneaking skunk.” 

Supernatural 

  • The students learn how to turn into mythical creatures, such as a fox bat and a gillybear. When they’re in their guardian form, they have special powers. 
  • One of Plum’s powers is to strengthen the other guardian’s powers.  
  • When Plum’s friend is in danger, Plum touches a yamyam tree and “pictured a golden thread running between me and the yamyam tree. I imagined my energy flowing from my antlers, through her bark, deep into her green heartwood. . . Decades of time flashed in seconds and the tree grew tall, then taller still.”  
  • Plum’s mother put a wish in a shell. When the shell becomes hot, Plum blows into its opening, and a “tiny pinprick of light” appears within the shell. Plum hears her mother’s voice, and then “the white light floated out of the shell and hovered in front of my face.” Plum and her friends follow the light to a cave. Once there, they meet a rock creature. Plum is the only one who can talk to the creature. 
  • Hoverbots say ancient chants that turn them into guardian forms. 
  • Plum strengthens Rella, one of the Guardians. “The moment her paw touched my hoof, I felt a zing. It was stronger than what I had felt with the others, like an electric jolt. . .” Rella can create and control shadows. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Golden Scarab of Balihar

Magic made her wish come true. Now she’ll need magic to undo it. 

In a kingdom surrounded by the ever-flowing sands of ancient Persia, sixteen-year-old Zahra dreams of attending the sultan’s lavish events rather than serving at them. Until she crashes headlong into the mysterious prince. Then she just dreams of the prince. Too bad she has no poise, position, or charm to catch his eye. To win his affection would take a miracle. Or magic… 

When Zahra interrupts a love spell meant for the vizier’s daughter, the prince falls for her instead. Zahra gets her wish but incurs the wrath of the vizier, and now he wants her head. Fleeing for her life, Zahra seeks the mythical Golden Scarab of Balihar, desperately hoping the power of the jinni within can shield her from his vengeance. But when she learns the extent of his plan, she’ll have to decide whether to save herself, her prince, or the entire kingdom. 

Readers will be instantly captivated by Zahra, who dreams of becoming a princess. However, when a love spell makes Prince Amir fall in love with her, instead of taking advantage of the situation, Zahra is determined to reverse the spell. Readers will relate to Zahra’s desire “to have something. To experience something. To be a part of something. To belong somewhere.” Despite this, her honesty and integrity won’t allow her to marry the prince unless he genuinely loves her. Zahra’s honesty is admirable and her compassion for others makes her an incredibly likable character who leads readers on an exciting adventure. 

As Zahra flees the kingdom, she acquires a diverse group of friends who help her along the way. Included in the group is the love-stricken Prince Amir who refuses to leave her side, a young servant boy, and an older gentleman who was attacked by thieves and lost everything. Instead of just being stock characters, each person is unique and has some surprising qualities that make them likable. When the group finds the Golden Scarab of Balihar and the jinni, the jinni is full of quirky characteristics that make him unique; the jinni adds an unexpected element of humor to the story. 

Anyone who fell in love with Aladdin as a child will find The Golden Scarab of Balihar enjoyable. After helping save the kingdom, the sultan tells Zahra, “You have also shown yourself to be loyal. More than that—brave, clever, and noble of spirit—worthy of my family, more so than any princess I’ve invited to meet my son. If you so desire, you may wed my son, and a princess you will be as well.” Even though Zahra dreamed about marrying the prince, she realizes that she “didn’t need the life of a princess to be happy.” Zahra’s happy ever after doesn’t include being a princess, but being true to herself. This is an essential message for everyone, and The Golden Scarab of Balihar relays the message with delightful characters and a fun adventure.  

Sexual Content  

  • After Prince Amir saves Zahra from a perilous situation, Amir kisses her. “She lost herself in his firm embrace and in the feel of his lips on hers. She had imagined this more than once . . . For a long moment, she forgot he was under a [love] spell. She seized hold of him and kissed him back. . .” Their kiss is interrupted.  
  • The vizier uses reverses the first love spell and makes a new one that makes Prince Amir fall in love with the vizier’s daughter, Maliha. After they are married and then the marriage is annulled, Maliha sees Hani, the man she truly loves. “She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to her. ‘I love you.’ She kissed him softly on the lips.”  

Violence  

  • A young slave, Rafi, picks dates and eats one before giving them to his master. His master “slapped Rafi hard across his face, knocking the date from the boy’s mouth and causing a trickle of blood to drip down his lower lip. The man grabbed Rafi by the ear and hauled him away, thumping him on the head with the other hand.” 
  • Zahra befriends Rafi and a man named Josef. As they leave an oasis, the king’s vizier sends guards to look for her. While in the desert, a “man blew a long, deep note, and then a second guard joined him using a horn of his own.” The notes summon a dust demon. “Zahra watched in horror as the older man was yanked from his feet and lifted high into the air.” The book implies that Josef died. However, he reappears uninjured.  
  • Zahra, Rafi, and Prince Amir enter a magical underground cave. Vines cover a passageway. “As soon as Amir grabbed hold of the first vine, it snapped out and twisted around his arm, pulling him forward. . . his feet slid along the cave floor as he was dragged into the other tendrils. Rafi was likewise caught in their grip.” Zahra tries to pull Rafi free, but the vines also capture her.  
  • As Zahra tries to escape the plants, “The coiling plants pulled her tight. . . Again she could hardly breathe, not from being strangled, but from having her face covered in creepers. . . Her arms were constricted against her chest.” The three companions free themselves. The scene is described over three pages. 
  • A snake guards the Golden Scarab of Balihar. “Zahra lashed out and wrapped her fingers around the snake’s neck. . . The thing hissed at her, and its body pulled up off the dial to coil around her arm. . . She tried to pull it off her arm with her other hand, but it was wrapped too tightly. . . It opened its mouth and hissed sharply as [Amir] got close, so Zahra pressed down on the top of its head with her thumb to close its mouth.” Then the snake transformed into a “piece of jewelry that wrapped around her forearm.” When Zahra touches its head, it regains “its slithery living form.”  
  • The magical cave that holds the Golden Scarab of Balihar has a huge, living eye on one wall. Zahra “balled her hand into a fist, and pressed it directly into the squishy part of the eye. There was a great roar of wind through the cave, the eye’s lids snapped shut with a wet thwack, and the chamber was plunged into darkness.” 
  • When Zahra and her companions leave the cave, they face a giant scorpion. Amir throws a giant fruit at the scorpion, and “it approached again, claws extended, snapping at both him and Rafi. They each dove aside. . .” When the scorpion tries to strike Rafi, Zahra grabs its tail. 
  • The scorpion tries to “shake” Zahra loose. “Amir ran at the scorpion from the side and jumped onto its back, Rafi following his example from the other. . .” They run back into the magical cave, and the scorpion follows. 
  • While in the magical cave, “The monster slashed out with a claw aimed straight at Rafi’s neck. Amir threw his hands up to catch the pincher. He deflected the strike sufficiently to save Rafi.” Amir falls to the ground and the scorpion’s “pincher snapped shut and lopped off Amir’s pinkie finger.” 
  • When the scorpion goes into a passageway full of stalactite, “The scorpion’s wide body brushed against several of the cave protrusions. Crack!—Snap!—Squish!—Snicks!—Splash! Spike after spike slammed up and down and into and through the carapace of the scorpion.” Blood and gore splattered the prince and Zahra. The scorpion attack is described over four pages. 
  • After Amir lost his finger, Nadim, the jinni, was tired of listening to Amir “screaming like a baby crying for its mother.” So, “Nadim held up a hand, manifested a sharp knife, and sliced off his own pinkie finger. Blood sputtered out and started pouring down his hand.” The jinni offers to heal Amir’s finger, but only if Zahra uses a wish. She does not. 
  • The vizier and his men capture Amir, whom they tie up and gag. Then the vizier “flicked a powder into Amir’s face and he couldn’t avoid breathing it in. ‘Forget,’ the guard said.” Zahra, Rafi, and the jinni Nadim are left without food, water, or horses in the desert. 
  • Zahra and her friends find Amir and try to save him. Zahra falls, and the vizier “stepped on her back to hold her in place, his weight pressing her hard into the earth . . . She saw him draw forth a curved dagger. He was going to kill her! She thrashed, trying to escape. . .” The prince comes to her rescue. 
  • Zahra and Amir were able to escape. As they ride off, “Zahra risked a glance back and saw the vizier wave his hands and throw something to the ground. . . The sands formed into columns and then into the shape of men.” The vizier commands the sand soldiers to capture the prince and kill Zahra and her friends. 
  • When escaping the sand soldiers, Zahra and Amir find a group of brigands threatening Rafi. Zahra tricks the brigands into fighting the sand soldiers. “The brigands yelled again and slashed and hacked at the sand warriors, managing to chop off arms and legs and even a couple of heads, but the warriors absorbed sand from beneath them and regrew their bodies. . . The battle was quick; in a short time, three dead brigands lay sprawled in the dirt.” Later, Amir finds a way to dissolve the sand warriors. 
  • When Maliha, the vizier’s daughter, marries Prince Amir, the demon Ghazi demands to be set free. Maliha refuses the request. “The moment she uttered the last syllable of her defiance, [her father] Yaseen gasped, and his eyes bulged. He fell to his knees. His hands came to this throat—he was struggling to breathe. . .” To save her father, Maliha sets Ghazi free. Ghazi tells Maliha, “You and your father will watch as I tear this so-called Palace of Light to pieces around you. . .”  
  • In a multi-chapter battle, Ghazi attacks the city. “The palace shook again, and more sculptures toppled over and shattered. Braziers fell clanging to the floor . . . The palace residents and guests alike screamed and fled in terror.” 
  • Zahra, Amir, and Rafi go to find the sultan. When they reach his chambers, “the doors lay splintered in pieces in the hallway. Two of the king’s guardsmen lay dead at the entrance, and in the sultan’s expansive inner room, more guards were strewn about, some lying motionless and others writhing in pain.”  
  • The demon Ghazi creates a storm. “A twisting funnel descended and whirled toward the city, raging through the outer wall. Stones and humans alike were swept like debris into the air.” 
  • Ghazi punishes Zahra. “Zahra felt something tightening around her throat. She tried to pull it away, but there was nothing there. . . She couldn’t breathe. Her eyes locked with Rafi’s, and she saw his terror. . . Nadim’s leg arched past her, his foot slamming into the ifrit and sending the demon flying through the wall of the sultan’s anteroom and into the chamber of the Eternal Flame.” Zahra is freed. 
  • Amir jumps into the battle. “He lifted a mirror shard and held it up to the Eternal Flame. An intense beam of light reflected off the mirror, and he aimed it directly into the demon’s eyes. . . the sheer brilliance of it overwhelmed him, and he threw up his arms to cover his eyes.”
  • To save the city, Zahra feeds the Golden Scarab of Balihar to a magical serpent. “The smoke around Nadim and Ghazi had turned to an inky black. It twirled and spun and was sucked inward, shrinking. Zahra heard Nadim’s voice call out one more time.” Nadim gave her “a blood-soaked dagger” so they could release Amir from the love spell.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • After her marriage, Maliha “poured herself a glass of wine.”

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • The king’s vizier uses a spell to summon an ifrit, a demon. The ifrit “had flame-colored skin covered in tattoos of swirling lines and glyphs. Twin spiral horns protruded from its skull above large, tapered ears.” The ifrit can change his appearance “with ease.”  
  • The vizier makes a love spell out of “a jar of frankincense, one of kohl, and a vial of cobra venom.” The spell also required acid from the darkling beetle. The ifrit tells the vizier, “Simply have your daughter present the flower to the prince, see that he smells it, and when his gaze meets her face, he will fall instantly in love.” This spell is used multiple times.  
  • Zahra goes on a journey looking for the Golden Scarab of Balihar. “It was said the Scarab contained a powerful jinni, and everyone knew a jinni would grant wishes to those who freed them from confinement.”  
  • Zahra and her companions find the Golden Scarab of Balihar. When she pulls the wings, “The Scarab once again burst into motion. It thrummed and flew from her hand, up into the air in the middle of the cave, sparks and flashes of golden light trailing behind it. . . A burst of smoke filled the cavern, swirling and raining down glittering powder. . . Finally the air cleared, revealing a figure standing before them.” 
  • The jinni first appears in human form. Then, “he snapped his fingers and golden smoke swirled around until it completely obscured him. The smoke expanded, and from it his teeth and four arms, each wielding a shining scimitar.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • None

Reawakened #1

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe. But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world. 

Lily is a compelling protagonist who has always been a rule follower and an obedient daughter. This all changes when she meets Amon. At first, Lily is suspicious of Amon and doesn’t understand the strange power he has over her. However, when Lily learns that he is a reawakened prince, her determination to help Amon gives her the strength to make decisions based on her own thoughts and feelings. Readers will admire her determination and willingness to put herself in danger to help Amon. 

Reawakened incorporates Egyptian history and rich world-building. However, at times, the world-building is long-winded and breaks the story’s pace. While much of the information is necessary to understand the book’s events, the information often seems like a boring lecture. Lily’s inner musings also slow down the book’s pacing. At first, Lily is trying to understand her physical attraction to Amon as well as Amon’s powers. However, nothing exciting takes place until after the two travel to Egypt. Readers who enjoy action and adventure may find it difficult to slog through the first part of the story.  

From the start, Amon’s goal is to reawaken his brothers. However, the brothers don’t make an appearance until the story’s end, which increases the story’s action and suspense. In addition, the brothers are so incredibly likable that the reader will wish they could jump into the story and meet them. The three brothers’ strong bond and dedication to each other is heartwarming. The brothers are so interesting that some readers will be disappointed that they weren’t given more time.

Unfortunately, the climax isn’t very dramatic because it’s seen through Lily’s point of view, which gives the reader a limited view of the fight against good and evil. However, the conclusion has several surprises, including Lily’s willingness to sacrifice herself for Amon. Readers who enjoy character-based stories that allow them to understand the inner workings of the protagonist will find Lily a relatable character who grows throughout the story. Instead of ending with a happy ever after, Lily’s and Amon’s story will continue in the next book in the series, Recreated. 

Sexual Content  

  • Amon tells a story about Iris and Osiris, two siblings who were married. Amon says “incest” was common among the gods and pharaohs. 
  • Lily often talks about her attraction to Amon and not all of the passages are included below. For example, while they are dancing, “his hands, splayed on my back, moved inch by tantalizing inch downward until they reached the bare skin at my waist. . . he put his forehead to mine. The side of his mouth tickled my cheek. . . I could be kissing him. But I was too much of a coward to make the first move.” The scene is described over a page.  
  • When Lily and Amon are really close, she thinks: “Any slight movement and we could be kissing. With a twang of alarm, I realized that I wanted to experience his lips pressed against mine, and I wondered if it was something I truly desired for myself or if he was making me want it.” 
  • After Lily is injured, Amon’s “gaze dropped to my mouth, and my breath caught. . . I knew without a doubt that he wanted to kiss me. And Egyptian heaven help me, I wanted him to. But despite the fact that I was vividly imagining the press of his lips against mine. . .” Amon moves away from Lily. Lily tries to get Amon to kiss her several times after this, but he continues to keep his distance. 
  • After Lily and Amon’s bond is permanently sealed, he kisses her. “I’d waited so long for his kiss, and it was so much more, so much better than I had dared imagine. Golden sunshine burst behind my closed eyelids as I became a being entwined with the sun.” 
  • Amon’s brother, Astern, makes many sexual innuendos. For instance, when his body is re-formed, Astern says, “I am also grateful for my fully re-formed front, since I am partial to it.” 

Violence  

  • Since the story revolves around Egyptian gods, much of the violence is documented below under supernatural. Amon tells a story about three siblings—Iris, Osiris, and Seth. Seth tricked Osiris into climbing into a box, and Seth’s servants “sealed the lid with molten lead.” Then, Seth went to find Iris. “He was determined to take possession not only of the throne but of his sister as well.” To escape, Iris “leapt upon a moonbeam and vanished.” 
  • Later, Iris discovers that Osiris’s chest “had been thrown into the Nile. By the time she was able to raise the box, it had been broken into by crocodiles, and her husband’s body had been torn to pieces.” 
  • The god Amun-Ra sent out fellow gods, Seth and Horus, to search for Nebu, a golden stallion that roamed the desert. “Seth had heard the rumor that Horus had very powerful eyes and he worried that Horus would likely be the first to find Nebu, so in an act of desperation, he stole upon Horus while he slept and ripped his eyes from their sockets. . . He left Horus to die.” Horus promised to become the leader that Egypt needed, and Amun-Ra gave him a third eye. “It is said that an amulet made with the Eye of Horus can ward off evil, shielding its bearer from harm.”  
  • While looking for Amon’s canopic jars, Lily and Amon enter an ancient passageway leading to a tomb. “Rocks and debris shifted, rising into the air. . .  Amon continued to murmur in ancient Egyptian and the rubble rose higher, shooting past us in a cloud of stinging dust. Pebbles came next, firing through the air like bullets.” Amon’s spell keeps them safe, but the entrance is sealed. 
  • Seth asked three kings to sacrifice their children. When the kings refused, Seth took over a priest named Runihura’s body. “Runihura thrust his fingers into his eyes and yanked the bloody orbs from their sockets. . . he squeezed each eyeball, then opened his hands, a puff of light rising from each palm. . . the light pierced [the son’s] foreheads, and the boys cried out as dark magic lifted them into the air and threw them across the temple.”  
  • The priest warns the kings of doom. “The dying priest gathered his remaining strength and spat. Blood and saliva spattered across the king’s cheek, spraying his white robes with red. . . King Heru surged forward and plunged his own dagger into the neck of the priest, whose body finally slumped in death.” 
  • Seth, who is also known as The Dark One, sends a sandstorm. Amon tells Lily to hide, but she does not. She “cried out in pain and glanced down. The tremendous force was crushing my forearm, bruising the muscles, grinding against my bone, ripping into me, but nothing was there. Suddenly, the pressure lifted, and a crescent-shaped puncture appeared on both sides of my left arm.” Lily is bit several times before she is pulled to a safe location. She discovers the Dark One sent the creatures that bit her.  
  • While in a mountain, “a worm the size of Godzilla” attacks Amon, Lily and Amon’s brother, Astern. “Its gray skin oozed. The front half was all mouth with sharp, circular teeth that went back as far as I could see.” The worm tries to wiggle out of the mountain and attack. “Amon slashed at its side while Astern created magic dust that blew up in puffs of light. . . In retaliation, the worm opened its mouth, spewing neon-green slime and fat clumps of glistening saliva over everything. . .” Astern turns into a bird and takes Lily to safety. 
  • When Amon was a boy, he and his brothers skipped school and went on an adventure. Their teacher didn’t want them to get into trouble, so he followed their trail. He came across jackals. The teacher “did not survive. Our beloved instructor’s gnawed-upon bones were laid before the three of us, and our father honored his sacrifice as a hero.” 
  • Amon finds a man “burned, abused, and bleeding, with one eye ripped out, broken limbs, and bones protruding in several places, yet he still breathed.” The man tries to give Amon a message, but “he gasped as an invisible power lifted his torso. His broken arms dangled at his sides . . .” The god Seth speaks through the man.  
  • In the multi-chapter conclusion, Amon and his brothers fight the Great One in order to keep the god of chaos, Seth, from ruling the world.  
  • To defeat Amon and his brothers, the Great One raises “Masaw Haput—those born of death. You would call them zombies.” A zombie goes after Lily and her companion, Dr. Hassan. “Dr. Hassan sank his two files deep into the zombie warrior’s chest. It just stared at the two of us, breathing raggedly. Then, raising its sword overhead, it let out a supernatural scream, its jaws unhinging, a metal staple the only thing holding the jaw to its skull.” One of Amon’s brothers “took its head off” before it could hurt anyone. 
  • Lily hears Amon’s screams. When she finds him, a tray of ancient tools is close to him. “A pool of sticky blood surrounded the tray . . . Rivulets of blood had dried on his arms. . . Deep slashes marked several places on his thigh, and ugly stab wounds peeked out from between the fragments of what was left of his shirt.” Amon’s eyes had also been removed.  
  • Mummy crocodiles and living crocodiles attack Lily and Dr. Hassan. Amon’s brother, Ahmose, turns into a bird, and the two climb on. Lily falls “landing on the back of a croc mummy that did not like the fact that its remaining back leg broke off upon impact. It spun quickly and snapped at [Lily], grabbing [her] shirt in its teeth.” The crocodile is killed before it can injure Lily. 
  • Dr. Hassan and Lily create an effigy of Sebak, a reawakened man given power by the god Seth. “Dr. Hassan hit the figure three times and I heard a sharp snap like bone breaking. A scream full of rage blossomed, not from the doll figure, but from the giant creature by the pyramids. . .” Sebak became a crocodile beast and was trying to get to Lily. “His left front leg hung limply at his side, and one of his back legs seemed to have given way.” Dr. Hassan finds a way to send Sebak back to the underworld. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • While opening Amon’s canopic jars, Lily is covered in a red powder that makes her feel “nauseated, weak, and dizzy.” Later, she discovers that the red power was a poison that would have killed her if Amon hadn’t intervened. 

Language  

  • Amon yells, “Son of a stunted jackal.” 

Supernatural 

  • Since many of the characters use chants and spells, not all of them are listed below. The story revolves around the god of chaos, Seth, who wants to defeat Amon and his brothers so he can rule Earth.  
  • Amon’s power “is a gift from the sun god Amun-Ra and his son Horus.” Amon says that he needs to “waken my brothers and complete the ceremony to align the sun, the moon, and the stars so that the Dark One, Seth, the god of chaos, may be kept at bay for another thousand years.” Amon often uses chants to help him complete his mission and keep Lily safe. Often, no specific words are given. The chants used to create spells appear below.  
  • After completing the ceremony, Amon “will have my full power and I will be able to manipulate time and send you back to your home so that you will arrive just a moment after we left. No one will miss you. Your family will never even know you were gone.” 
  • In order to talk to Lily, Amon “invoked a spell from the Book of the Dead to be able to communicate my thoughts to you.” 
  • Since he cannot locate his canopic jars, Amon must pull energy from Lily. When he pulls energy from her, “it felt like a gradual draining, but the pull was sharp and painful like someone was vacuuming out my insides with a steel wool attachment.”  
  • When Lily is injured, Amon uses magic to help her. “Amon ran his hand up my arm to my hurt shoulder, and I hissed as he cupped it with his palm. After a quick chant he poured enough warmth into the muscle to rival a heating pad.” Her injury has not completely healed but has lessened. 
  • Amon transports Lily by using sand. The first time, Lily “screamed as wind swept around our bodies, gritty sand stinging my skin like thousands of needles. I watched in horror as my body unraveled, piece by piece, to join the tumult, and my cry was cut off because I no longer had a throat, let alone a voice.” 
  • Amon can use his voice to command people. When Lily tries to leave Amon, he tells her to stop. When she didn’t, “my legs froze with a jolt so sudden that my bag flopped around my front and pulled me off balance. I feel in a heap. . .” 
  • When Amon commands Lily to take his hand, she “made a concerted effort to refuse his command and was rewarded with pain—stabbing, knife-twisting-in-my-gut pain. It made me gasp. . . When my determination weakened, and the pain overwhelmed me, I whimpered and gave in.”  
  • According to Amon, “When you know the true name of a being, be they god, human, or animal, you gain power over them.” A person’s true name “represents your ideal self. The person at the center. The name that is engraved upon your heart.” 
  • Amon reawakens two dead shabti. Shabti are described as, “Human servants were entombed with their leaders, with the understanding that they could journey to the afterlife with their masters and continue to act as servants for the dead kings or pharaohs.” In order to do this, Amon weaves a spell that begins with “Shabti servants, apportioned to me,/ You who molder in corruption,/ I summon you from the realm of the dead. . .” The spell is half a page. 
  • Amon discovers that one of the shabti broke his canopic jars. When Lily opens the one remaining jar, particles “coalesced until they formed a light. . . Slowly, the golden light rose up and out of the container, where it stretched until two wings became visible.” The light turns into a falcon. Amon weaves a spell by saying, “I call upon the falcon, born in the golden fires of the sun. . . Lend your whole, living soul to the one rent in pieces. / offer your resilient wings, your piercing talons, and your discerning eye. . .” Afterward, Amon and the falcon become one. 
  • Amon attacks the shabti. “The shabti shrieked and turned to run, but the falcon was upon him. . . its sharp golden talons grabbed the man, squeezing his torso mercilessly. . .” Before Amon can send him back to the underworld, the shabti disappears “with a puff of red smoke.” 
  • Apophis, a human priest, is a “lecherous man who abused anything or anyone he considered weak and soft. . . He lured women, and when they were at their most vulnerable, he’d strike. . . When he was ready to move on to the next victim, he would sacrifice the young maiden to a giant croc that he adorned with gold bracelets . . .” He was given the nickname, the Eater of Souls, not only because he threw victims to crocodiles but also because of his ability to control the undead. 
  • Apophis sent biloko to hurt Lily. Biloko are “invisible demons with crocodile snouts that, like Apophis, have a taste for females, though, in their case, they prefer the sweetmeats of the eyes, intestines, liver, and heart.” 
  • Amon murmurs, and “grains of sands twisted and writhed, and suddenly three horses burst from the dunes in a blast of shimmering powder.” The horses take Amon and his companions to a forest. 
  • Amon and his companions use an adder stone to pass through a mountain. Lily thinks, “What really freaked me out was that I wasn’t in a secret cave hidden within a mountain; I was passing through solid rock.” 
  • In order to raise his brother from the underworld, Amon weaves a spell. “The stars rise. The stars fall. The stars die. / As do you, my brother. / Astern—the embodiment of the stars. / It is time for rebirth. For renewal. For remaking. . .” 
  • As Amon chants, “sightless orbs and a gaping mouth rimmed with teeth peek[ed] through the wrappings as they fell away. . . The remaining skin was stretched tight and looked like fragments of old leather. In some places, it was ripped off completely, revealing graying bones with hanging bits of flesh.” When Astern is fully formed, he is handsome and muscular. Later, the third brother is also reawakened similarly. 
  • When Amon’s canopic jars were stolen, he lost some of his powers. Amon’s powers are restored when Lily is willing to sacrifice herself for him.  
  • In order to send Amon back, Lily must kill him. She is reluctant to do this, but when Amon reaches up to kiss her, “the kiss was brief. Amon lay back down, eyes wide, as a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. . . the sharp blade as embedded in Amon’s chest up to the hilt.” Afterward, a god mummified Amon. Lily and the god recite a spell from the Book of the Dead and “commemorate his name as we do so. In naming him, we connect his body, his ka, or soul, his ba, which is the character, and his shut, or shadow.”

Spiritual Content  

  • In Ancient Egypt, three kings held a summit, and “each city worshiped a different god. . . The kings had been convinced by their priest that their patron gods had abandoned them and that they should come together as one to make offerings to appease a new god, namely, the dog god, Seth, in order to secure the safety and well-being of the people.” 
  • After the kings made an offering, each king’s wife became pregnant. But then, “the god Seth demands that three young men of royal blood be sacrificed to him and that they serve him indefinitely in the afterlife.” The princes were sacrificed.  
  • Amon, one of the sacrificed princes, chants to the god Seth. “Protect me, God of the Morning Sun. Rebuff those who work evil. Turn aside this calamity. . .” The chant is one page long.  
  • Amon has “been imbued, gifted, with a portion of [the sun god’s] power so that [he] may fulfill [his] duties.” 
  • Amon explains why the pharaohs aligned with a god. “They believed that if they took the names of the gods for themselves, they would receive divine aid. . . They made it so that to reject a pharaoh was to reject deity.” 

Wren

For generations, Wren’s family has lived in an ancient Welsh castle in the mountains. The wind whistles through the halls, and the walls sing to Wren. The cold never leaves, and the sea is just outside her door. Wren is busy inventing things, and her father is busy disapproving.   

But the castle contains a mystery and as Wren is drawn further into it, she realizes the answer lies in the very foundations of her home, foundations that are being shaken to their core. Wren knows something powerful is trapped in her house. Just like Wren. Flight may be the answer, but what if only one of you has wings? 

Wren is a dark, gothic adventure set on the island of Anglesey in North Wales that features a fantastical beast—a dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon rarely appears, which will disappoint some readers. Instead, the story focuses on Wren and her family—her father, her aunt Efa, and her brother Tudur. 

Readers will sympathize with Wren, who is lonely and grieving her mother’s death. Wren’s brother is mean, and her aunt’s only concern is being fashionable. Wren also struggles to understand why her father is so critical. For instance, her father criticizes Wren because she prefers going to sea on her boat rather than being an obedient daughter.  

Due to family dynamics, Wren believes happiness can only be found by running away from home. When her father threatens to send her to a school for misbehaving students, Wren decides to build a flying machine to escape—even though her mother died after crashing her own flying machine. Since Wren feels she cannot trust anyone, she becomes adept at sneaking around and keeping secrets.   

Wren’s character is marked by her determination and curiosity, qualities that make her a compelling protagonist. When she discovers the dragon, she immediately sets her mind to freeing it, devising a plan to teach the dragon how to fly. While some aspects of the story remain unexplained, such as Wren’s father’s frequent references to an ancient relative named Gruffudd ap Bleddyn ap Llewelyn, readers will find themselves cheering for Wren as she persuades her father to do the right thing and set the dragon free.  

The story acknowledges Wren’s grief over her mother’s death and points out that when someone dies, the person lives on. This is showcased when Wren realizes that her mother is still with her—in her memories and her heart. In addition, when Wren is flying, she hears her mother’s voice giving her instructions and encouragement. The memory of Wren’s mother gives her the courage to go against society’s norms.  

Lucy Hope grew up in North Wales, and her love of the outdoors is evident in her writing. Some readers may struggle with the advanced vocabulary such as dauphinoise, abhorrence, obsequious, tetchy, eiderdown, and soporific. However, the writing style is straightforward, so readers shouldn’t have any difficulty understanding the story. Wren will be enjoyed by readers interested in flying, friendship, and finding their voice. Readers looking for a book focusing more on a dragon should instead read Rise of the Dragon Moon by Gabrielle K. Byrne, Rise of the Dragons by Angie Sage, and the Dragon Rider Series by Cornelia Funke. 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence  

  • Wren’s father takes her to church, where a man takes her to the front and compares Wren’s chin to the chin of a skull that was of “Gruffudd ap Bleddyn ap Llewelyn,” the King of Wales in the 1000s. Next, they know, “a blast of air fills the room, followed by the arrival of dozens of gulls. Soon, the church is full of the creatures, flapping, swooping, and dive-bombing the ladies’ hats and splatting on the shoulders of the top-hatted men.” 
  • At the church, the birds attack a man named Airey, who “swipes at the birds now attacking him, tugging at his cowl, pecking at the hairy protrusions sprouting from his ears.” Airey and the other people flee the church. 
  • When Wren takes her flying machine into the air, she crashes and is knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she discovers that her glasses “caused a few little cuts here and there. . . And you took quite a blow to your head, judging by the egg you have up there!” 
  • After the crash, Wren looks in the mirror. The eyeglasses caused “jagged cuts below and above each eye. My cheeks. . . are now a dozen shades of red, yellow, orange and purple, with another giant bruise running from my forehead all the way down to my collarbone.”  
  • Wren’s brother is mean to her, so she calls him a “ridiculous little boy.” As she glares at him, she has an urge to “kick the pale, skinny shins sticking out from his shorts.” 
  • One of Wren’s relatives from way back was killed “in a brawl over a horse.”  
  • After the dragon breaks free of a house, several men prepare to attack it. “Groups of men are now creeping across the lawn towards the dragon, wielding rakes and hoes and anything they can get their hands on. At least two are carrying shotguns.” The dragon moves towards Wren, but “some of the men bark commands to each other and run round the dragon like sheepdogs.”  
  • The dragon tries to escape, but a man “delivers a blow to her exposed underbelly with his stick.” Wren’s father then “yanks a garden fork out of a nearby rose bed and points it at the [man]. ‘You stay away from that dragon. . . And my daughter,’ he hisses.” 
  • To show the dragon how to fly, Wren takes off in her flying machine. When she leaves, “One of the [men] gives [the dragon] another sharp prod with his stick. . . She lifts one of her giant legs, scoops up the [man], and hurls him towards the water.” Someone goes out into the river to save the man. The men attacking the dragon is described over 10 pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Wren’s aunt takes a “slurp of red wine” at dinner. 
  • Wren’s father shows up at dinner and “smelled of wine before he’d even had a drink at the table.”  
  • Wren watches her father in his office. “He slumps into his old leather armchair, picks up his glass of wine and tips what’s left of it into his mouth.”  
  • A man is blackmailing Wren’s father. The man tells him, “His lordship should be more careful who he shares his secrets with after a skinful of claret.” 
  • After Wren crashes her flying machine, a chemist puts “daily application of oil of earthworm, foul-smelling vinegary poultices and . . . horse-dung tonic” on her wounds.

Language  

  • Several times, the book says an adult “swears,” but no specific swear words are included.  
  • The adults say blasted a few times. For example, Wren’s father says, “You’re too like your blasted mother.” 
  • Damned is used once. 
  • “Dear God” and “Good God” are both used infrequently. 
  • Poppycock is used as an exclamation once. 

Supernatural 

  • When Wren flies for the first time, she can feel her dead mother’s presence. “As I ease the cords through their pulleys with cold fingers, I feel callused hands on mine, guiding them, reassuring me.” Wren’s mom tells her, “Keep an eye on your tail. Watch your height.”  
  • One of Wren’s relatives from a long, long time ago found an egg. He put the egg in the basement and built a house on top of it. Several generations later, the egg hatches, and a dragon is born. As the dragon grew, “it became entangled within the area that protected it—your house. . . And as it grew, every part of it . . . grew into and around the stonework of your house, until the two became one.”  
  • For the dragon to fly, it must sing to the mountains. “As she began her life in the belly of the mountains, she is the child of the mountains. She cannot fly until they respond. Until they call to her.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • Wren prays several times. For example, when she plans to use her boat as part of a flying machine, Wren prays, “It’ll still be seaworthy after my fight.”  
  • Wren’s friend gets trapped in the house, which is crumbling around him. “Without thinking I tear at the pile of stones with my bare hands, praying the roof doesn’t collapse on top of me.” 

The Grimmelings

Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should have known better than to utter a wish and a curse on the same day, even in jest. When the boy she cursed goes missing in the same way as her father several years earlier, Ella discovers that her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, a black horse-like creature. With the help of her beloved pony Magpie, can Ella break the curse of the kelpie and save not just her family, but the whole community?  

At the story’s beginning, Ella curses Josh, who disappears shortly afterward. While Josh’s disappearance is one of the main subplots of the story, The Grimmelings also focuses on Ella’s family—her grandmother, mother, and sister. The family has had their share of grief since her grandfather drowned during a terrible storm and her father disappeared without a trace. These two events caused the town to distrust Ella’s family, and some even think they are witches. Through these difficult times, Ella’s family always supports each other, proving that strong women can accomplish much. 

When Ella whispers her wish, Gus—a kelpie in disguise—befriends her. While the mysterious Gus adds interest, much of the story unfolds through Ella’s grandmother, who has secrets of her own. Using Ella’s family as a backdrop, The Grimmelings takes readers on an adventure that introduces Scottish folklore about the shapeshifting kelpies that lead children to their deaths. Information about kelpies is slowly woven into the story, which builds suspense and highlights the theme that people should be careful what they wish for.  

The Grimmelings will have wide appeal since the middle-grade fantasy focuses on family, the kelpie’s supernatural powers, and dealing with the death of a loved one. Rachael King begins each chapter with a definition of one or more words to reinforce the importance of words and show her appreciation of the natural world. For example, “glumfie: moody, grumpy,” and “yirdit: muddy from the earth.” Many readers may be unfamiliar with the book’s vocabulary, which includes cacophonous, malevolent, maelstrom, bairn, and swithering. However, readers should be able to decipher the words’ meanings through the provided definitions and context clues. 

By reading The Grimmelings, readers will learn about Scottish and Irish kelpie folklore. Readers will connect with Ella, who wishes she had a friend to spend time with. While readers will have a more difficult time connecting with Ella’s grandmother, her grandmother is a well-developed character who sacrifices herself to end the curse. The Grimmelings is a suspenseful adventure filled with magic, horses, and plenty of twists and turns that will captivate readers. 

Sexual Content  

  • When Ella’s grandmother was young, she dated a boy. After a date, “they kissed.” Later, Ella’s grandmother discovered that the boy was a kelpie in disguise. 

Violence  

  • Ella’s grandfather died after he took his boat out to sea. “Ella’s granddad’s dinghy was found dancing on the lake during a Nor’wester, with nobody inside. A week went by before he washed up on the shore.” Later, Ella “had a sudden certainty that her grandfather’s drowning had not been an accident. That some malevolent force, some thing, had come up under his boat and tipped him out, held him under, and drowned him.” Ella discovers that a kelpie killed him. 
  • While on a horse ride, Ella sees a dead sheep. “Its head had been removed and blood crisscrossed its body.” The kelpie had killed the sheep. 
  • While reading a book, Ella discovers the kelpies live in rivers and lakes in Scottland. The kelpie “is a water sprite that takes the form of a beautiful horse on land and lures children onto its back, where they become stuck fast. The children are taken into the lake and drowned. Some say they are eaten, with only their livers washing up on the shore.”  
  • Ella’s grandma tells her about the witch trials. “They dropped them in the loch to see if they’d float. If they did, and they didn’t drown, that proved they were witches and they burned them at the stake. And if they did drown? They were innocent. But dead.” 
  • A kelpie in disguise tells a boy, Dominic, to ride Ella’s horse, Magpie. “Magpie reared up, snapping the twine her lead rope was tethered to. Dominic leaned forward and grabbed her mane while his friends whooped, agitating Magpie even more. . . He fell off the back of her, hitting a water trough on his way down with a resounding thud.” Dominic has a broken arm but is otherwise uninjured. 
  • When the kelpie, disguised as a horse, tries to tempt Ella onto its back, a black magpie dive-bombs the horse. The magpie’s “beak made contact with the horse’s ears. It was soon joined by another, and the air around them was filled with squawks. . . The horse reared up onto its hind legs and then attacked. It opened its jaw wide . . . It lunged at the birds, grabbing one and crunching, before tossing aside its lifeless body. . .  [the horse] went for them, and each time succeeded in ripping another bird out of the air and throwing its mangled body to where Ella sat, cowering now.” The birds knocked Ella out of her trance.
  • After Ella’s grandmother refused to run off with the boy, who was a kelpie in disguise, the kelpie grabbed Ella’s grandmother, and “she was stuck like glue to him. She grabbed. . . a set of old horse brasses once worn by working Clydesdales . . . and struck him across the face. . .” After Ella’s grandmother escaped, she left the country to start a new life. 
  • When Ella calls the kelpie a monster, “his voice changed, low and gurgling, like bubbling mud. His face took on a sallow look, yellow and green.” The kelpie threatens to “take the things that matter…Then, Magpie stretched out her neck and sank her teeth into his arm.”  
  • When the kelpie takes Ella’s sister, magpies attack. One of the birds dies as “the kelpie spat the magpie out of its mouth, and it landed, bloody, on the ground.” 
  • The kelpie puts a spell on several children, who jump on his back. One man tries to stop the kelpie, but the kelpie “kicked out with a massive hind leg. Its hoof caught the man in the chest and he went flying. . .” Eventually, the Kelpie returns the children unharmed. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • After Ella’s grandmother’s family disappears, she goes into the house and finds dinner cooking and a half-drunk beer on the table. 

Language  

  • Ella’s horse bites Gus. Afterward, he says, “That little devil bit me.” 
  • A group of boys are going horseback riding. The guide tells Ella, “Let’s grab the helmets for these idiots and get going.” 
  • “Holy crivvens,” a Scottish dialect exclamation of surprise, is used once. 
  • “Oh my God” and “oh God” are used as an exclamation several times. 
  • When Ella’s mom sees the kelpie for the first time, she asks, “What the devil is that?” 
  • A boy calls Ella a stupid girl. 
  • Ella calls the kelpie a coward. 
  • When a horse follows the kelpie into the lake and dies, Ella’s mom says, “What the hell?” 

Supernatural 

  • A boy tells Ella, “My dad says you’re a house of witches, and you can’t pay your rent.” Ella replies, “You’re cursed, Josh Underhill. Better watch out!” That day, Josh mysteriously disappears. 
  • When Ella’s horse becomes pregnant, the family “joked that a mystery horse had flown in on wings, or that faeries had got to her. An immaculate conception.” 
  • A young boy shows up trying to befriend Ella. The boy is a kelpie in disguise. 
  • Ella, her sister, and several other people have the same dream about Josh. “His face was pale and stricken, pleading for help. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead water poured out in a deluge, down his clothes and onto the floor.” 
  • The kelpie disguises himself as a black horse and appears to Ella. When Ella gets close, “her body flooded with light. She felt a force then, pulling her towards the horse’s shoulder. . . she knew that if she just touched it, if she just leaped, she would soon be sitting on top of the world.” 
  • A kelpie bewitched Ella’s grandmother twice — “the first was when he said my name, which got me on his hook, and the second time when he asked me to wipe that tear from his cheek. It bound me to him.” The spell was broken when Ella’s grandma saw the kelpie in his horse form.  
  • Ella’s grandma planted a rowan tree next to the house “to protect against things that want to harm us.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Josh’s mom shows up at Ella’s house. She tells Ella’s mom, “Nobody’s ever seen you at church on Sunday. . . If you don’t like the men in your life, you just get rid of them!” Josh’s mom thinks that Ella’s family had something to do with Josh’s disappearance.  
  • Ella’s mom sees the kelpie walk on water while disguised as a horse. However, she thinks the horse “must have been on a sandbar of some kind underwater. It’s not Jesus, you know! It’s only a horse!” 
  • When the kelpie takes Ella’s sister, Ella prays “she wasn’t too late” to save her. 
  • After Ella’s grandmother dies, they have a funeral for her in a church on the hill. Ella’s grandmother wasn’t religious in the usual sense, but she had loved that old stone church. 

The Throne of Fire

Following the events of book one in The Kane Chronicles, Carter and Sadie are facing a new danger: the serpent of chaos, Apophis. Carter gives the reader a very brief overview of what happened in the previous book, saying, “The Egyptian gods are running around loose in the modern world; a bunch of magicians called the House of Life is trying to stop them . . . and a big snake [Apophis] is about to swallow the sun and destroy the world.” However, Carter and Sadie now have several new magician trainees who can help them fight Apophis.  

Carter and Sadie discover that they must work with the gods to defeat the serpent of chaos, Apophis, as his rise threatens both mortals and gods. Sadie explains it well as she says, “Apophis can’t imagine that anyone could unite the gods and magicians . . . He thinks the return of [the sun god] will weaken us even further. We have to prove [Apophis] wrong. We have to make order from chaos.” After their mom passed away, Carter was sent to live with his dad, and Sadie was sent to live with her grandparents, and throughout the book, we get to see them really bond and reconnect with each other as siblings as they learn to understand their magic. Readers with siblings are likely to find Carter and Sadie very relatable, as they do not always get along, but when they are facing danger, they support each other no matter what. 

The Throne of Fire’s theme focuses on Carter and Sadie strengthening their friendship as siblings. In the first book, the readers learn that Carter and Sadie have lived far away from each other for most of their lives, but now they spend every day together learning more about magic and working together to save the world. Readers with siblings will likely empathize with Carter and Sadie as they worry about each other’s safety. For instance, Sadie says, “Seeing Carter hurt was the final insult . . . My friends had been attacked, and my birthday ruined. But my brother was off-limits. No one was allowed to hurt my brother.” Sadie and Carter stand strong and have each other’s back in the face of constant danger.  

Sadie and Carter face a new struggle—their friend, Walt, is dying of an ancient curse that they cannot stop. Walt explains that his curse is connected to King Tut’s bloodline. Walt says, “[The] curse runs in my family . . . Kind of a genetic disease. Not every generation, not every person, but when it strikes it’s bad. [King Tut] died at nineteen. Most of the others . . . twelve, thirteen. I’m sixteen now . . . My dad was eighteen. I never knew him.” Sadie and Carter desperately try to come up with solutions to help Walt, but he explains, “This curse has been defying healers for three thousand years.” Carter and Sadie feel guilty that they still cannot cure Walt, and this unresolved issue will continue in the next book.   

The Throne of Fire has one impactful lesson: do what feels right even when another option seems easier. For example, when Carter and Sadie fight Apophis, the serpent of chaos, he tries to bribe them to join him. Carter thought, “Chaos can also be appealing. It tempts you to believe that nothing matters except what you want. And there was so much that I wanted.” However, Sadie and Carter decide that the most important thing is to restore order. The Throne of Fire will appeal to readers who love mythology, magic, and being kept on the edge of their seats.   

Sexual Content  

  • One of the new magicians that Sadie and Carter are training, Jaz, gives another trainee, Walt, a kiss on the cheek before trying a difficult spell. “[Jaz] pulled her wand and then—much to [Sadie’s] shock—gave Walt a kiss on the cheek.”  
  • Sadie thinks about her friend Walt and realizes she has feelings for him: “I wasn’t at all interested in how handsome [Walt’s] face looked in the moonlight, or his muscular arms in that sleeveless tee . . . Sorry. Lost my train of thought.”  
  • Sadie discusses her interactions with the god of funerals, Anubis. “I had a bit of a crush on Anubis. I know how ridiculous that sounds . . . [Anubis] was a god. We had absolutely nothing in common. I hadn’t heard from [Anubis] since our adventure with the Red Pyramid.”  
  • Sadie is briefly transported to the Land of the Dead where Anubis advises escaping some monsters. “Anubis said. ‘I’m sorry I can’t do more. But happy birthday, Sadie.’ [Anubis] leaned forward and kissed [Sadie] on the lips.”  
  • Walt reveals that he is dying of an incurable curse, “I’m going to die anyway, Sadie. I want my life to mean something. And . . . I want to spend as much time as I can with you.” Sadie doesn’t know how to respond and reveals to the reader, “I think I might have kissed [Walt].”  
  • Sadie performs a spell to get herself and Walt out of a cavern. Afterward, “Walt leaned down and kissed me.” 

Violence  

  • Carter receives a vision in which he has to fight several monsters. “Horrible faces rose up—a sea dragon with feline eyes, a crocodile with porcupine bristles, a serpent with the head of a mummified man. Each time one rose up, I raised my sword and cut it down, or speared it with my javelin.”  
  • A three-headed serpent attacks Carter and some of his magician trainees. “The serpent opened its mouths, blasting out three columns of flames.” Luckily, Carter and his friends can protect each other, and “[Carter] raised a green shield of magic to deflect the fire.”  
  • Carter describes how his magician trainees defend themselves against the three-headed serpent attacking them. “Julian’s sword sliced off one of its heads. Felix’s shoe bounced off another. The blast from Walt’s wand turned the third to dust. Then Alyssa’s statues slammed into it, smashing the monster under a ton of stone. What was left of the serpent’s body dissolved into sand.” 
  • A monster with deadly venom bites Carter. “The creature sank its fangs into Carter’s left shoulder, and he dropped to the ground.” Sadie destroys the creature with magic. She “unleashed a beam of golden light that hit the monster with the force of a sandblaster. The [creature] crumbled to bits.” Luckily, healing magic saves Carter.  
  • Sadie, Carter, and their friend Bes play a game in the Land of the Dead with the moon god, Khonsu, in exchange for a few more hours of time so that they can complete their quest. If they lose, Khonsu threatens to, “Erase part of our souls . . . take our memories, our identity.”  
  • The magician Desjardins has to fight one of his own friends, whom Apophis possesses. Desjardins tells his fellow magician, “You toy with something much worse than death, my old friend. Pray that I kill you before you succeed.” Desjardins uses his magic to banish Apophis to the duat, a realm between our world and the underworld, and succeeds. However, the spell requires so much magic that Desjardins passes away afterwards.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Characters occasionally use words like stupid, shut up, and idiot.  

Supernatural 

  • Carter explains that the god, Horus, is able to speak to him in his mind. Horus gives Carter advice on finding an artifact Carter is looking for. However, Horus warns Carter about the artifact at the last possible minute. Horus speaks to Carter, “You’ll have five days to figure out how to use [the artifact], or we’re all doomed. Good luck!”  
  • After talking to Horus, Carter says, “I could’ve screamed at [Horus] for not telling me sooner, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. Gods only talk when they’re ready, and they don’t have a good sense of mortal time. I knew this because Horus had shared space in my head a few months ago.”  
  • Carter and Sadie see their friend Jaz perform a spell to protect them all from evil spirits of chaos. Carter “turned just in time to see a flash of blinding red light. The entire vortex collapsed inward, sucking all six [spirits] into Jaz’s circle. The light died. Jaz fainted, her wand and the Sekhmet statue both crumbling to dust in her hands.”  
  • Carter channels the power of the god Horus to give him strength while fighting some demons. “I awoke in a different body . . . My arms were bronze and muscular, circled with bands of gold and lapis lazuli. I was dressed for battle in leather armor.” Carter describes, “I felt strong and powerful like . . . well, a god.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Before doing a spell, Jaz takes out a goddess statue to bring her strength. “From [Jaz’s] bag, she produced a small statue of Sekhmet, [Jaz’s] patron goddess, and held it aloft.”  
  • Like the previous book, the gods in this book are not worshipped but interact with others. The gods have strengths and powers. For instance, Carter discusses his thoughts about the god Horus. “[Horus] didn’t want [another god] coming back to challenge his authority. Gods tend to be selfish. Even when they’re helpful, they always have their own motives. That’s why you have to be careful about trusting [gods]. 

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth

Gareth is definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he’s got the power to travel through time. The instant he tells Jason this, the two of them are in ancient Egypt, on the first of nine amazing adventures that Jason will never forget! 

From ancient Egypt to Rome, from Japan to the American Revolution, Jason is taken on a whirlwind adventure with Gareth. Together, they meet friends, escape enemies, and learn how different cultures view cats. Some, like Egypt, worshiped cats. Others thought cats were magic creatures and either praised or feared them. But everywhere they go, one thing is the same: Jason and Gareth always discover an adventure.  

Time Cat takes readers on a brief yet lively journey through nine different cultures. The book is exciting and fun because it features fights, kings, witch burnings, and revolutions. While each culture is explored over two short chapters, Lloyd Alexander creates such a vivid picture of each place that readers will feel as if they’ve traveled to these time periods alongside Jason and Gareth.  

Jason is a likable protagonist whom readers will enjoy getting to know. He isn’t perfect and sometimes gets into trouble, but he is earnest and always willing to help others. The author portrays Jason’s cat, Gareth, in a realistic way that captures cats’ behavior. Gareth is amusing and aloof, as cats usually are, and will steal readers’ hearts away.   

Each time period and place are given equal coverage—two chapters. Jason and Gareth start their travels in ancient Egypt and go on to meet many interesting people, such as King Miliuc of Ireland, the Old Cats of Caesar, and German witch hunters. While readers may not understand all the historical references, this does not make the book less enjoyable. Along the journey, Jason teaches others about cats, and people learn life lessons such as the importance of curiosity and confidence. Time Cat is perfect for anyone who enjoys action and adventure sprinkled with humor. And, of course, it will appeal to all cat lovers, young and old. If you want to snuggle up with additional books featuring cats, check out the Warriors Series by Erin Hunter, Random Acts of Kittens by Yamile Saied Méndez, and Storm Rescue by Laurie Halse Anderson.  

Sexual Content  

  • When Jason leaves Ireland, “the princess hastily kissed him on the cheek.” 

Violence  

  • While on the march with the Romans, there is a battle between the Romans and the Britons. “Arrows sang through the air. The legionaries hurled their spears. Howling and shrieking, the Britons poured across the beach.” Jason and Gareth run away before they see any more of the battle.  
  • A wildcat attacks Gareth. “The animal began a long whine, ending with a snarling, toothy kind of cough. Then it leaped. Gareth grappled with the animal in mid-air. Two bodies thrashed on the ground and turned into a spinning, spitting ball. One screamed—Jason could not tell which.” Gareth gets a few scratches but ends up okay.  
  • A man holds “a long, ugly spear pointed at Jason’s throat” and forces Jason to come to his village. He does not hurt Jason.  
  • Gareth kills a snake before it can strike. “Gareth caught it behind its flat skull. The serpent’s tail lashed out and wound around Gareth’s body. Over and over, the fighters rolled across the floor. Gareth was on his back now, his hind paws furiously kicking.” The fight is described over a page.  
  • A woman warns Jason about witch hunters, who think “[cats are] poor little things. They say devils hide in them. Two days ago, the witch hunters drowned fifty—and burned another fifty. Poor suffering animals. My little tabby was with them.”  
  • Jason and his cat are accused of being demons in disguise, and a judge declares, “You will be burned at the stake in the morning.” They escape. 
  • In America, Jason sees the British fight the Minutemen. “The sword of a British officer flashed downward; the snick of flintlocks rattled along the scarlet line. Jason saw the flash and then heard the musketry crack like a giant whip. The Minutemen raced through the drifting smoke toward the Regulars, firing, reloading, crouching behind hillocks and large clumps of grass.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None

Supernatural  

  • Gareth is a cat who can talk to Jason. 
  • Gareth does not have nine lives, but he can travel to nine different historical places. “I’ll tell you a secret. I only have one life. With a difference: I can visit . . . I can visit nine different lives. Anywhere, anytime, any country, any century.”  
  • In Ireland, they think Jason and his cat are magicians. King Miliuc says, “That’s what we need. Some new magic from afar.” He says the spells of his court magician “are a little worn at the edges.”  
  • The Irish think “spirits live under the hills. They call them the Little People.”  
  • Jason meets the man who will become Saint Patrick. The man says, “We have the Christian faith in my land . . . but there is none of that in Erin, only magic and superstition and the Little People under every blade of grass.”  
  • In old Germany, Jason sees a man trying to summon a spirit. “‘By the spirit of Zazamonkh!’ the man exclaimed, picking up a long rod and tracing a circle at his feet. He went tramping around the circle . . . ‘Asmodeus! Ahriman! Beelzebub!’ the man cried. ‘Appear! I command you!’” 
  • The witch hunters in old Germany think that “cats bring on hail storms, they say, and winds. Cats have the evil eye, to bewitch whatever they look at. They can turn themselves invisible or fly through the air. They take the shape of a witch and a witch takes the shape of a cat.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • When Gareth and Jason travel to ancient Egypt, Gareth says, “The Egyptians worship us, you know . . . They have all kinds of sacred animals, but the cat—ah, the cat is most important. We’re sacred to the great goddess Ubaste of the Sun and Moon.”  
  • The Pharoah Neter-Khet of Egypt is a young boy. He tells Jason, “All my subjects worship me—I’m a god, you know—my slaves are building the finest pyramid in Egypt, so things will be comfortable for me in the Other World.”  
  • A Roman soldier asks for an omen. “O Mars, god of battles, mighty Jupiter, father of the gods, or whatever it is the regimental augur says. Shall this boy and this cat march with us?”  
  • Gareth meets some druids who believe in spirits. One man says that they “pray to the spirit of the catamountain.” 

And Break the Pretty Kings

Princess Mirae is destined to inherit a dark legacy: Her mother, Queen of the magical city of Seolla, is succumbing to madness, which has stemmed from her connection to the Inconstant Son, a mysterious entity trapped beneath Seolla who threatens to destroy the world. Now, with her mother’s health failing, Mirae must face a trial of the gods, who will decide if she’s worthy to follow in her mother’s footsteps as Queen. 

On the night of her trial, disaster strikes. When Mirae obtains the power of horomancy – controlling time – she unwittingly is trapped in a vision of the future. The Inconstant Son attacks the city during the chaos and kidnaps her brother, Minho, to turn him into a slave to govern his army of brainwashed soldiers. Mirae must save her brother, despite the premonition that she must let Minho die. Nevertheless, Mirae sets out on a journey with an unlikely group of companions while her unpredictable magic gives her terrifying visions of a future she must stop at any cost. 

After multiple meetings with the Inconstant Son, Mirae learns that Seolla – which only allows women to practice magic – has built their monarchy by branding the men who can do magic with a mark that represses their abilities. The man trapped beneath Seolla is not the Inconstant Son but instead his descendant, who has been trapped for centuries. This man – called the Netherking – wants to use Mirae’s brother to start a male-led revolution. In particular, he wants revenge on Mirae’s mother, who abandoned the Netherking’s beloved wife and daughter to an awful fate. As the story progresses, Mirae’s loyalties are tested as she finds it necessary to ally with the Netherking to get her brother back while also wanting to prevent him from destroying her kingdom. However, she tries to treat her enemies with grace. After stopping the Netherking’s plans, she gives his allies a new chance at life in Seolla despite their past wrongs.  

Mirae is a talented and promising young woman who always tries to find the bright side. For example, she professes, “There are two sides to every moon. . . depending on where you’re standing.” Even when she can’t see the path ahead, Mirae boldly forges her own. She is not solely good nor evil but understands both are part of life.   

Mirae, the rest of the supporting characters, and the story’s multiple villains all get their time to shine. The villains feature prominently in the story and have well-developed backstories, making the whole cast of characters seem less like villains and heroes and more like individuals trying to do what they think is right. This allows all of the characters to be compelling. 

From the beginning, many things are fated to be: The queens of Seolla go mad, men can’t practice magic, the kingdom of Josan is evil, and the Inconstant Son will ruin the world. However, the story’s events slowly convince Mirae that the destiny of her kingdom is not set in stone. She makes her own way forward, offering forgiveness to the misguided and defying the long-standing rivalry between Seolla and Josan. Her main concern is protecting those she loves, but she begins to see merit in uncovering the truth behind the Inconstant Son if it means bringing peace to both kingdoms.  

And Break the Pretty Kings is a very difficult read due to the intricate worldbuilding and endless unfamiliar terms. Almost every page references types of magic, types of people, and creatures of legend. Because of its complexities, the book is almost inaccessible to the average reader without a base knowledge of Korean folklore and culture. However, if you already have some knowledge, this book could be an enjoyable challenge as it blends fantasy with history in a unique way. Those who enjoy high fantasy stories with cultural ties and intricate worldbuilding will enjoy reading Mirae’s journey as she tries to change her fate.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • Mirae’s mother is afflicted with madness, which causes her to attack her children. “Mirae lowered her damp palms, bidding the elements under her control to disperse. But they didn’t obey. Instead, the water roiled into a whirlpool of rage. . . As the droplets churned each other into chaos, Minho became nothing more than a flailing blur, fast running out of air. . . Mirae whirled towards the palanquin and saw a pale, skeletal arm reaching through the beaded curtains, stretching in Minho’s direction. A second later, her mother’s face pushed past the beads. . .The madness. It had taken hold of her mother, filling her mind with delusions once again. Turning her magic against those she loved. . . Mirae fell to her knees, gasping for air as her mother’s magic crushed her head and neck.” Mirae dispels the magic before she goes unconscious. 
  • Mirae hears the oracles that attended her trial being murdered. “The sound of something whipping through the air, trailing a series of clacking noises behind it. Chattering teeth or guttural clicks deep in the throat. More wet slices. Chokes and gurgles. Then the screams of oracles being murdered.” 
  • Mirae’s mother goes insane and attacks her husband. “Mirae shot one last look at her father. Her mother was sending more violet fireballs at him. . .” Mirae watched as “her father grabbed her face and kissed her, just as her clawlike hands raked red lines down his back, bloodying his blue robe like a smear of a sunset against a perfectly calm sky.”  
  • Minho is kidnapped and drowned in a tub of magical water. “A wide stone room [was] lined with deep basins. Each was filled to the brim with black water. . . The guards lifted [Minho], fighting futilely against them, into one of the tubs. They submerged all but his head, which he kept above the water with all his strength. [They] grabbed Minho’s hair and shoved his head under. Mirae watched, horrified, as the dark water bubbled with air her brother could no longer breathe. Once the ripples stopped altogether and the black water fell still, Minho floated to the surface face-down.” Minho is unconscious until his rescue. 
  • Mirae kills the Netherqueen. “Mirae lifted the sword over her head and struck the Netherqueen’s body with everything she had. As soon as the sword hit flesh, it glowed, slicing through the Netherqueen’s shoulder and lodging in her heart. Sparking, searing, smoking everything it touched except for Mirae’s hand.”   

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • Three types of magic exist and are mentioned frequently. They are known as Sacred Bone Magic. Sacred Bone Daughters are women in Seolla who are blessed by a magical lineage. 
  • The first type of magic is the ability to control the elements (earth, air, fire, and water). This magic is called Jade Witchery, which can be used to summon fire or manipulate the earth. For example, Mirae throws a fireball while training. “Mirae raised a hand to the heavens. . . A small, white-hot orb appeared in her palm; before its sharp heat could blister her skin, Mirae lobbed it with all her strength at her opponent.” 
  • Mirae witnesses someone using Jade Witchery to repair destruction in the palace’s courtyard. “Mirae heard the sound of the grass rustling as it righted itself and the ground rumbling as it stitched itself back together. It would be long before the field looked exactly as it had before, heeding the will of a powerful Jade Witch.”  
  • The second type of magic is illusory, called Ma-eum Magic. Mirae describes it as “the ability to trick an opponent into sensing something that wasn’t actually there.” Mirae uses this magic to change her appearance when she’s in the Josan kingdom so she can’t be recognized. It is used many times in the story to alter a character’s physical appearance, such as making them smell like perfume or altering their facial features. 
  • A general enchantment type of magic is also mentioned frequently, such as when Mirae enchanted a turtle to fly and talk, but the incident is not described. 
  • The third type of magic is called Horomancy, the ability to manipulate time. Mirae describes it: “Of the three magic systems, which exemplified the virtues of cunning, craftsmanship, and foresight, horomancy was the most enigmatic power. Mirae had never seen it used, though she knew that was for good reason. The rules of time were rigid, dangerous things to manipulate.”   
  • Hongbin, Mirae’s younger brother, thinks a visitor to the palace is a “gumiho,” a Korean creature of legend similar to a nine-tailed fox. He previously thought the visitor was a dokkaebi, the Korean name for demons. 
  • There are three powerful relics called the Sacred Bone Relics that correspond to the ancestors of the different branches of magic. They are the dagger of the Silver Star (representing Ma-eum magic), the seong-suk – a stone – of the Deep Deceiver (representing Jade Witchery), and the black bell of the Unnamed Dragon (representing Horomancy). Mirae chooses the black bell to guard her reign. 
  • After picking the bell, Mirae switches to another time period where she sees her brother, whose face looks “like he’d battled monsters and knew that the world held many, many things to fear.” She realizes she has used Horomancy to travel into the future. Several times, she switches time periods, which works like visions of the future that guide her on her journey. 
  • Mirae switches time and sees a festival in the spirit world where people dance and sing in animal masks.  
  • Mirae’s mother gifts a magical necklace with 12 beads depicting the 12 horoscope animals. Each bead contains a different power, which Mirae uses. For example, she uses an ox bead to gain strength. “She picked up the ox bead and put it on her tongue. The powers of the bead made her stumble back almost immediately with vertigo, trembles, goosebumps, and a crashing headache all at once. But the symptoms faded in seconds. As the bead warmed on her tongue, Mirae felt its power swell within her, roping around her muscles and making them bulge. Just then, the door to the room she was hiding in flew open, and Mirae reacted on instinct; she punched her opponent right in the chest with all the strength of an ox, throwing him through the door and into the wall behind him.” 
  • Mirae and her companions encounter a gwisin, the evil spirit of a woman who has suffered. This gwisin, the haggard moon gwisin, is described as having “hair dark and long enough to blend in with the spaces between trees. There was a starry paleness to her sleeveless knee-length dress, which wasn’t long enough to hide the fact that she didn’t have any legs – nor did she have a face. . . Gwisin lingered because they, or someone they loved, had been wronged. . . according to legend, the haggard moon gwisin [was] abandoned by a friend, left to die alone and in pain, and subsequently drowned anyone who showed her any kindness, before they had the chance to betray her too.” 
  • Mirae summons a dragon with Sacred Bone Magic. 

Spiritual Content  

  • The book frequently references mudang, the name for Korean shamans. These women are known for performing rituals in which gods possess them. When Mirae and her companions are traveling, she pretends to be one of these shamans, triggering her “switching” power instead of actually becoming possessed. 
  • The book also references “gods” or praying to the gods, but no gods are named in particular.  
  • Mirae’s family are known as the “gods-touched” guardians of Seolla. The gods are beings that are respected, and are often mentioned in the context of fate and destiny, such as “I could only do something like that with permission from the gods” or “I hope the gods are on our side.”  

The Red Pyramid

After his mom’s sudden death, Carter Kane has spent every moment traveling the world with his father, Dr. Julius Kane, an Egyptian scholar. While Carter’s sister, Sadie, has lived with her grandparents in the United Kingdom, where Carter and Julius visit her every year. What starts as a normal visit to the British Museum turns their lives upside down when their father accidentally summons several Egyptian gods and goddesses and is captured in the process.  

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set–has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe — a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs. 

Along the way, Carter and Sadie meet Zia, a magician who is part of the House of Life, a group of magicians that Carter and Sadie’s parents were a part of. With her knowledge from being trained by the House of Life, Zia helps Carter and Sadie learn to use magic. “The Egyptian word shesh means scribe or writer, but it can also mean magician. This is because magic, at its most basic, turns words into reality.” Zia helps Sadie and Carter learn to develop their abilities as magicians, but she also becomes their friend; helping them fight chaos up until the final battle at the end of the book.  

The Red Pyramid shows the growth of Carter and Sadie’s friendship and relationship as siblings. They have lived apart for so long that they now have to get to know each other as pre-teens while they work together to learn about magic and save their dad. Each sibling is jealous of the other. Sadie says, “Poor [Carter], forced to travel the world, skip school, and spend time with Dad while I get a whole two days a year with him!” Carter responds, “You get a home! You get friends and a normal life and don’t wake up each morning wondering what country you’re in!” Eventually, Sadie and Carter learn to appreciate each other.  

Carter’s and Sadie’s experiences highlight how power in the wrong hands can be corrupt. For example, the god Set wanted the throne and power so badly that he imprisoned another god, Osiris, and harmed his sister, Isis, and her son, Horus. Horus tells this story to Carter and says, “Anger gave me the strength to defeat Set and take the throne for myself, you must do the same.” But unlike Horus and Set, Carter doesn’t want to rule. Carter says, “I don’t want a throne, I want my dad.” Carter and Sadie never give into the advantages that Set or the powers of chaos would give them, which makes them empathetic characters.  

Ultimately, The Red Pyramid leaves readers with an important message: you cannot assume anyone is completely good or completely evil. As their fight with Set ends, Sadie and Carter recognize that while Set is “evil, faithless, ruthless, vile . . . [Set] is also the strongest god” and they need his help to defeat the coming chaos, Apophis. Set is surprised by their ability to team up with him after all he’s done, but Carter and Sadie recognize, “we have to gain strength too—gods and men, united like in old times” to defeat Apophis, as “chaos is rising.”  

Readers who enjoy mythology, action, and magic will absolutely love Carter and Sadie’s journey in this book as they learn how to use their powers and make sacrifices to stop chaos from overtaking the world. Readers will empathize with Sadie and Carter as they strengthen their brother and sister bond while fighting to stop chaos and rescue their dad. This book will keep readers on the edge of their seats, eager to see what happens in the next book in the series. 

Sexual Content  

  • Sadie meets the god Anubis and says, “In person, if possible, Anubis was even more drop-dead gorgeous.”  
  • Carter says, “I was very aware of [Zia’s] shoulder pressed against mine . . . She had a dried chili stuck in her hair, and somehow that made her look even cuter.” 
  • Carter says, “Zia squeezed my hand, which sent a tingle up my arm.”  
  • Sadie sees a vision of the last time her parents saw one another: “They kissed one last time, as if they were saying goodbye.”  

Violence  

  • Carter explains that his mom died when he and Sadie were young. “I knew [mom] died in an accident in London. I knew my grandparents blamed my dad. But no one would ever tell us the details.” 
  • Carter and Sadie watch their dad fight a fiery being. “With another flick of his hand, he conjured a glowing coffin around our dad . . . My dad caught my eyes one last time, and mouthed the word Run! before the coffin sank into the floor, as if the ground had turned to water.”  
  • While entering the Land of the Dead, Sadie and Carter run into Shezmu, a creature defending the entrance. Shezmu explains that his role in the Land of the Dead is destroying the souls of wicked people after they have been judged by the God of the Dead, Osiris. Shezmu says, “Lord Osiris lets me behead the wicked! I crush them in my wine press, and make wine for the dead!”  
  • While the fiery god, Set, is fighting Carter, Sadie, and Zia, he threatens, “I will rend your limbs from their sockets!” For example, during this battle, when another magician arrives to help, Set quickly incapacitates him in a brutal way: “Set rose up behind [the magician] and swung his iron rod like a baseball bat. [The magician] tumbled, broken and unconscious, all the way down the pyramid.” 
  • Carter explains how easily Set is able to throw magicians around when they try to defeat him: “[Set] pointed at me, and I slammed against the wall, pinned as if an entire football team were holding me down.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • Carter and Sadie witness their dad using magic at the British Museum. “Dad was writing on the [Rosetta stone]. Wherever the [wand] made contact, glowing blue lines appeared on the granite. Hieroglyphs.” Carter and Sadie’s dad is opening the Rosetta Stone by writing magic hieroglyphs on it: “Dad raised his arms. He chanted: ‘Wo-seer, iei.’” Carter and Sadie’s dad is summoning the god of the dead, Osiris.  
  • Carter and Sadie realize they have magical powers when they reflect on a story from Sadie’s sixth birthday. Carter and Sadie were arguing and fighting with one another. Carter says, “We started yelling. [Sadie] grabbed my shirt. I pushed [Sadie] . . . Sadie’s birthday cake exploded.”  
  • Carter and Sadie accidentally awaken a shabti, a clay doll that can perform magic. Shabti “were supposed to come to life when their master called.” Several times, Carter and Sadie ask the Shabti to bring them information. 
  • When Sadie and Carter are about to be attacked by a scorpion goddess, Sadie’s cat, Muffin, turns into the Egyptian goddess of cats, Bast. Bast was a friend to Carter and Sadie’s parents and has promised to protect them as best she can. Sadie explains, “My cat was no longer there. In her place was a woman—small and lithe like a gymnast.” Bast is able to protect Carter and Sadie and she meets back up with them at a later point in the book after this battle.  
  • Carter and Sadie have unwittingly become hosts to the gods Horus and Isis. The goddess hosted by Sadie’s cat Muffin, Bast, explains, “Part of Isis’s spirit now resides inside [Sadie]. Just as Carter now carries the spirit of Horus.”  
  • Sadie and Carter see their dad in the Land of the Dead. He says, “I am both Osiris and Julius Kane. I am alive and dead . . . Osiris is the god of the dead, and the god of new life.” To bring Osiris back to his rightful place as a god, their dad had to die. 
  • Sadie and Carter also see their mom in the Land of the Dead, and she speaks with them reassuringly, explaining, “We can’t go back . . . But nothing is lost, even in death.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • The gods and goddesses of Egyptian mythology are a large portion of this book. However, instead of being reverently written, they act more like humans, showing traits like jealousy, vulnerability, and anger. For instance, Horus tries to influence Carter to take on more power and focus on anger: “Anger gave me the strength to defeat Set and take the throne for myself. [Carter] must do the same.”  
  • Uncle Amos explains to Carter and Sadie the ancient Egyptians’ understanding of the gods. Amos explains, “Egyptians had learned that their gods were not to be worshipped. They are powerful beings, primeval forces, but they are not divine in the sense one might think of God. [The gods] are created entities, like mortals, only much more powerful.”  
  • Carter’s dad gave him an ancient amulet that “was an eye of Horus, a popular protection symbol in Ancient Egypt.” 
  • The gods “cannot walk the earth in their pure form—at least, not for more than a few moments. They must have hosts [human hosts].” Carter and Sadie both unwittingly become hosts for Egyptian gods in this book. Carter hosts Horus and Sadie hosts Isis. Carter explains what it is like when he and Horus work together during a battle as Horus’ power allows Carter to have protective shields and amplified strength. Carter says, “[Horus] did not control me. I did not use [Horus] for power. We acted as one…My combat avatar formed around me, lifting me off the floor and encasing me with golden energy.”  
  • Sadie can communicate with Isis in her mind because she is hosting the goddess. Carter is able to do the same with Horus. Sadie describes struggling to decide what to do in the final battle: save her dad first or make sure Set is defeated. The discussion with Isis in Sadie’s mind is depicted, “Set must be dealt with first, Isis warned. But if I can free Dad…I stepped towards the throne. No, Isis warned. It is too dangerous.” Ultimately, Sadie works with Isis to defeat the chaos god Set. Sadie hosting Isis gives her the ability to open a magical portal. “‘A mortal can’t,’ [Sadie] agreed. ‘But a goddess can.’” 
  • Uncle Amos tells Carter and Sadie, “In the old days, the priests of Egypt would call upon these gods to channel their power and perform great feats. That is the origin of what we now call magic.”  
  • Uncle Amos explains an ancient Egyptian burial ritual: “In ancient times, the east bank of the Nile was always the side of the living, the side where the sun rises. The dead were buried west of the river. It is considered bad luck, even dangerous, to live there.”  
  • Carter and Sadie learn from the god Thoth that, “Everything in Creation has a secret name . . . Even gods.” And they learn that “To know a being’s name is to have power over that creature.”  
  • Before making an alliance with Set to fight chaos, Sadie and Carter ask Set to “Swear by your own name and the Throne of Ra” to ensure he keeps his word does so. 

A Purr-fect Pumpkin

In Kittentail Cove, Paw-loween is a super fun holiday! Shelly, Coral, and Angel can’t wait to decorate jelly-o-lanterns, dress up in costumes, and go to the Paw-loween festival! But Coral is a little nervous about the Haunted House. Can this scaredy cat learn to be brave so she can see her purr-fect pumpkin on display in the house? Maybe with a little help from her friends! 

Paw-loween mixes the fun of Halloween with the perfect amount of spook factor. Young readers will enjoy the adorably cute costumes the purrmaids wear as well as the jack-o’-lanterns. Even though Coral is afraid to go into the haunted house, she joins her friends as they travel through the house. Along the way, Coral is sure a mummy is following her—and she’s right. In the end, the mummy is revealed to be Coral’s teacher, who is trying to return Coral’s lost gem.  

Being afraid of the haunted house is not Coral’s only conflict. She also feels left out when Shelly and Angel dress up as squids while Coral dresses as a princess. Several times, Shelly and Angel have a conversation without including Coral. While her friends aren’t trying to be mean, Coral still feels bad that she is not included. While this conflict isn’t resolved, the story acknowledges that sometimes friends unknowingly hurt each other’s feelings.   

A Purr-fect Pumpkin is purr-fect for readers because of the relatable conflict. The story has easy vocabulary, short sentences, and cute black-and-white illustrations approximately every three pages. Even though A Purr-fect Pumpkin is part of a series, the stories do not have to be read in order to be understood. Readers who are eager to celebrate Halloween will find A Purr-fect Pumpkin a delightful blend of Halloween cuteness and spookiness. Readers who love mermaids and want more underwater adventures should swim to the nearest library and check out the Mermaids To The Rescue Series by Lisa Ann Scott. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

The Skull is a retelling of a Tyrolean folktale, originating out of Austria. Klassen is both the author and illustrator of this book, and his art will certainly draw in young readers’ attention. The art adds to the depiction of the spooky setting of the book, filled with dark colors and shadows and occasional pops of color. 

Klassen’s book follows a young girl named Otilla who has run away from home. While running through the woods, Otilla encounters a large, seemingly empty house. Because she is tired from running all night, Otilla stops and approaches the house. “[Otilla] knocked loudly to see if anyone was inside, but nobody came to the door.”  

Surprisingly, the big house is not abandoned but is home to a talking skull. Otilla meets the skull and asks nicely for help. She says, “My name is Otilla. I ran away, and I need a place to hide and rest.” The skull kindly agrees to let Otilla stay and shows her around his house. Nearly every page of the book showcases Jon Klassen’s amazing artwork; spooky, dark images done in mostly blues and shades of black show readers how scary this unknown place is to Otilla.  

Though the artwork can be dark and spooky, it is not particularly scary, as the skull’s cartoon style makes him less intimidating. Klassen’s full-page illustrations appear about every two pages and feature many shades of gray, blue, and black. There are occasional pops of pink depicting happy scenes. The large text and the way the book is broken up into three clear parts will appeal to younger readers.  

Otilla is an extremely empathetic character, as she is not afraid of the talking skull, and she treats him kindly. The skull tells Otilla that he has been alone in his house for a while: “You are the first person to find [this house] in a long time.”  The skull is afraid of something too – a skeleton that comes to the house every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? 

Throughout the story, Otilla and the skull develop a friendship, and both help each other. For example, without a body, the skull can no longer do things he used to enjoy, like dance. Otilla “carried the skull to the middle of the ballroom. She held him to face her . . . they danced and danced until it got dark.” Ultimately, the skull and Otilla become friends, as Otilla helps the skull solve a problem he has faced every night for a long time. The skull is chased by a headless skeleton every night and Otilla is able to help the skull get away from the skeleton. 

Readers who enjoy spooky stories will enjoy the descriptions of the woods and the big house. The book highlights the importance of having empathy and treating others kindly. Otilla treats the skull with respect and helps him escape the skeleton that chases him. In return, the skull offers Otilla a safe place to stay by allowing her to stay in his home. Readers will be interested in seeing Otilla and the skull develop a friendship throughout the story and will be left imagining the possibilities of what adventures Otilla and the skull will have in the future.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • The skull tells Otilla, “There is a skeleton that comes here, to this house . . . it is a headless skeleton. It walks around the halls looking for me. When it finds me, it chases me.” The skull tells Otilla that the headless skeleton chases him every night.  
  • The headless skeleton comes and tries to get the skull. “A headless skeleton opened the bedroom door . . . it only shouted one thing: GIVE ME THAT SKULL. I WANT THAT SKULL.” 
  • Otilla runs from the headless skeleton, carrying the skull, but the headless skeleton chases her until suddenly, it falls over a ledge on the roof. “[Otilla] watched the skeleton fall into the dark until they heard it land, the sound of bones hitting the ground. They listened some more, but they did not hear anything after that.” 
  • After the headless skeleton falls off the roof, Otilla decides to make sure the skeleton cannot come back and chase the skull again. “[Otilla] gathered [the skeleton’s bones] into the bucket . . . She took a bone out of the bucket and put it on the rock. Then she took the rolling pin, held it over her head, and smashed the bone. She smashed it over and over, into smaller and smaller pieces . . . she did it to all of [the bones].”  
  • Otilla then burns the smashed bones. “[Otilla] took the bone pieces and threw them into the flames.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • The main character in this book is a talking skull. The skull speaks to Otilla and offers to let her rest in his home. The skull said, “I will come down and let you in, but only if you promise to carry me once I do. I am just a skull, and rolling around is difficult for me.”

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Storyteller

The Storyteller centers around Ziggy, a Cherokee boy in sixth grade, who is living in Poisonberry, New Mexico. Ziggy and his sister, Moon, are dealing with a tragedy. As Ziggy says, “When Moon and I were little, our mom disappeared. Native women go missing all over the country. Nobody seems to be doing much about it.” Ziggy, Moon, and two of their close friends decide to go on a search for any clues about Ziggy’s mom’s whereabouts.  

The Storyteller brings up a prevalent issue in real life: the unsolved cases of Native women going missing. Ziggy explains, “In my mom’s case, the sheriff and the police have given up trying to find her. But it’s not just her. My friend Sheila has an aunt who’s missing. A few other Native kids at my school have relatives who are missing. It’s been going on way too long.”  

Ziggy juggles starting middle school while also longing for answers about his mom; he also discusses how his anxiety affects his life. After his mom goes missing, Ziggy and Moon see a therapist. Ziggy says, “My therapist, Kari, says I have anxiety, which can make school and life harder in many ways,” but that “it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Ziggy describes what his anxiety is like in a way that will allow readers to relate to him. Ziggy worries that because of his anxiety “all the other kids will think I’m dumb. The teachers won’t like me . . . Someone will beat me up or say something to embarrass me in front of everyone.” Even though he struggles with anxiety, Ziggy conquers his fears about making friends and befriends a girl from his class named Alice. 

Alice, who is Cherokee and has hearing aids, offers him important and emotionally charged advice that will allow readers to empathize with both characters. Alice says, “We must protect each other. There are plenty of people who will tell lies about [Cherokee history]. There are many who don’t want our history to be a part of theirs. But we cannot give up. We take the truth of the past with us, and preserve it from being forgotten.” 

Readers may be disappointed that Ziggy does not find his mother. However, readers will feel the warmth and love present in Ziggy’s family as Ziggy bonds with his dad. Ziggy’s dad tells him, “You can have my stories [about your mom] and the ones Grandma tells you. There are other people who knew her, too. If we can’t find your mother, we’ll find more stories.” This comforts Ziggy as he is worried that “Mom will disappear” because he does not have memories of her since he was so little when she went missing. Ziggy ultimately realizes if his mom were alive, she’d say, “Don’t be afraid. . . Live your life.”  

The Storyteller uses fantasy tropes to educate readers about the historically prejudiced treatment of Indigenous people. Ziggy might not have any control over the past — but if he learns the lessons of the storytellers, he might be able to better shape his future and find the friends he needs. Learn more about the importance of telling stories by reading Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Ziggy’s friend, Alice, says that she once used berries to try to poison someone. Alice says, “I tried to poison a bad man once . . . I put the [poison berries] in his tea when he visited my mother.” Alice explains that the man “was trying to hurt someone I was protecting. The berries made him sick, but he didn’t die.” 
  • Ziggy’s sister, Moon, explains, “Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of Native tribes from their land. They were forced to migrate and leave.” 
  • Ziggy and his sister recall a story their grandma told them about a dangerous group of people called the Raven Mockers. In the story a young boy is asleep and “the [Raven Mocker] ripped out his heart with her claws and ate it.”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • There are several instances of Ziggy and his friends encountering animals that can speak to them. For example, “The old buzzard opens his mouth and speaks: ‘Y’all headed out yonder to find the Storyteller?’” These animals guide Ziggy and his friends and offer words of advice. 
  • Ziggy and his friends encounter an armadillo that speaks. The armadillo says, “My name is Andrew Jackson,” and he wants “to separate the Indians from immediate contact with the settlements of whites.” Ziggy and his friends leave the armadillo alone. 

Spiritual Content  

  • Ziggy explains that his grandma told him stories of the Cherokee Nunnehi. “Nunnehi lived in underground tunnels and traveled around to help our ancestors when called upon. They were spirits, mostly invisible, but they could appear in human form if they wanted.” 
  • Grandma tells Ziggy about how Nunnehi helped other Cherokee people. The Nunnehi “found joy in being tricksters, like turning themselves into coyotes or hawks. They chased the soldiers and frightened them.” 

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe

Following the events of Hernandez’s previous novel, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Sal and Gabi are dragged into even more multiverse shenanigans when versions of Gabi from other universes begin showing up in their universe. Sal is approached by a Gabi from another universe who says that she wants to help Sal protect his universe from meeting a terrible fate like hers. While Gabi from another universe, whom Sal calls “FixGabi,” claims to want to fix holes in the universe, Sal realizes that she is tricking him and hiding her true intent. Sal realizes, “FixGabi, it turned out, was a supervillain bent on cosmic destruction.” To protect the universe, Sal and Gabi must enlist the help of their families, as well as their understanding of what Sal’s Papi calls “Calamity physics.” 

Considering the perspectives of others is one of the major themes in the novel. For instance, one of Sal’s teachers explains, “People make art because they want you to learn what life feels like to them. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes it’s sad or uplifting or gross or deep or a million other things. But whatever it is, it’s always about what the artist thinks of life.” This theme becomes specifically important to Sal later when he interacts with FixGabi. Even though FixGabi has tried to trick Sal and cause havoc in his universe, Sal realizes that FixGabi “has lost a lot of loved ones. She’s seen her world ravaged by rips in the universe. She felt helpless and afraid. But rather than give in to those feelings, she fought back, as hard as she could.” Sal and his friends accepting FixGabi makes her decide that, “I want to make up for everything . . . I was so lonely.” 

Another major theme is friendship and found family. Just like in the previous novel, Sal and Gabi support their friend, Yasmany, as he struggles with problems at home that ultimately culminate in Children’s Services removing him from his home. Yasmany reveals that he has nowhere to live because “My [grandparents] are trying to get me to move back in with Mami. They said they’re too old. They can’t handle me . . . I got nowhere to be. Why doesn’t anybody want me?” But Sal and Gabi are great friends to Yasmany; Sal offers to let Yasmany stay with him for a few nights and Gabi’s parents ultimately decide that Yasmany will come live with them. When Yasmany asks Gabi’s family why they would do this for him, Gabi tells Yasmany, “You deserve a family that deserves you.”  

Readers who loved the first book in this two-part series will be thrilled by Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe. Sal and Gabi’s friendship gets even stronger and readers will be compelled by their friendship and how they always have each other’s best interests in mind. For instance, Sal tells Gabi, “There’s no one like you in the world, Gabi Reál. You are one of a kind.” And Gabi tells Sal how much she appreciates him, saying, “You saved my baby brother, Sal, and therefore my whole family. Thank you. Thank you forever.” Hernandez’s novel will appeal to readers because it has science fiction, theatre productions, and amazing friendships.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Following up on a situation discussed in the previous novel, Sal describes how his friend, Yasmany, had to leave home for his own safety. Sal says, “[Yasmany] was living with his abuelos now because life with his mami had gotten intolerably bad. I don’t know why exactly, since Yasmany wouldn’t go into details, but I knew Children’s Services had gotten involved.”  
  • When Yasmany witnesses Sal’s dad ground Sal for messing with his calamity physics equipment, Yasmany says to Sal, “Nothing got broken; no one got hit. It was just, like, normal talking at the kitchen table.” Sal realizes the dark implication of what Yasmany said.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sal is upset with his Papi because he found him smoking a cigar. Sal’s dad says, “My team and I might very well be nominated for a Nobel Prize before I die . . . I guess I wanted to celebrate a little.” Sal angrily says, “Even though you swore to Mami when she was dying in the hospital that you’d never smoke a cigar again?” Papi tells Sal that his experience trying a cigar again after all those years was “terrible.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • When talking with their school janitor, Mr. Milagros, Sal and Gabi discover that Mr. Milagros’ wife, Lourdes, passed away. Mr. Milagros exclaims, “She’s not with the devils, Gabi. She’s with the angels. Lourdes is in heaven.” 
  • Gabi thinks, “I don’t even believe in heaven . . . but I’m sure Lourdes is there.” 

A Tale of Witchcraft

Brystal Evergreen knew that becoming the icon of the fairytale world was going to be a large responsibility, but the immense pressure as the newly-appointed “Fairy Godmother” is more than she can handle. In addition to public appearances, fixing local issues, and campaigning for fairy rights, she’s also the new headmaster of The Celeste Weatherberry Memorial Academy of Magic, which has gone from ten students to a thousand overnight. Additionally, a sect of revolutionaries called the Righteous Brotherhood are rising, ready to return magic to the crime it once was.  

If that wasn’t enough, Brystal’s resolve falters when Lucy and Pip, two of her trusted friends, decide to leave the Academy to join a strange woman named Mistress Mara at her school for witches, Ravencrest. As Brystal fails to juggle these tasks, thoughts of inadequacy and giving up start to plague Brystal’s mind. The one break in Brystal’s constant onslaught of responsibilities is her budding romance with “Seven,” otherwise known as Prince Gallivant, seventh in line for the throne of the Southern Kingdom.  

Meanwhile, Lucy begins to practice witchcraft at Ravencrest, trying her best to put her life as a fairy behind her. However, Mistress Mara’s teachings start to rub Lucy the wrong way. Witchcraft requires Lucy to hurt others, and it’s not without a price – Lucy starts to change physically too, growing feathers instead of hair. Skeptical, Lucy decides to investigate Mistress Mara’s affairs, and uncovers a secret plot to curse Brystal and destroy the reputation of the fairies. She flees from the academy to warn Brystal but it’s too late: Brystal has already fallen into the Righteous Brotherhood’s trap.  

Mistress Mara and Seven, who reveals himself as the Righteous Brotherhood’s leader, have cursed Brystal to think negative thoughts. After Seven frames Brystal for the King Champion’s murder, her weakened resolve from the curse and Seven’s betrayal compels her to surrender. Seven, having also killed his other six siblings, kills Brystal and aims to turn public opinion against the fairies. However, Brystal postpones her death by making a mysterious deal with Death himself facilitated by Mistress Mara, and comes back to life just in time to be rescued by Lucy and her allies, The Fairy Council. Reconnected with her friends, Brystal remembers why she works so hard: to give others hope. With renewed willpower, Brystal is ready to fight her curse and stop the Righteous Brotherhood from destroying everything she’s built.  

In the sequel to A Tale of Magic, the drastic changes made at the end of the last book – such as the rapid growth of the academy and the legalization of magic, have brought new challenges to Brystal’s door. It’s natural that she starts having some reservations. Brystal is now facing tougher challenges than ever, and the curse that afflicts her brings these questions to the forefront of her mind: “Am I good enough? Can I save everyone? What happens if I fail?” Brystal says, “I got so busy changing the world I forgot to change myself with it.”  

We all might not have experience changing the world, but anyone can relate to the feeling of the world moving on without you; where you wish you could stop time and get ahold of your own feelings before tackling another issue. Brystal has to learn the hard way that time doesn’t stop for anyone, magical or not. The way she struggles through these issues and moments of weakness make her a well-rounded and relatable narrator.  

While the conflict with the Righteous Brotherhood is the main event of the story, Brystal’s mental state, as well as her relationship with Lucy, is at the forefront. Early on in the story, Lucy discovers that Brystal has been keeping Madame Weatherberry’s identity as the Snow Queen a secret. She lashes out at Brystal and Brystal has her removed from the Fairy Council, which prompts Lucy to leave and join Mistress Mara’s school of witchcraft. This test in their relationship weighs on both their minds, as they had come to trust and support one another, but they are both left without their best friend in such a trying time. Brystal leans on Madame Weatherberry’s advice: “The only thing in life that lasts forever is the fact that nothing lasts forever. . . Just like the weather, people have seasons, too – we all go through periods of rain and sunshine – but we can’t let a particularly rough winter destroy our faith in the spring, otherwise, we’ll always be stuck in the snow.”  

As she spends time away from Lucy, Brystal decides to let go of her anger. Brystal and Lucy don’t let one bad “season” spoil their friendship. Because the emotional development between the characters takes the stage over battles and new plotlines, this book is a bit more mature, yet even more purposeful than Colfer’s Land of Stories Series. Beyond a compelling world of magic is an inspiring girl on a journey to discover herself, who demonstrates fierce loyalty to her friends, and can find hope even in the darkest of times.  

 Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Prince Gallivant, aka Seven, describes how he lost his family in an attack. “When I was three, we [the royal family] were travelling to the countryside when our carriage was attacked by an angry mob. . . I don’t remember much besides all the screaming. My parents shielded me, otherwise I wouldn’t have survived.” 
  • The Righteous Brotherhood attacks Brystal while she’s at her brother’s wedding. “In a matter of seconds, the wedding became a war zone. . . Brystal spotted a row of smoking cannons on the top of a nearby hill. . . BOOM! A cannonball whirled right past Brystal’s head. . .” They use cannons and crossbows to fire at her. “The [soldier] fired his first shot. Seven jumped in front of Brystal, and the arrow hit the front of his leg. He fell to the ground screaming in agony.” After Seven is shot, the attackers retreat. He is the only person mentioned who is injured. Brystal later finds out this attack was a ploy to help build her relationship with Seven. 
  • Seven kills Mistress Mara. “FWITT! Suddenly, Mistress Mara felt something hit her chest. She looked down and saw an arrow was sticking directly into her heart. . . The witch dropped to her knees and black blood poured down her body. . . Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, she collapsed, and then became deathly still. Like a dying fire, her body started to smoke, then she slowly disappeared from sight.” 
  • When the Fairy Council rescues Brystal from the clutches of the Righteous Brotherhood, Mrs. Vee, the cook at the academy, comes too, fighting more ruthlessly than anyone. “The bubbly housekeeper twirled her arms like a maestro conducting an orchestra as she assaulted the Brotherhood with her kitchen supplies. She smacked their faces with wooden spoons, she beat them over the head with baking sheets, and she poked their eyes with whisks and forks. Mrs. Vee unleashed such a powerful and ruthless attack the fairies almost felt sorry for the Brotherhood.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Lucy compares flying on a broomstick to Fabubblous Fizz, a bubbly drink, but it’s unclear if this is alcoholic or not. She says, “I feel like I just drank a barrel of Fabubblous Fizz!” 

Language    

  • While repairing a dam with the Fairy Council, Lucy says, “Dam!” Brystal says, “Watch your mouth, there are children—” Then, Lucy says, “No! Look at the dam!”  
  • Lucy says Tangerina “sounds dumb” when she speaks.  
  • Seven calls his soldiers “idiots.”  

Supernatural  

  • In the Fairy Tale world, magic exists. Magic is mentioned frequently in the story and used for everything from household chores to fighting. Every member of the Fairy Council uses magic that has to do with a ‘specialty,’ such as Tangerina, who controls bees and has hair made of honey. 
  • Brystal uses magic to repair a cracked dam. “Brystal waved her wand at the damage below her. The giant crack was magically filled with a golden seal. . . [and] the spewing water finally stopped. . . To help matters more, Brystal flicked her wand again and this time sent a powerful breeze through the city that dried up all the streets, shops, and homes.” 
  • Many magical creatures are mentioned in the book, such as unicorns and trolls. Unicorns are sometimes mentioned as means of travel or messengers, such as when a unicorn delivers a letter from the Fairy Council to a king. 
  • Mistress Mara, a witch, travels in a large carriage with wooden, spider-like legs that operates by magic. “[The] large carriage was shaped like a human skull. . . [it] crawled on eight wooden legs like a massive spider.”  
  • Brystal’s usual means of travel is by bubble. She creates a bubble with her wand and floats from place to place, able to steer it with her wand. “She quietly opened the windows of her office and floated outside in a large bubble. . . She landed on a snowy mountainside and popped the bubble with her wand.” She does this a few times in the story. 
  • Brystal visits Madame Weatherberry, the Snow Queen, who is living far from civilization in a cave in the mountains. Madame Weatherberry has used a spell to separate herself from the Snow Queen. She appears as a ghost-like figure to Brystal. “Brystal ran across the cavern to embrace her former mentor, but she passed through Madame Weatherberry like she was made of air. . . ”  
  • Madame Weatherberry explains how she became a ghost. “Living in seclusion made the Snow Queen stronger. . . I searched the mountains for a place to imprison her and discovered this cavern. I froze myself in a wall of ice to trap her, and just in case it melted, I blinded myself so she would never find a way out. With my last bit of strength, I performed a detachment spell to separate us. As long as the Snow Queen exists, I’ll exist like a phantom outside of her.”  
  • Ravencrest, Mistress Mara’s school of witchcraft, has an invisible butler, moving paintings, and staircases that move in all directions.  
  • Mistress Mara distinguishes witchcraft from fairy magic by four things – jinxes, hexes, potions, and curses. There is a lesson for each in the story. Jinxes alter one’s appearance, behavior, or function in a negative way, such as when Pip, a student, jinxes a mirror to show an ugly reflection. A hex is a jinx applied to a living creature. Pip hexes someone to have two left feet. Potions are non-magical. Lastly, a curse is a long-lasting or irreversible spell that can take over an environment, inanimate object, or a living thing, and is fueled by anger.  
  • Lucy curses girls who used to make fun of her by turning them into swans. Curses leave something called a “curse counter” behind, a token of the cursed person that shows how long the curse will last. Whenever Mistress Mara curses someone, a jack-o-lantern appears. If its candle is burning, then the curse is still active. 
  • Witchcraft also causes a “recoil” effect to those who use it. The spellcaster’s body is altered with non-human traits. When Lucy uses witchcraft, she grows feathers like a goose. When Pip uses witchcraft, she starts to grow whiskers. Mistress Mara has cast so many spells that she looks like a skeleton. The witches use magical golden necklaces to conceal their true appearances. 
  • Lucy and the witches travel by broomstick once in the story.  
  • Mistress Mara curses Lucy to contain a Shadow Beast, a creature that is used as a sacrifice for an incredibly powerful spell. Lucy has the Fairy Council expel the Shadow Beast from her. “Lucy’s body surpassed her original height and weight and kept growing as she blew up like an enormous balloon. The fairies were shocked as Lucy swelled before their eyes. They could hear something growling inside of her. . . The fairies grabbed hands and recited the chant. . .  Lucy’s body stopped expanding. The Shadow Beast started to howl from inside her. . . Lucy’s body started to twitch and shake. . . Suddenly a dark vapor erupted out of Lucy’s mouth. Her body deflated and she shrank to her original size. The Shadow Beast whirled around the office like a black cloud.” It escapes out the window and finds Mistress Mara.  
  • Mistress Mara sacrifices the Shadow Beast to raise an undead army of former members of the Righteous Brotherhood. “The witch twirled her arms through the air and the Shadow Beast grew into a massive cyclone. The storm whirled around the courtyard. . . The Shadow Beat split into ferocious animals. The creatures scattered to different parts of the fortress and disappeared into the walls and sank into the ground. . . Suddenly, hundreds of decaying hands emerged from the dirt and shot out of the stone walls. . . corpses clawed their way out from their resting places. The corpses faced their leader and saluted him, like a platoon of skeletal soldiers.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • After Seven kills Brystal, she goes to a place in between life and death. She describes it as a “gray field with a perfectly smooth surface.” There, she meets Death, a ten-foot-tall hooded figure with a cloak made of “darkness itself.”  

Into the Shadow Mist

Plum and her friends are traveling to the misty Bokati Island. There they will study with the mysterious Guardian Master Em, who is the keeper of the ancient forest there. The field trip comes just in time for Plum, who still can’t figure out why she’s so different from the other Novices on Lotus Island. 

At first, Plum doesn’t know what to make of this quiet and sometimes gloomy place. But it doesn’t take long to discover that Bokati is brimming with an incredible array of fascinating animals and plants. When an unseen force begins to destroy the trees, putting the entire ecosystem at risk, Plum and her classmates must spring into action. Plum is determined to help, even though she’s hiding secrets about her own Guardian powers from even her closest friends. 

Since the story is told from Plum’s point of view, readers will learn more about Plum’s struggles with feeling different. Because Plum’s Guardian powers are unique, Plum worries that something is wrong with her. This is why, when Plum learns that she can enhance other Guardians’ powers, she tries to keep it secret. But Plum’s secret has become “like a thorn in the bottom of my foot.” Even though she might get into trouble, Plum realizes she can’t “keep the secret inside anymore.” When Plum finally reveals her secret, she finds peace with her powers.  

Into the Shadow Mist follows Plum and her friends as they travel to a new island, where they learn that everything is connected. If you hurt one plant, you hurt the entire habitat. While Plum and her friends—Cherry, Sam, and Salan—explore the forest, they discover several Bokati trees have been cut down. To save the trees, the group must stop the person responsible. The story’s action focuses on the trees and readers will find themselves deeply invested in the trees’ plight.  

At the end of the story, Plum discovers that the villain is Rella—a student expelled from the Guardian Academy. Even though Rella used her Guardian powers to harm the Bokati trees, Plum wonders if she and Rella are similar. Both girls are trying to find their destiny. In the end, Plum lets Rella escape. However, Plum confesses, “I don’t know why I did it. I let my grip on her arm loosen.” This sets up the conflict that will appear in the next book, City of Wishes, and leaves readers questioning if Rella acted on her own or if the powerful Lady Ubon is the mastermind behind the destruction of the Bokati trees.  

Into the Shadow Mist takes readers onto the island where the Bokati trees live. Although the island is not a typical island paradise, Plum and her friends come to love the forest. And while the mystery revolves around trees, the book’s setting and characters will enchant readers and keep them invested in the story.  Plum is the only character who is developed in detail. However, adding a new teacher, Master Em, adds interest to the story. Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book to give  readers a visual of the diverse characters and some animals unique to Bokati Island. Since the characters and Guardian powers are introduced in the first book, The Guardian Test, the series should be read in order because the plots are connected. Readers who want to jump into an imaginative world full of magic will find Legends of the Lotus Island an enjoyable series.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Someone is sneaking onto the island and cutting down Bokati trees. Master Em and a group of Guardians follow a buzzing sound through the forest and find hoverbots. “Cherry rushed towards the hoverbots, claws out. She swatted the bot away from the Bokati tree. The bot spun out of control and slammed into the ground.” 
  • Another student, Mikko, “rushed to Cherry’s side and grabbed a hoverbot. He slung it away from the tree so hard that it slammed into another bot with a loud crash. Metal parts flew through the air in all directions.”  
  • After disabling several of the hoverbots, Plum follows a mysterious mist. The mist “swirled away from me like smoke through the trees, faster and faster. . . A figure stepped out of the disappearing mist. It was a large gray leopard. With a shake of its smoke-gray coat, the leopard shifted to human form.” The person escapes the island. 
  • When the bots come back to cut down another tree, Master Em and the Guardians are ready to attack. “When our homemade pomelo bombs hit the hoverbots, they burst open, sending clouds of spores into the air. . . [the spores] stuck to the hoverbots” which made them easier to see. After smashing several hoverbots, “a large net of woven Bokati fibers dropped own onto the hoverbots, trapping them.”  
  • Plum and another Guardian follow the shadow form of Rella through the woods. “Finally, the shadow vanished and the form of the gray leopard appeared. Sam pinned the big cat down, growling above her.” When Sam goes to get help, Plum lets Rella escape the island.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Heck is used once.

Supernatural 

  • According to stories, when “the Great Beast carried the people and animals across the sea from the Old Home, he allowed them to bring only one thing with them . . . during the long journey.” One of their great-great-great grandmothers brought a “rootlet of a Bokati tree. . . Every Bokati tree you see is descended from that root.”  
  • The Great Beast is mentioned several times. The Great Beast “bestowed his powers upon the Guardians, he gave them their ability to turn into extraordinary creatures so we could protect all the ‘normal’ animals.” 
  • There are different types of Guardians. “Breath Guardians learned to control their power of the mind and senses. Hand Guardians sharpened their powers of strength and agility. And Heart Guardians. . . worked to strengthen their healing powers.”  
  • When the lotus plants become unhealthy, the Guardians must heal them. One of the teachers, Brother Chalad, demonstrates. He “scooped up some water in his furry kinkajou hand. He sprinkled water onto a specked lotus pad. Then he placed his palm on the leaf and breathed out slowly. After a moment, vibrant green life began to flow out from the center of the leaf, erasing the brown spots one by one.”   
  • The students can turn into Guardian animals that have unique powers. For instance, Cherry turns into a gillybear. Cherry “began her transformation. Fluffy cream-colored fur burst out all over her legs, and her hands widened into paws. Her face elongated into a bear snout with a wet black nose. And she grew big, big, and bigger still.”  
  • While in her Guardian form, Plum discovers that she can enhance the other Guardian’s powers. In addition, her antlers can “glow like a torch.” When Plum uses her power, her “antlers thrummed like a pure note played on a piano. I could feel the electric tingle run through me, through Cherry, through Hetty, through each of us.” 
  • Master Em has the power of intuition and can see into the future. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None

The Terror of the Southlands

Hilary Westfield is a pirate. In fact, she’s the Terror of the Southlands. She’s daring, brave, fearless, and . . . in a rut. Okay, maybe Hilary hasn’t found any treasure lately. And maybe she isn’t fighting off as many scallywags as she’d like. But does that mean she and her loyal crew deserve to be kicked out of the ranks of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (VNHLP)? 

There is only one thing to do—find a daring mission worthy of her fearless reputation. With the help of her first mate Charlie, finishing school friend Claire, and a self-proclaimed intrepid gargoyle, Hilary sets sail on a swashbuckling expedition that may or may not involve a kidnapped Enchantress, bumbling inspectors, a mysterious group called the Mutineers, and—the most terrifying of all—a high Society ball. 

To prove herself worthy of being a pirate, Hilary sets off on another fast-paced adventure with her friends Charlie and Claire. The three must follow the clues to find the missing Enchantress, Miss Pimm. This is complicated because while Charlie may not be afraid of walking the plank, he is afraid of Claire. Miss Pimm’s disappearance adds mystery to the story while Charlie’s fear of girls adds humor. The two plots converge to show the importance of supporting your friends through thick and thin. 

The Terror of the Southlands brings back most of the characters from the first book, Magic Marks the Spot. However, several new and interesting characters are added to the cast. While Hilary’s focus is on being bold and daring, she also must navigate the complications of friendships, especially when there are disagreements. While the pirate elements of the story add excitement, the friendship element makes the story relatable. Through Hilary and her crew’s experiences, readers will see that pirates may not always follow the rules, but that doesn’t make them villains. While the true villains in the story are predictable, readers will still cheer when Hilary and her friends thwart their evil plans.  

The book includes the Gargoyle’s memoir, which recaps the backstory of the series. Despite this, The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates Series is a continuous story that should be read in order. To help readers keep apprised of the inspector’s investigation, additional information is given in the form of reports written by the queen’s inspectors. While the reports do contain important information, the queen’s inspectors are portrayed as bumbling fools, which adds to the story’s humor.  

Adventure-seeking readers will enjoy following Hilary and her crew as they take to the high seas in search of the Enchantress. The story’s humor and suspense will keep readers engaged until the very end. The story concludes with an enjoyable epic battle between the pirates and the villains. One fun aspect of the conclusion is that each character has a unique quality that makes them special. For instance, Hilary’s mother uses her skill as a hostess to get guests out of harm’s way, while Claire discovers her extraordinary ability to use magic, allowing her to vanquish the mutineers. In the end, Hilary proves that she is indeed bold and brave enough to be a pirate, even when she is wearing a dress that makes her look like a cabbage.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Someone shoots cannonballs at Hilary’s boat, Squeaker. “Then a tremendous splash drenched [Hilary] from her hat feather to her boot buckles, and the Squeaker rocked perilously from side to side. . . Another cannonball splashed in front of the ship, nearly grazing the Gargoyle’s Nest on the way down. The gargoyle yelped and buried himself as well as he could under his hat.” The other ship pulls close to the Squeaker and the ship’s occupants invite Hilary and her crew to their house.  
  • The president of the VNHLP, Captain Blacktooth, orders Hilary to abandon her quest. When Hilary refuses, Captain Blacktooth’s crew “advance toward Hilary. . . She raised her cutlass as a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder stepped in front of her. . . But the pirate didn’t back away. Instead, he swung his sword toward Hilary, clipping the end of her braid and knocking her cutlass to the floor. . .” Hilary’s governess, Miss Greyson appears and stops the pirates from hurting Hilary.  
  • When Claire tries to use magical coins, they explode. No one is injured. 
  • At the beginning of the story, Hilary’s friend Jasper disappears. Later, Jasper reveals that he was kidnapped. The villains “confiscated my sword, bound my wrists and ankles, and tied me to a rather uncomfortable palm tree. . . The pirates kept me well fed, at least.” When the pirates decided to leave the island, Jasper got out of the ropes and followed. 
  • When Miss Pimm is kidnapped, Hilary tracks her down. Miss Pimm’s “wrists and ankles were bound with thick ropes, her eyes were closed, and she was snoring softly.” She is weak, but uninjured. 
  • Miss Pimm explains, “I tried to stick [the kidnappers] to the ground with my crochet hook, and I did stop a few of them, but the others pulled the hook out of my hand. They picked me up, which must have been quite a challenge for them, since I confess I was kicking and scratching in a terribly unladylike way.” Someone hit Miss Pimm on the head and she woke to find herself tied up. 
  • While trying to sneak into a house, Hilary and her friends meet a coachman named Lewis. Before he can yell, “Hilary pulled her cutlass from her waistband and pressed the tip into Lewis’s shoulder, not hard enough to slice through his livery, but hard enough to show she meant business.” 
  • While trying to get Lewis to leave his guard post, the gargoyle “leaned toward Lewis, baring his teeth, crossing his eyes, wiggling his ears, and flapping his wings so violently. . . His snout touched Lewis’s nose, and he let out a great breath. . .” Lewis faints. 
  • While at a party, Hilary and her friends discover that the Mutineers, Mrs. Tilbury, Philomena, and Nicholas conspired to kidnap Miss Pimm so Philomena could be the next Enchantress. “Mrs. Tilbury, Philomena, and Nicholas raised their magic piece in the air. Hilary raised her cutlass. . .” Suddenly, a group of pirates crash through the windows and a fight ensues.  
  • During the fight, “Miss Greyson was using her crochet hook to blast several of them off their feet, while Claire jabbed all the guards within reach with two of her very sharp hairpins. . .” Captain Blacktooth corners Hilary. “He held his sword frighteningly close to her chin, and his expression was so fearsome that she froze. . .” Another pirate jumps in and saves Hilary. 
  • Philomena uses magic to put Claire in the air. Then Philomena begins taunting Claire. “Hilary grabbed Philomena from one side just as Charlie grabbed her from the other. They both held up their swords. . .” Philomena drops Claire, who “crashed to the floor” and “yelped in pain.” 
  • Claire stops the pirate fight when she grabs a magic item and says, “I wish all you dratted Mutineers would disappear to some horrid little deserted island and leave me alone!” Then, “with a very loud pop, Philomena (and the other villains) vanished.” The battle is described over 13 pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Some of the adult pirates drink Grog. 
  • At a party, some of the guests have champagne. 
  • Hilary gives Miss Greyson a cup of ginger beer. 

Language  

  • There is some name calling including sea cucumber, rogues, and slime. 
  • Drat and blast are used as exclamations frequently. 
  • “Oh, Crumbs” and “oh curses” are both used as an exclamation once. 
  • Pirates are often referred to as scallywags, scoundrels, and rapscallions.  
  • Hilary’s father, Admiral Westfield calls the Enchantress, “That Meddling Old Biddy.”

Supernatural 

  • Magical items exist. Claire tries to use a magic crochet hook to order “a tray of egg sandwiches.” Unexpectedly, a ball of light appeared and “flared up around Claire’s crochet hook so furiously that Hilary could hardly look at it. Then a tremendous bang shook the trees to their very roots, and the hook exploded.” Afterward, Claire’s fingers were red.  
  • While investigating Miss Pimm’s disappearance, Hilary uses magic to stop the queen’s inspectors. Hilary’s “cutlass floated out of its sheath and hovered in front of the inspectors, directing its point at their chest when they attempted to move. . . Hilary’s arms felt weak from the magic, and her breath was strained, but she had more than enough strength left to grin.” Hilary eventually lets the inspectors go.  
  • Hilary uses magic to pick a lock. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Wrath of the Exiles

Coop Cooperson thought he was settling into life as the only human at Dungeoneer Academy, but no one will even remember his Mushroom Maze victory if he keeps failing Riddles and Runes class. Adding insult to injury is the new kid, Kody, who everyone—including Coop’s best friends on the Green Team—thinks is so great…but Coop is convinced there’s more to Kody than meets the eye.

But it’s not just the arrival of Kody; other things seem off at the Academy. After a serious incident at the school dance, Coop, Oggie, Daz, and Mindy, plus a few other students new and old, realize they must step up to try and stop whoever’s wreaking havoc. But the villains are even more dangerous than anyone realizes . . . and they have a serious vendetta against Dungeoneer Academy.

Coop and his friends put their best junior dungeoneer skills to the test, but their foes are always one step ahead. Can they figure out how to stop them and save Dungeoneer Academy before it’s too late? 

The second installment of the Dungeoneer Adventures will quickly capture readers’ attention with a new twist—Coop wants to ask Daz to the homecoming dance, but the task seems more difficult than facing monsters. Mixed into the story is a little jealousy when the new kid, Kody, dominates Daz’s and Oggie’s attention. Middle school readers will relate to Coop’s insecurities and conflicts, which are presented humorously. 

Despite the drama of the homecoming dance, the action never takes a break. Soon, Coop and his friends—the Green Team—are off on a wild adventure trying to stop the villain, Rake, from acquiring a piece of the wishing stone. As the friends travel into an icy abyss, they meet a robot named Victor Seven. The robot wants to be a hero; this thread allows the book to explore the theme of heroism. In the end, Victor learns that “Being a hero isn’t about never failing. It is about always trying.”  

Wrath of the Exiles’ rich language adds to the story’s fun tone. The book is wonderful to read aloud because it’s filled with alliteration, onomatopoeias, silly names, and made-up words. However, some readers will struggle with the liberal use of idioms such as knock you down a peg, a walk in the park, etc. In addition, the story uses difficult vocabulary such as cacophonous, surmises, perpetual, precipitous, extrapolate, and gobsmacked. Despite this, there are context clues that will assist readers in understanding the story. The story’s black-and-white illustrations also help readers understand the text and visualize the imaginative world. The Dungeoneers Adventures Series must be read in order because each book builds on the same story thread.  

While Wrath of the Exiles has many of the stereotypical characters—a bully, an evil villain, a bookworm, an awkward boy, etc.—each character has unique qualities that make them loveable and, at times, surprising. The magical world, fast-paced battle scenes, and fight against evil make Wrath of the Exiles hard to put down. The story’s message about friendship, trust, and listening gives the story heart. The Dungeoneer Adventures books will have readers laughing out loud one moment, and biting their nails the next. Additionally, the conclusion reinforces important lessons about friendship that will leave readers with a smile as they reach for the next book in the series.  

Sexual Content  

  • After Coop shows Daz his support, she “gives me a peck on the cheek. My brain short-circuits for a second, and I suddenly feel like doing somersaults.”  

Violence  

  • Zeek, the school bully, purposely trips Coop in the cafeteria. Afterward, Coop describes, “I stand up amidst the crowd, dripping with slime, and as I stumble out of the cafeteria, their scolding turns into laughing. Needless to say, it doesn’t feel so good.” 
  • At the homecoming dance, someone puts a potion into the punch and it turns everyone into stone.  
  • While trying to figure out who turned everyone into stone, Coop and his friends go into the school’s vaults and discover a “mechanical behemoth” which is “a sputter-guardian. . . the newest sputter-spark technology that the realm of Shyrm has to offer.” The sputter-guardian attacks Coop. “A barrage of arrows peppers the ground behind my feet as I hop, skip, and jump out of the way. The machine lurches after me.” 
  • Oggie jumps into the fight and “the sputter-guardian spins like a top, striking out with limbs, like each has a mind of its own. One swats Oggie, and he goes crashing into the stone slab that Ingrid’s hiding behind. With a swift tug, she pulls him clear of another blow.” Ingrid is another member of the Green Team. 
  • The sputter-guardian tries to zap the kids with a laser blast. Coop attacks with his sword. “With a clamorous BOOM the sputter-guardian falls to the ground, missing a leg. . . Angerly its red eye heats up and starts rapid-firing in all directions.” Daz pushes Coop out of the way and “with both of her daggers drawn, she dives spectacularly for the glowing eye and shatters it.” The battle is described over six pages. No one is injured.  
  • As Coop and his friends enter further into the vault, they find Zeek and his friend Axel trying to steal an answer key. Then, Coop explains, “I dive as a wrecking ball swooshes past me, tousling my hair. Then a bunch of buzz saws spring at me from the floor and walls.” Daz pushes Coop out of the way. 
  • Axel “tries to avoid a whizzing buzz saw, a wrecking ball clips him from behind and he tumbles to the ground. Zeek scrambles like a cockroach to save himself.” Oggie saves Axel. No one is injured. 
  • A group of students jump into “a black vortex,” which is a portal to the underworld. When they come out of the other side, an exile, Dorian Rider, puts them in chains. 
  • Coop goes after Dorian Rider and another exile. Before he can attack, “everything turns dark as I crumble to the floor. What just happened? The last thing I see is Zeek standing over me with a wooden club in his hand.” 
  • Coop and the Green Team run from a “mutant troggle” that is a “sentient ape” that has been “lobotomized. Turned into a machine.” Coop explains, “With alarming speed, the monster’s giant axe-hand swipes towards me . . . . All I can do is duck and wince. But when I look up, I see the force field from Mindy’s ring repel the attack.” 
  • The ape grabs Oggie and starts to squeeze him. Oggie yells, “You’ll have to do better than that, banana breath!” The angry ape “flings Oggie at the wall, where he clatters into a rack of weapons. . . Oggie looks up in fright as the mutant troggle raises its cruel axe. . .”  
  • In an attempt to stop the ape, the Green Team lets a nether bharg loose, but unfortunately it goes after them. “The nether bharg’s jaws are mere inches away from gnashing at us when Daz steps forward, raising her arms, revealing the strange eye patterns on her cloak. . . the nether bharg freezes in its track, recoiling in fear.” The Green Team escapes. The scene is described over five pages. 
  • The Green Team enters a tomb and faces a group of ghosts who “are her loyal servants. . . even in death.” A ghost asks the group what they wish for and Oggie thinks about food. An avalanche of food begins to fall. Daz is “pelted with a carton of Nork’s Noodles. . . Mindy shouts as she uses her magic ring to conjure a force field above us like an umbrella. A giant tube steak falls like a wiggly tree trunk and bounces off the shield.” 
  • When the kids are about to be smothered in food, their robot friend Victor “leaps clear of a titanic cupcake, carrying Daz, Mindy, and Ingrid over his shoulders.” Victor forces the door open and everyone gets out except for him. 
  • In a multi-chapter battle, Coop and his friends battle for their lives. As the Green Team enters the next level of the maze, the exiles surround them. “In seconds, their weapons are pointed at us from all sides. . . The exiles waste no time and charge us, weapons drawn and magic items humming to maximum power. [Coop] fall[s] back, barely avoiding a swipe from Kodar’s [an exile] axe.” 
  • During the fight, “Mindy shouts, firing bolts into the hanging icicles. A few razor-sharp shards of ice crash down to the floor, keeping Kodar and the others at bay.”  
  • Coop is caught when Dorian’s “grappling gun entangles me. The squeeze is so strong that I can’t move my arms. . .”  
  • The leader of the exiles, Rake, goes after Oggie. Rake “strikes Oggie so hard with his augmented arm that the blow sends my friend sprawling. Oggie slams against a gagged stone, magic armor crumpling.” Someone gives Oggie a Courage Potion and he wakes up.  
  • A trap is set off unleashing “Audrastica’s ice golems” that attack the exiles. Then a huge “behemoth” ice golem appears, but Victor runs to the rescue.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Coop and his class are learning how to make a courage potion that includes “doohagenberry plant,” which has extraordinary healing properties. 

Language  

  • There is often name calling such as jerk, goon, turncoat, loser, and scumbag. 
  • Kodar mocks Coop by calling him little guy. 
  • Heck and dang are both used several times. 
  • Zeek overhears Oggie (who has fur) talking about asking a girl to the homecoming dance. Zeek scoffs and says, “She’d never go to the dance with an overgrown hairball like you!” Oggie’s friend jumps in and says, “Oh yeah, and who would ever want to go to a dance with a couple of puke-breath bullies like you two.” 
  • Zeek calls Coop “Pooperson.” 
  • While learning about a famous dungeoneer, Shane Shandar, Coop thinks, “I, Coop Cooperson, Junior Dungeoneer, am going to the same school as Shane flippin’ Shadar.” 
  • Zeek accuses the new girl of being an evil witch. 
  • “Holy cats” is used as an exclamation twice.

Supernatural 

  • The dungeoneers must take a Riddles and Runes class. Their teacher explains that, “Runes are magic. Specifically, magic words, or strings of words. And they have many complete meanings pertaining to spells, enchantments, or curses.”  
  • Someone steals the Arkimunda Coagudex, a book of spells, from the library. “Supposedly the Arkimunda Coagudex was written by a powerful sorcerer hundreds of years ago. . . It is full of recipes to create things like curse potions, corrosive acids, and dangerous poisons.” The book also has “hexes, boons, enchantments, and curses.” 
  • Ingrid, uses the Arkimunda Coagudex to make a Campfire Potion. She says, “We can grind up frostfoil and mix it with melding powder and water to create a potion that wards off the cold.” 
  • Kodar, who is an exile, uses an amulet of focused “trasnsmogrification” to disguise his identity. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

When Sal Vidón meets Gabi Reál for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. 

On his very first day at his new school, Sal meets Gabi Reál, “student council president and obviously one of the smartest kids in school,” and Gabi is absolutely set on understanding how Sal performs some of his most difficult magic tricks.  

Sal feels a bit singled out because of his diabetes, and there are a few instances when Sal struggles to manage his blood sugar. But Sal also has a secret, he can reach into other universes. Sal explains, “We are not alone in the universe my friends . . .There are countless other universes above and beneath our own like pages in a book.” Sal has the unique ability “to see these other worlds” and access them.  

After reaching into another universe, Sal realizes, “All the holes I’d made so far usually didn’t last long . . . [This] hole wasn’t gone yet. That was bad. Until a hole was closed, there was a risk that stuff I didn’t intend to bring over from the other universe would come through on its own.” Sal and his new friend, Gabi, discover that she can also see the holes in the universe, and Sal explains, “I’d never met anyone else who could see [the holes].” Sal and Gabi team up, on a mission to learn more about how to close the holes into other universes.  

Though Hernandez’s novel centers around Sal and Gabi learning more about other universes, as well as how it impacts their universe, Sal’s diabetes is an important theme as well. Sal had to go explain his condition to the principal on the first day of school. Sal’s principal admits, “We’ve never had a student with diabetes before,” but that she will instruct her teachers to learn “how to meet [Sal’s] needs.” Readers will likely learn a great deal about diabetes and readers with diabetes will appreciate being represented by Sal.  

Readers will relate to Sal as he starts at a new school and tries to make new friends. Sal is an empathetic character who puts time and effort into his passions, one of which is magic tricks. Sal consistently makes Gabi and other characters in the book laugh when they are feeling down. Sal explains, “I started studying magic when my mami died. It was a way for me to cope with the pain and to try to take back control of my life . . . That’s why I love performing tricks now. I love to see people’s eyes fill with wonder.” Sal always does his best to make other characters feel happy, saying, “Sometimes, when [life’s] too hard, when it hurts too much, only silliness can save us. And I’m all about doing whatever it takes to help people make it to tomorrow.” 

A major theme of the story is coping with the pain of losing a loved one. Sal often reflects on how much he misses his mom. When Sal is struggling with grief, Sal’s dad reveals, “[Mami’s] death was the worst thing that’s ever happened to either of us . . . I thought my life was over when she died . . . I thought it would kill me, you know. Literally stop my heart.” And when Sal asks his dad what helped him keep going while he was grieving, Sal’s dad says, “You, mijo.” Sal and his father’s bond is a positive force throughout the novel, and they are able to support each other after the loss of Sal’s mother. Readers will learn from this novel to “trust in the people that love you,” and this will help you during the hardest times in life.  

Readers who enjoy fantasy, reading about alternate realities, or magic tricks will adore this book. Hernandez showcases a heartwarming and strong friendship between Sal and Gabi. Sal explains that he and Gabi bonded over embracing the nuances of each other’s families: “Months later, [Gabi] told me the way I had met her interesting, complicated family, pleasantly and without judgment. . . made her think I was the most mature seventh grader she had ever met.” This book discusses more sensitive topics such as grief and struggling to manage type one diabetes, but throughout the novel Sal and Gabi showcase strong friendship, humor, and kindness toward others, and in this way the book maintains an uplifting tone.  

The ending perfectly sets up the second book in the series, Sal and Gabi Save the Universe, as Gabi and Sal have used Sal’s ability to reach between universes to save Gabi’s sick, newborn brother—but they do not know what the consequences of this interference will be. Readers will be on the edge of their seats to see what happens in Sal and Gabi’s next adventure. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

 Violence  

  • Sal encounters a bully on his first day at school. The bully, Yasmany, “slapped [Sal’s] diabetes bag out of my hands. It hit the ground with a glassy crunch. My stomach crunched right along with it.” Yasmany does eventually apologize to Sal.  
  • Sal and Gabi discover that Yasmany has run away from home because he feels unsafe. After Sal and Gabi help him and take him to eat and stay with Gabi’s family, Sal asks Gabi, “Is Yasmany’s papi a bad guy?” Gabi reveals, “The bad guy is his mom.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Sal explains a Cuban insult to Gabi, saying, “‘Sapingo’ is a classic Cuban insult. It’s basically how you tell the person whom you are insulting that they’re about as smart as a day-old skid mark.” 
  • At his previous school, the majority of students are white while Sal is Cuban. Sal says, “kids were telling me to ‘go back to brown town’ all the time.”  
  • Sal explains, “‘Cacaseca’ is the word Miami talk-show hosts use instead of BS. It literally means ‘dry poop,’ but it really means ‘Dude, your poop is so played out. Don’t try to play me with your played-out poop.’” 
  • While walking home from school, Sal is nearly hit by a car. Sal explains, “I never even flinched. Not because I am very badass or anything. I was paralyzed. Classic deer-in-headlights syndrome.”  

Supernatural 

  • When doing a magic trick, Sal reaches into another universe and creates a hole. He “made a pretty big rip in the universe inside that locker.” Because of this rip, Sal and Gabi are briefly able to see into another universe, where there is a chicken factory. But the hole does eventually close, and they go back to their own universe.  
  • Because of his ability to reach into other universes, Sal has been able to bring other versions of his Mami into his world. For instance, Sal says, “I had [brought] Mami Muerta back from the dead five times since [her death]. Six including this one.” However, Sal recognizes how each of these versions of Mami is very different from the Mami he knew as a child.  
  • After Sal uses his abilities to reach between universes to save Gabi’s sick, newborn baby brother, Gabi reveals that she thinks her brother has become “a wormhole to another universe.” This sets up the plot for the second book in the series, Sal and Gabi Save the Universe.  

Spiritual Content  

  • Sal’s classmate, Gladis, wears a necklace with an “ojo turco.” Sal explains, “An ojo turco is a piece of blue glass with a blue eyeball painted on it. People wear them on necklaces and bracelets to protect them against the evil eye.”  
  • Sal explains that Mami would “tell me stories about how a brujo [witch] could make you sick, make your cows give blood instead of milk, turn your hair white, age you in five seconds, all sorts of stuff.” 
  • When Sal takes Gabi into another universe for the first time, the people living in the other universe think Sal and Gabi are “evil spirits, or devils, or something. She says she is going to kick us in the butt three times and send us back to hell.” Sal and Gabi convince the lady from the other universe that they are “good spirits.” 
  • Even though Gabi’s newborn brother is in the NICU and does not have a positive prognosis, Gabi’s mom says, “I lost my faith for a while, too. Do you know how I got it back. . . God is just another word for ‘goodness.’ Every time we do a good thing, God grows. Inside us.” 

The Guardian Test

Plum is shocked to discover that she’s been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians, which are magical creatures sworn to protect the natural world. The Guardian masters teach Plum and her friends how to communicate with animals and how to use meditation to strengthen their minds and bodies. The kids also learn to fight, so they can protect the defenseless. 

To her dismay, Plum struggles at school. While her classmates begin to transform into amazing creatures, Plum can’t even seem to magic up a single feather! If she can’t embrace her inner animal form soon, she’ll have to leave school—and lose the first group of real friends she’s ever known.  

In The Gradian Test, Plum narrates her experiences at the Guardian Academy. While there, Plum feels like an outsider who doesn’t belong at the academy. One reason Plum feels this way is because mean girl Rella looks down on her because Plus is from a farming community. Despite the teasing, Plum feels most at home working in the garden, where she talks to the worms and plants. Plum is an extremely likable character whom readers will connect with because of her insecurities and worries. 

Several times throughout the story, the book shows the importance of meditation. In Breath class, students learn to meditate, which is an essential part of transforming into the Guardian form. During class, one of the teachers, Master Sunback, says, “Let the rest of the world fall away until there is nothing left but your breathing.” This is one area that Plum has difficulty mastering because when she closes her eyes, questions begin running through her mind. However, it is only through meditation that Plum can change into her Guardian form. When Plum finally transforms, she “just felt like . . . me.”  

The story reinforces the importance of taking care of the animals and plants that have been entrusted to our care. For example, the Guardians stop a fleet of boats from overfishing because, “The coral reef near Bidibop Island is very fragile, and your fishermen were dropping anchor, destroying coral that had been growing for thousands of years. They were also overfishing, taking far too much in their nets.” While The Guardian Test doesn’t explore this topic in detail, it highlights the importance of caring for our world.  

The Guardian Test is an exciting story that takes the reader into a beautifully imaginative world. While Plum is the only character who is developed in detail, the supporting characters are interesting and readers will look forward to learning more about all of the characters in the next book in the series, Into the Shadow Mist. The plot has enough mystery and suspense to keep readers engaged while still being simple enough that the storyline is easy to follow. In addition, black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book to give readers a visual of the diverse characters and some of the animals that are unique to Lotus Island. The Guardian Test begins an exciting series that is perfect for fans of The Legend of Zelda.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • During class, Master Drew turned into “a huge muscular jaicat with an inky coat and a pair of short golden horns perched between her ears. She prowled in a slow circle around Cherry [a student] and then—before any of us could blink—she pounced on her, tackling Cherry onto her back.” Cherry is uninjured. 
  • During class, Cherry “threw herself into attacking our teacher. But Master Drew blocked every one of Cherry’s moves with speed and ease. And then, just when it seemed like Cherry was finally going to get in a kick, Master Drew grabbed her ankle and used it to flip Cherry onto the ground.”  
  • While in the forest, a leopard jumps on Plum, knocking her down. “Without even thinking, I popped my hips to knock the leopard off balance. I used my advantage to curl my knees in and push from underneath the beast. The next second I was on my feet and running.” Plum discovers that mean girl Rella is the leopard.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Plum learns to use various plants such as milkfoot and other herbs to heal ailments.  

Language  

  • Dang and heck are both used once.  
  • Rella says that Plum “probably lived in a sheep pen. At least, that’s what she smells like.”  
  • While doing defense drills, Rella and Plum are paired together. Rella says, “Come on, pig farmer. Pretend I’m a bucket of slop you can’t wait to roll in.”  

Supernatural 

  • There are “three types of Guardians: Hand, Heart, and Breath. Hand Guardians are fierce, fast and strong. . . Heart Guardians are the healers. And Breath Guardians are super chill, and they can calm people down.” 
  • Heart Guardians “have the power to mend broken bones, soothe pain, and repair damage.”  
  • The students learn how to turn into mythical creatures such as a fox bat and a gillybear. In order to transform, students need to learn how to meditate. 
  • To show the students how to transform, two Guardians “swooped their arms down, and in an instant they transformed. One became a zorahawk with broad wings and a curved beak. The other was a glister mare with a sparkling mane and powerful legs.”  
  • In a demonstration, one Guardian turns into a buttermoth and the other turns into a raccoon. “Together they knelt at the edge of one of the lotus ponds, where the sun had scorched the lotus pads a patchy brown. The raccoon placed his hand on the damaged leaves while the buttermoth fluttered her wings. Green life flowed back into the pads, healing them completely.” 
  • Two students have a dream amulet. “Parents whisper their dreams for their children into a charm or a stone and give it to them for luck.” Plum’s friend, Sam, breathes on his charm. “When he opened his hand, a soft light, like a tiny ball of starlight, glowed from the ruby gem. He held it up to my ear. I heard the faintest echoing whisper of a woman’s voice: ‘Wealth and power will flow to you like water from a rain.’” 
  • When Plum breathes on her dream amulet, Plum hears her mother’s voice. “Suddenly the white light shot straight out of the shell. It hovered like a twile-fly right in front of my face. Its light pulsed like a heartbeat.” The light leads Plum to some ancient ruins. Then, Plum “opened my fingers. The white light flickered faintly as it drifted up to my shell pendant and back inside.” Plum believes that she had been visited by her mother’s spirit.  
  • A student named Rella finds a chant written on the wall of some ruins. She uses it to transform into a leopard. The chant is “ancient magic from before the Santipapa Islands even existed.” Rella doesn’t know what the words mean, but when she says “them in the proper order, you can tap into the old magic.” When using the chants, the person feels an enormous sense of power. 
  • When Plum uses the chants, “the entire temple flooded with light. The images on the mural burst into motion. . . The tingling in my fingers surged into my arms and legs. I felt so strong like I could run to the top of the mountain or leap over trees.” While saying the chant, Plum partially transforms into her Guardian form.  

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Escape from Atlantis

The last way that Riley Evans wanted to spend spring break was studying whales on the family sailboat in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. With only her dad, aunt, and annoying cousin Alfie for company. She is so bored staring at the waves that she’s starting to see mermaids between them. But when their boat capsizes during a sudden storm, Riley finds more excitement than she bargained for as she and Alfie are washed ashore with neither of their parents in sight. Where they’ve been shipwrecked is no deserted island, though.

Atlantis is a place beyond imagination, inhabited by both people and incredible creatures ranging from unicorns and gargoyles to talking animals. But not everyone welcomes the cousins’ arrival, and beneath the wonder of this mythical land lurk dangerous secrets—something strange is happening to the inhabitants. What Riley wants more than anything is to find her father and go home. But the closer she gets to this goal, the more the islanders seem determined to keep her from reaching it.

As Riley and Alfie unravel the mystery of Atlantis and its most terrifying part, the Forbidden Zone, they realize that the clock is ticking. If they can’t learn what happened to their parents and find a way off the island soon, it may be too late to leave. 

Even though Riley and Alfie are family, they can’t stand each other and most of the blame lands on Alfie, whose hot temper and mean words make him an unlikable character. Unlike Alfie, the book’s protagonist Riley is a more well-rounded which makes her more relatable. When Riley discovers animal-like creatures called Cloaks living on Atlantis, she is fascinated by them and treats them with respect while the Atlanteans treat the creatures as if they are invisible. Riley’s acceptance of the Cloaks shows the importance of treating others with respect and dignity no matter what they look like.   

While Riley’s acceptance of the Cloaks is admirable, she is also manipulative and dishonest as she tries to leave Atlantis. Her singular focus to find her father and aunt puts others in danger. However, she refuses to give up her quest. When Riley, Alfie and her family finally leave Atlantis, the situation is so dire that readers may have a hard time cheering for Riley’s success.  

Unlike most stories that focus on the mythical island of Atlantis, Escape from Atlantis portrays the legendary city as one full of danger. While this premise is unique, the island’s world-building is murky which leads to confusion. While the Cloaks add mystery and suspense, the details regarding people transforming into Cloaks are unclear—no one knows why people change into animals or how the process works. In addition, no one knows why the sea serpent, the Lavianthan, will not allow anyone to leave the island. 

Readers who love stories with well-defined rules and clear world-building may find Escape from Atlantis a frustrating read. However, readers who are intrigued by mythology and Atlantis may find this unique version interesting. While Riley and Alfie are at times annoying, they show personal growth and perseverance. In addition, the unique characters and the book’s resolution will leave readers with a new appreciation of accepting others—even those who are different than us. If you’d like to read more fast-paced stories that take place in a magical world, read The Revenge of Magic Series by James Riley or The Door at the End of the World by Caroline Carlson. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Riley finds her cousin Alfie reading her diary. She “snatched at her diary, but Alfie kept pulling it away and taunting her with it. . . She hauled back and punched her cousin in the stomach as hard as she could. Alfie dropped the diary, collapsing onto the bunk, gasping for breath.” 
  • A sea serpent attacks the boat Riley and her family are on. “Another violent strike knocked the boat, followed by a rush of water that nearly washed [Riley’s] father away. . .  Riley added her own scream when she saw the dark head of some kind of massive snakelike sea serpent rising out of the water and smashing against the front end of the boat. Its long, scaled body coiled completely around the boat like a snake constricting around its prey.” 
  • Eventually, the sea serpent “was rising itself farther out of the water and climbing high above the ship. It roared once, and then opened its mouth even wider and struck like a viper, biting off the front end of the boat.” A different creature grabs Riley and takes her to an island, where she finds her cousin, but their parents are gone. The scene is described over four pages.  
  • When Riley and Alfie wake up on an island, they meet Bastian, a boy about their age. When Bastian tries to get the cousins to go to his community, “Alfie charged up to Bastian and poked him in the chest.” Alfie walks away. Riley and Bastian follow. They eventually see a Red Cloak who attacks them. “Behind them, Miss Pigglesworth [a huge dog] growled, barked and leaped over and ran straight at the Red Cloak. . . The sights and sounds were sickening at the immense dog and Red Cloak met in a vicious fight. They started rolling in the sand.” When Miss Pigglesworth is injured, Red Cloak runs towards the kids. 
  • The Red Cloak is a creature with a tail named Mada. “All Riley could do was watch as Mada crossed a great distance in a single leap. Right before he landed, two of the unicorns galloped forward. . .” A unicorn touches Mada and then “Mada roared once and then collapsed to the sand, unconscious.” The kids quickly leave. The scene is described over four pages. 
  • Riley and Alfie want to confirm that their parents are dead so they go to dig up their graves. However, a catlike creature attacks. “Suddenly Riley was knocked to the ground by something very large and painfully heavy. Acting on instinct alone, she held up the shovel for protection just as a tooth-filled mouth came toward her. Snarling and hissing, it bit down on the shoved handle instead of her throat. . . As he moved, his rear claws raked Riley’s legs and she cried in pain.” Before the cat can kill her, a gargoyle grabs it and flies away. Riley is injured, but Alfie cares for the wound. The scene is described over four pages. 
  • Riley and her friends are attempting to save an injured gargoyle when Mada appears intending to kill Riley. “As Mada started to charge, the horns on the five unicorns started to blaze brilliantly. They whinnied loudly, and the one that had escorted them reared and slammed down to the sand. . .” Mada runs away.  
  • While swimming to a different part of Atlantis, Riley and Alfie are threatened by the Lavianthan, a huge sea serpent. Galina, a siren, uses her voice on the Lavianthan. “It glided past Riley . . . The leopard roared and howled as the Lavianthan changed directions and dove down into the depths, taking the leopard with it.” 
  • An alligator attacks Alfie. The water “erupted in struggle as Galina was wrapped around the alligator that was holding on to Alfie’s leg and spinning. . . the struggle moved deeper beneath the surface. Moments later, Galina lifted Alfie to the surface. He was unconscious.” Alfie is seriously injured but recovers.  
  • When the Red Moon comes, the tide goes out which allows the dangerous animals to attack the people of Atlantis. The people hide in their ship, the Queen, while Cloaks are left to die. Someone asks Riley, “Haven’t you ever wondered why there aren’t more Blue or Yellow Cloaks here? After all this time, there are only a handful of us. . . There were more. Many more. But because they won’t let us on the Queen during the Red Moon, we are hunted and killed by the wildlings.” 
  • When trying to escape the island, Mada tries to attack Riley, but Riley’s friend Maggie intervenes. “Maggie appeared out of the fog with her cloak off. A sleep leopard jumped onto Mada’s back and knocked him from Riley.” Riley and her friends run, leaving Maggie. Maggie is seriously injured and she may not recover.  
  • Merfolk cause a storm in order to stop Riley, Alfie, and their friends from leaving Atlantis. “Terrifying merfolk” call the Lavianthan in order to stop their boat from leaving. “The Lavianthan made another pass at the yacht. It raised itself high out of the water and came down on the front of the bow. The boat’s back end was lifted out of the water, throwing everyone down to the deck.” Riley’s father talks to the merfolk, who let the yacht pass.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Atlantis uses Memory Berries. “When you eat them, you forget everything. We are a small community and we have to get along. If there is trouble, berries are used, and the trouble stops.” 
  • Alfie is given Memory Berries which completely changes him. “The expression on his face was all wrong. . . The Memory Berries had changed him completely.” Riley puts crushed-up leaves in his soup, which reverses the effect of the berries.  

Language  

  • Riley and Alfie are mean to each other. To annoy Riley, Alfie calls her “shorty” and she calls him “creep.”
  • There is often name calling including stupid, spoiled brat, idiot, chicken, moron, freak, etc. 

Supernatural 

  • Atlantis has magical creatures such as unicorns, sirens, and other intelligent animal-like creatures.  
  • The island has “those in cloaks” who are not supposed to be approached. Riley approaches one and finds a “furry creature. He looked just like a cuddly koala, with a large black noise and rounded ears on the top of his head. But he was bigger and had golden eyes.” 
  • Gargoyles live in Atlantis. Riley describes them: “It was huge and had bat wings and big ears. Its legs like tree trunks.” 
  • The people of Atlantis eventually turn into “wildlings,” but the process isn’t clear. Maggie, who is turning into a feline, explains, “I may stop changing now and stay in this yellow cloak, or perhaps I might turn into a simple cat and be accepted. . . But I may also turn into something more ferocious and not be able to control myself.” 
  • Even though all Atlanteans will change to wildlings, “We don’t know why the transformation happens or how. . . when it starts, we retain our humanity. But some embrace their change and give up what it means to be human. They become a danger to all.” However, “they retain their intelligence, which makes them more dangerous.” 
  • The gargoyle, Gideon, turns to stone and his wing breaks off. If his wing isn’t fixed before the sun comes up, he will die. With Riley and others’ help, Gideon’s wing is fixed before the sun comes up. 

Spiritual Content  

  • Riley prays several times. For example, when Alfie is given the Memory Berries,
    Riley “prayed Gideon’s antidote worked.”  
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