Genre: Fantasy

Battle of the Beast

The beast wraps his slimy tongues around Bethany and brings her to his sharp teeth to consume her in one bite. Right before she is devoured, she wakes up in a pool of her own sweat.  She calms herself by remembering the beast is locked away, far away. However, Bethany was not the only one left with scars after the beast’s last attack. After being in the care of D.O.R.R.I.S, Claudette is returned home to the Wintloria Forest. She is too weak to walk, fly, or even sing. The beast took a lot from Claudette and left her with painful memories. Claudette’s dearest friend from the forest, Mortimer, is determined to travel to the beast and avenge her. 

Although Ebeneezer no longer has the beast to worry about, he sure has the green-eyed monster– Jealousy. The whole town is praising all of Bethany’s “good doing.” The town’s people are so grateful for her good work that Miss Muddle, the sweetshop owner Bethany apprentices for, decides to throw her a not-so-surprise surprise party. Everywhere Ebeneezer and Bethany go, someone asks if they can take her pictures and they compliment her. On the other side, Ebenezer is ridiculed for his “Wise Tweezer business’’ that consisted of poor solutions to the neighbor’s problems like smelling rose-scented candles instead of healing the garden. For Bethany, life was better than it ever has been. At least it was until they find out that the beast has escaped. 

Meggitt-Phillips does a great job keeping The Battle of the Beast entertaining by being unpredictable with the beasts’ fate, and it’s true identity. Although it is the third book in the series, the story isn’t repetitive because the reader gets a new perspective on the villain, the beast, and the theme of forgiveness. Bethany has an extremely hard time trusting the beast since she believes there is no way he will ever be good. But she realizes everyone in the neighborhood thought the same thing about her. Battle of the Beast makes the reader choose between Bethany’s belief that the beast will never change or Ebenezer’s belief that the beast has changed. This aspect keeps the reader engaged and connected with the story. 

Battle of the Beast is the most exciting book in the series; the tension between characters makes the reader unsure who is telling the truth, which keeps the reader on edge. There are many black-and-white illustrations in the book that show up every couple of chapters. Some of the illustrations can be as simple as a few feathers at the bottom of the page and others can be so big it covers both pages. And, although the beast is in a dog costume, the reader also gets to see the beast for the first time with these illustrations. On the other hand, the beast uses a lot of “baby talk” which becomes tedious. Despite this, the story highlights the theme of friendship, but the theme of forgiveness and guilt are more prominent. The reader must decide for themselves if the beast is worth an “I forgive you.”  Readers ready for more monster-related humor should check out Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon and Evil Alien Warlord Cat Series by Johnny Marciano & Emily Chenoweth. Meggitt-Phillips teases the reader at the beginning of the fourth book. But the new monsters may be Bethany’s parents. 

Sexual Content 

  • Geoffrey asks Bethany on a date. Ebenezer makes fun by saying, “OOOOH, Bethany’s got a crush, Bethany’s got a crush. . . . Bethany and Geoffrey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I–” However, he is interrupted when Bethany says, “Shut up, gitface. If you dare say anything like that again, I’ll unleash a plague of moths into you knit-wear lounge.”’

Violence 

  • Like many of the other parrot’s in the Wintloria forest, Mortimer’s parents were killed by trophy hunters. This is never described, but it is mentioned because Claudette “had acted as a mother to him after his parents had been killed by trophy hunters.”
  • Bethany has nightmares of the beast. One night she has a nightmare that the beast is going to eat her and Ebenezer dies. “Bethany cried, as the beast’s two fat tongues slithered around her neck like a pir of greedy cobras. She was trapped in the glowing red walls of a D.O.R.R.I.S laser cage. Her best friend, the young 512- year-old Ebenezer Tweezer was lying dead on the floor…As Bethany was dragged closer to her death, she realized that this was inevitable. She’d never had a chance of defeating the beast. And then, just as she was about to be chomped to pieces, Bethany woke up.” There is a black and white illustration of Bethany being wrapped in tongues and Ebenezer lying dead with X’s on his eyes. After this, she sees Ebenezer, and says, “I’m really glad you haven’t been horribly murdered.”
  • The nightmare wasn’t Bethany’s first.  Bethany’s other nightmares are described too. For example, “Sometimes her mind had devised elaborate scenarios involving exploding teapots and volcanic beehives; other times it had kept things classic with simple head-chomping.” 
  • When Bethany is at the orphanage, she is told that Timothy, the new orphanage director, forgot to feed the children because he was too busy organizing files. Bethany storms into his office and throws his papers out of the window. “Timothy screamed as if Bethany had just thrown a bunch of babies out of the window.”
  • Bethany and Ebenezer are transported to the D.O.R.R.I.S headquarters to be informed of the beast’s escape. While there, Mr. Nickle tells them there is “extremely good news.” Bethany becomes infuriated by his lack of concern. “Bethany decided she would give Mr. Nickle a kick in his stupid shins. She charged at him, but the old man used his sticks to karate-chop her to the ground.”
  • As the beast is being released from his laser cage, it falls “flat on its face, and a nail from the metallic floors got jammed in one of its eyes . . . The beast pulled the nail out and licked its eye until the cut healed.”
  • After finding out Ebenezer is helping the beast, Bethany attacks him. “She pinned him down and started beating him around the head . . . Ebenezer pulled Bethany’s hair. She kicked him repeatedly where she knew it would hurt most – his beloved waistcoat.”
  • The beast vomits out a machine to help clean for Miss Muddle, but Bethany is skeptical about the beast’s intentions. She tries to warn Miss Muddle. “Bethany tried to say something, but Ebenezer slammed the door and kept his hand over her mouth, until Miss Muddle left. Bethany eventually got some teeth free and used them to bite Ebenezer hands.” The bite makes Ebenezer bleed.
  • Mortimer wants to avenge Claudette, so he plans on killing the beast. He says, “I’m going to kill the beast. I’m going to pluck its eyes out and tear apart its flesh with my talons. I plan on taking my time with it– and I promise I’ll make sure that it receives three dollops of pain for every ounce of suffering it has caused Claudette.’” 
  • Bethany warns Mortimer that she believes the beast is pretending to have lost its mind. She tells him, “it could reveal its true self at any moment.” Mortimer responds, “‘I hope it does,’ said Mortimer. ‘That way I can see the evil in its eyes before I pluck them out.’”
  • Ebenezer reminds Bethany she once shoved worms up Geoffrey’s nose. 
  • Mortimer attacks the beast. “Mortimer dived, still screeching – aiming its kitchen-knife talons at the beast’s middle eye, like a dart about to plunge into the bull’s-eye.” The beast protects himself with its “mouth spread wider than the beast could have ever thought possible. Then just as quickly and instinctively, the mouth snapped shut again – snapping off Mortimer’s lovely, sharp talons . . . As the beast chewed the crunchy spikes, other things started to return to its mind as well.”
  • The neighborhood finds out Bethany was going to help Mortimer kill the beast. As Geoffrey tries to stand up for Bethany, Geoffrey says, “We wouldn’t be friends if I thought she was in any way a killer.” 
  • The “gifts” the beast gave everyone turn rogue. The scarf he gave the zookeeper “wrapped itself tighter and tighter around the lizard lady’s neck, until it made her croak for mercy.”
  • The beast turns frisbees into axes. “The axe-shaped Frisbees started flying around the room– making everyone duck, out of fear of decapitation.” People scream in fear. 
  • The beast tells Ebenezer what he would do to Mortimer if he wanted to. “I’ll drink the insides out of that parrot’s talons like a sippy cup! I’ll wiggle my fingers and chop off the heads of every stupid neighbor here if you want me to.”
  • In order to wake people up, “the beast started waking people up by slapping the Frisbee’s across their faces.”
  • The beast tells Mortimer to “stay absolutely silent or I’ll boil you into a soup.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Miss Muddle gives Bethany a Super-Duper Deluxe hot chocolate. After this, “Bethany woke up late in the sweetshop with the worst sugar hangover in the world . . . She was surrounded by empty mugs and Super-Duper Deluxe Muddle Hot Chocolates.” 

Language 

  • Mortimer gets angry at a parrot and calls it a “blithering twerp!”
  • Bethany calls Ebenezer “gitface” throughout the book. 
  • Bethany says “flipping” as an expletive. For example, she says, “It’s actually going pretty flipping awesomely” and, “How should I know you flipping idiot?!”
  • Bethany frequently tells people to “bug off.” 
  • When Ebenezer hangs his self-portrait around town, someone writes “useless” and “I am a twerp” on them.  
  • Hell is used several times. For example, Miss Muddle answers the phone and says, “Oh hell?” She says, “Sorry, I mean– hello?”
  • Occasionally characters call each other idiots. 
  • Bethany calls someone a “traitor” and a “dim-witted nincompoop of a buffoon!”
  • When the beast vomits a box, someone asks, “What the bleedin’ hell is that?”
  • The beast calls Bethany a “snot-brain.”

Supernatural

  • The home of Claudette, the Wintloria forest, is described as “magical”. “The trees were said to possess an ancient and beguiling form of magic – leaves that could wipe away scars, fruit nourishing enough to sustain an entire family for a week, bark that could scratch any itch, no matter how irksome or inconveniently located.”
  • The workers at D.O.R.R.I.S travel via “puddle portals.” These portals allow people to transport quickly with minimal dampness.
  • There is an illustration of the D.O.R.R.I.S headquarters. In this illustration, there are aliens with three heads and walking fish with briefcases.   
  • Like the other books in the series, the beast vomits out items. However, his vomit is gifts for the neighborhood like toys for the orphanage and hearing aids for the elders. 

Spiritual Content 

  • When Mortimer is about to kill the beast, the beast asks, “Why?” Mortimer responds saying, “Because you’re a monster. You’re the devil in blob form who deserves a long, slow, punishing death.”

The Shadow Thieves

Charlotte Mielswetzski and Zachary Miller are both normal middle schoolers leading different lives. Charlotte is an introvert who finds solace in books and a new kitten. Her cousin Zachary, on the other hand, is a talented soccer player from London who loves living life in the fast lane. 

After people around him start getting sick, Zachary is forced to leave his hometown and move to the United States to live with Charlotte’s family. Charlotte is excited to have her cousin around, but she soon realizes that there is something unusual about him. Strange things keep happening around him, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. 

One day, when the kids in their town start getting sick with magical illnesses, Zachary finally confides in Charlotte about the phenomenon that seems to be haunting him. Charlotte is both shocked and intrigued by what she hears. She knows that they must take action to stop this mysterious force that is causing so much harm. Together, Charlotte and Zachary embark on a dangerous journey to the Underworld to put an end to the uprising that seems to be at the root of it all. As they navigate through a world of darkness and unknown powers, they learn more about themselves and their capabilities. In the end, Charlotte and Zachary emerge victorious, having saved their town from certain doom. 

The Shadow Thieves is an incredibly captivating and enthralling story that will have readers completely hooked from start to finish. The seamless combination of reality, magic, and Greek mythology creates an immersive and truly unique experience that will transport readers to another world. The author’s masterful use of descriptive language and vivid imagery allows readers to fully visualize the story’s world, making it all the more engaging and enjoyable. 

Furthermore, the author has created a richly detailed world for the characters to inhabit, with vivid descriptions of the landscape, architecture, and culture. The characters themselves are not only expertly crafted but also multi-dimensional, with complex backstories and intricate relationships with one another. This level of depth and complexity enables readers to fully immerse themselves in the story, forming deep connections with each character and becoming fully invested in their individual journeys. For example, Charlotte’s endearing personality and kind heart make her an incredibly lovable character, while Zachary’s fierce determination to save everyone makes him a strong and admirable protagonist. 

The Shadow Thieves is a book that anyone who enjoys a good story filled with adventure, magic, and mythology should read. From the very first page, the reader is immersed in a world that is both intricate and fascinating, with well-developed characters that are easy to connect with. Whether you are a fan of fantasy or simply looking for a great story, The Shadow Thieves is a book that is sure to keep you engaged and invested from beginning to end. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • An older man, named Frank, is mean to a grasshopper by stomping on it. Frank “knew what was about to happen, and he still used all his might to stomp his foot down on the grasshopper with a great thwap. If he hadn’t, perhaps he could have been saved — but he did. So, then and there Frank died killing himself through his own meanness.” His death is not prevalent to the rest of the story but helps to introduce the underworld.  
  • Charlotte’s cousin Zachary, also referred to as Zee, gets a concussion during one of his first soccer games in America. “The goalie for the other team was an All-Metro senior and had a particularly high drop kick, which he aimed at a very burly midfielder, and Zee ran in to make the steal. The two jumped for the ball at the same time, and the midfielder threw his elbows out to push off Zee, headed the ball, then headed Zee. The heads knocked with a sickly thud . . .” This causes Charlotte’s parents to lock Zee inside for a few days.  
  • While Zee is absent, the other school kids come down with a mysterious illness. Nobody knows the cause. “Physical examinations were normal, blood tests were normal, everything was normal. Nothing was wrong with the kids, except they were clearly sick.” 
  • Grandmother Winter, Zee’s grandmother, passed away naturally.  “It would be her last breath, and with it she said two distinct syllables to Zee. . .metos.”  
  • After his grandmother’s death, the kids around Zee get a mysterious illness and he feels as if there is always something following him. One day when he is walking, Zee discovers the strange beings that seem to be the cause of it all. “That’s when he heard the scream. Zee whirled around and ran back around the corner. And then he froze. The boy was no longer alone. Two men, or something very like men, were with him. The man-like men were extremely tall, extremely thin, and extremely pale . . . One of the man-like men were holding the boy, the other was reaching into the boy’s chest, which was giving way like jelly. The boy was screaming. Zee stood, absolutely unable to move, while the second man-like man started pulling out something long and black and flimsy from the boy’s chest. And then the boy stopped screaming and seemed to collapse on the spot.” The boy was now mysteriously ill.  
  • Charlotte and Zee find a man who is being attacked by Harpies. “A man was chained to a cliff, a shirtless man dangling against the rock face, with blood all over his stomach. Three Harpies were circling around his head. And even though she could not see his face,” Charlotte knew that it was Mr. Metos, their teacher. 
  • Philonecron, a god who wanted to control the Underworld, can make Zee do anything he desires because he has some of Zee’s blood. He commands Zee to punch Charlotte. Then Zee “turned toward Charlotte. His face was contorted, his eyes burning, his every muscle clenching. Yet he began to move to her stiffly, slowly, painfully, looking like a very uncomfortable zombie . . . Charlotte could only stare as her cousin stopped right in front of her. He looked at her helplessly, then closed his eyes. Charlotte squirmed again, and the Footman [Philonecron’s creation from Zee’s blood] held her tightly . . . suddenly a truck ran into Charlotte’s stomach, and everything went black for a moment.” Charlotte was okay after the punch but bruised and out of breath. 
  • After taking Zee with him, Philonecron orders the Footman to drop Charlotte in the river Styx. “The Footman stepped forward and death was before Charlotte, and something surged through her veins. She exploded into action. Quick as she could, she leaned over, bit the Footman on the shoulder (gross), kneed him in the stomach (payback) and elbowed him in the neck (for good measure). With a soundless cry of surprise the Footman dropped her . . . She lunged behind him, and with a great breath she pushed, with all her might she pushed, his feet slipped on the rocks, and the Footman went headlong into the Styx.” One of the many Footmen created by Philonecron dies in the Styx and Charlotte escapes.  
  • Zee attempts to kill himself to foil Philonecron’s plan. “If Zee were dead, he couldn’t utter the words of the spell. All he would have to do was run, run as fast as he could. If he could get to the Styx before the Footmen got to him, he could jump in and save the world. . . He was almost there, he was ready to make his break, and then – And then he felt Philonecron’s hand on his shoulder.” Philonecron makes Zee unconscious and uses his power over Zee’s blood to keep him from escaping or killing himself. 
  • Zee realizes that the shadows created by Philonecron have to listen to him because they are bound by his blood. When Philonecron’s shadow army starts to tear down the center of the Underworld to try to overthrow Hades, Zee orders them to attack the Footmen. “Some shadows stretched out like snakes and slithered over [the Footmen], cutting swaths through their bodies. Others grew themselves long legs, which they used to wrap around the Footmen’s waists, and long arms, which they used to pull the Footmen’s arms from their shoulders and smash them to the ground. Others wrapped themselves around the Footmen’s legs and squeezed until the legs fell off.” The Footmen holding Zee captive were destroyed.  
  • Philonecron was not allowed to set foot on the ground near the center of the Underworld because of Hades’ orders. If he does, he will be burned. To get around this, he is carried to Hades’ castle in a chair. In the middle of the fight between the Shadows, Hades, Philonecron, Charlotte, and Zee, Charlotte acts. “Charlotte reached down, picked up the largest rock she could find, held it above her head, and crashed it down as hard as she could on the chair under [Philonecron’s] feet. A great crack splintered through the air – Philonecron’s mouth opened, his eyes bugged, and the chair broke into pieces underneath him. Philonecron went tumbling backward, his bottom hitting the ground, followed by his hands, followed by his feet. A hissing noise emanated from the ground. Philonecron yelled and pushed himself up in the air, ready to dive back onto the litter, but he was too late. His feet started smoking, then they burst into blood-red flame. The fire traveling up to his legs, and screaming, he propelled himself onto the litter — leaving a pile of ash where his legs had once been.” Philonecron’s legs will eventually regenerate, but he is banished to the upper world by Hades. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • Frank, the older gentleman who died, is brought to the door of the Underworld. “A few moments after Frank’s death the door in the Mall opened. A form slipped through, a messenger of sorts, with winged sandals and a winged hat, and he moves so quickly through the air no one saw him at all . . . He arrived at Frank’s house in moments, where he found the dead man sprawled in his garden . . . And in the blink of an eye Frank and the Messenger were standing in front of the nondescript door.” When they pass through, the door between the two worlds remains open for a short period of time.  
  • Before Zee’s grandmother passed, she had a premonition on what would happen to Zee. “Grandmother Winter took a big breath in, a loud, urgent breath – and then Zee saw something flash in her eyes, and what he did not know was that his grandmother was having her last premonition.” Zee does not know what the premonition is, besides that she told him the word “metos.” 
  • The entirety of chapter nine outlines King Hades, the god of the Underworld. “The underworld was no hell of course; at least Hades didn’t think so. Sure, if you had been really, really bad — like, in the upper one half of one percent of all bad — his department of Eternal Rewards would send you to Tartarus and devise something suitably punitive . . . Hades may have been a Greek god, but that didn’t mean his leadership practices had to be ancient. There were any number of great business minds in the Underworld, and Hades could spend as much time as he wanted picking their brains, sometimes literally.” Under the idea of running the underworld like a business, Hades has different departments and tiers of people who work for him. This allows him to stay in his castle most all the time. 
  • Philonecron, a being of the underworld who wants to create an uprising, notices the shadow of a boy. “Philonecron could not believe what he was seeing. But it was true. There was no denying it. The boy’s shadow was loose.” The shadow being loose, means that Philonecron can steal it and use it. 
  • Philonecron learns he can steal the shadows of children because they are not fully connected to the individual yet. “Philonecron sought out as many children as he could find, Life Essence and all. Much to his delight, he learned that the boy, whom he had begun to think of affectionately as Patient Zero, was no aberration. If shadows were caused by interplay between light and Life, a child’s was still forming. An adult’s was inextricably bound to his body, but a child had a tenuous relationship to his own permanence, and thus, his own shadow.”
  • Mr. Metos, Charlotte, and Zee’s teacher, reveals his true identity so that he may help them in their journey against the Underworld. Mr. Metos says, “I am a descendant of Prometheus . . . We are sworn to protect humans against the whims of their creators. It is quite a task . . . I have Titan blood, yes. A little, though I am mortal. More important, I have the charge of Prometheus. The gods created man but do not help him. They’re like parents who abandon their children. Humanity is nothing but a plaything to them, and now, Philonecron is treating people like lab rats.”  
  • Upon entering the Underworld, Zee and Charlotte find large, bird-like creatures that swoop down at them. “The Harpy – for that is what the woman-faced, eagle-bodied, impossibly enormous, and while we’re at it, quite bad-smelling creature was — was singing a little song to herself.” The Harpies are dangerous and mean-spirited, but they do not ever do any damage to Charlotte or Zee.  

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Elephant’s Tale

Martine and her grandmother discover they might lose their game reserve, Sawubona, because of a clause in her grandfather’s will. Martine and her best friend Ben decide to take matters into their own hands when Martine hears a prophecy that says, “The elephants will lead you to the truth.” After hearing this, Martine and Ben stow away in an airplane, get stuck in the desert, and help a group of elephants escape a horrible prison. Along the way, Martine learns the truth about Sawubona and the dramatic truth about her gift with animals and where it will take her in her life.

In The Elephant’s Tale, Martine and Ben take off alone to the foreign country of Namibia. The two kids are stranded in the desert with nothing to eat or drink. With some luck, Martine and Ben meet Gift, a teenager who agrees to help them investigate Henry James, who says he going to inherit Sawubona. While the story doesn’t have the same fast pace as the previous books, the mystery of the elephant whisperer, the missing elephants, and Mr. James’ schemes will keep readers entertained. 

Readers will get a look into Namibian culture and learn many interesting facts about elephants. In addition, the story hits on the topic of global warming. While it doesn’t go into detail about the causes of global warming, the story does discuss some of the effects. For example, most scientists “agree that the warming of the earth’s surface is going to lead to sea level rises, the melting of the polar ice caps, and an increase in disease and extreme weather.” In the end, Martine and Ben learn that if global warming continues, the need for water will eventually lead to war. 

Unlike most villains, Mr. James is full of good intentions. Animal conservation is one of his main goals; however, he captures and experiments on elephants in the hope of genetically breeding animals that need less food and water to survive. Mr. James deceives and manipulates others and justifies this behavior because he hopes to have a positive effect on animals’ ability to survive. Since Mr. James isn’t portrayed as completely evil, his situation would be an excellent conversation starter about morality. 

Readers who love animals will love learning about elephants through Martine’s eyes. While Martine isn’t perfect, she is a caring protagonist who is willing to put herself in danger in order to help animals. However, Martine often hides her activities from her grandmother and while she doesn’t outright lie, she uses omission to deceive. Despite this, Martine’s curiosity and bravery are admirable and when it comes to animals, her love shines through in everything she does. Plus, the series features several adults who are unique and guide Martine along her life’s journey. Unfortunately, the dangerous situations Martine and Ben willingly throw themselves into are a little over the top, which makes their ability to remain uninjured hard to believe. 

Readers who want to learn more about the importance of conservation will enjoy the Legend of the Animal Healer Series because of the interesting characters, the animal action, and the animal facts. Through each story, St. John encourages readers to be kind to animals in order to make their lives better. Mystery-loving readers who want more action and adventure can find it in the Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit as well as in Lauren St. John’s Wolfe & Lamb Series.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Mr. James’ chauffeur, Lurk, sees an angry elephant and raises a rifle at it. Someone tells Lurk to put the rifle down, but instead “Lurk cocked the rifle and took aim. Tendai grabbed his wrist and crushed it so hard that Lurk winced and dropped the gun.” 
  • An elephant charges Lurk, who runs for his life. “The elephant bore down on the chauffeur, her great feet tearing up the earth. In seconds, Lurk would be a bloody pulp.” Tendai yells at Lurk telling him to throw down his jacket. When Lurk does, “the elephant halted in confusion.  . . She decided to attack the jacket instead. . . Dust roiled up as she pounded it into the ground, trampling it, tossing it, crushing it.” 
  • While guarding the animal sanctuary, “Tobias was knocked unconscious.” Afterward, “he has a splitting headache and a lump on his head, but he should recover in a day or two.”
  • Martine and Ben sneak into a hotel and oasis that was being built by Mr. James, where they find elephants who are being held in captivity and experimented on. When Mr. James and his business partner, Callum, appear, “the elephants cast off their shackles and charged, many of them trumpeting along the way. . . There were swinging tusks and yelling men everywhere. Lurk was tossed about like an elephant’s football, and Callum Murphy, Reuben James, and the guards disappeared inside an elephant scrum.” 

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Several adults smoke cigarettes.

Language

  • My God and Oh my God are both used as an exclamation once.
  • When Gift first meets Martine and Ben, he calls them “idiot tourist kids.”

Supernatural

  • Martine can heal animals with her touch. When she sees a sick buffalo, Martine “poured the green liquid into the buffalo’s mouth. . . Laying gentle hands on the bull’s head, Martine stroked his wet nose, his rough, sharp horns, and the thick, hard bone and muscle around his jaw and neck. . . Her hands heated up. So fiery did they become that she almost expected them to start smoking. She heard the voices of the ancients, buzzing in her head guiding her.” Healed, the buffalo jumps to his feet and runs off.
  • Grace, a witch doctor, can tell the future. “Grace took a leather punch from around her neck. She scattered its contents — an assortment of tiny bones, porcupine quills, a hoopoe bird feather, and fresh herbs — around the tusk, and lit a match.  . . It sounded as if Grace was having an argument with someone — perhaps the ancestral spirits. She was pleading with them.” When Grace comes out of her trance, she tells Martine, “The four leaves will lead you to the circle. The circle will lead you to the elephants. The elephants will lead you to the truth.” 
  • Reuben James, a businessman, is building an oasis in an extinct volcano. Some of the locals “believe he is most unwise. They think the spirits will be displeased.” 
  • Martine heals an elephant that collapsed to the ground. “Her hands were so hot her blood was virtually boiling in her veins. Most times when she healed an animal Martine had dreamlike visions of warriors with spears and great herds of animals and men in animal masks. Today she saw Swaubona.” When the elephant was healed, “with the tip of her trunk she caressed Martin’s cheek in an elephant kiss.” 
  • Grace explains the ancient prophecy about a child and the white giraffe. She says the ancients, “Saw that only the unconditional love of a child could heal this creature and that, in turn, the white giraffe would give something back—a power to heal other animals.” 

Spiritual Content

  • None

Merry Fish-mas

It’s almost Fish-mas in Kittentail Cove and the purrmaids can’t wait for Santa Paws to arrive! When Coral’s younger brother, Shrimp asks her to mail his letter to Santa Paws, Coral is happy to help! But then the day gets busy and the post office closes early and. . . will Santa Paws still bring presents if he doesn’t get Shrimp’s letter? With some help from her friends, Coral will do whatever it takes to give Shrimp the Merriest Fish-mas ever!

Merry Fish-mas adds holiday sparkle and a lot of friendship fun to create a fin-tastic chapter book that young readers will adore. In this holiday-themed story, Coral is excited to celebrate her favorite holiday—Fish-mas. However, the festivities don’t stop Coral from worrying about making the holiday perfect. When Coral isn’t able to deliver Shrimp’s letter to Santa Paws, Coral is sure that the holiday will be ruined. However, the holly jolly conclusion shows that Fish-mas magic does exist. 

Merry Fish-mas is perfect for readers ready to read chapter books. The story has easy vocabulary, short sentences, and cute black-and-white illustrations approximately every three pages. Younger readers will enjoy the cat puns that appear often, such as when Coral thinks, “This has not been a very Meow-y Fish-mas.” This series will keep readers entertained with ten books that can be read in any order.

While young readers will fall in love with the cute characters in the Purrmaids Series, parents will appreciate the characters’ kindness, the positive adult role models, and the life lessons that appear in each book. In Merry Fish-mas, Coral and her friends go to many traditional holiday events. But the true gift of the book is that Coral realizes Fish-mas isn’t about gifts. When Coral is disappointed in herself for not delivering Shrimp’s letter, Papa says, “You tried to do something nice for someone you love. You did your best to spread Fish-mas spirit. That’s what Fish-mas is really about.” To sweeten up the holidays, readers can find more holiday cheer and kind characters in Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott and the Diary of an Ice Princess Series by Christina Soontornvat. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Chalice of the Gods

Rick Riordan’s newest installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series follows Percy as he navigates applying to college — a college for demigods of course. Percy is a demigod child of Poseidon, which makes him “a child of one of the Big Three” — Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. These three gods were not supposed to “sire any more demigod children.” This means Percy has a “debt . . . for existing” and the Olympian Council of Gods wants Percy to work off this “debt” before he can attend the demigod university, New Rome University. How can he do this? Well, Percy finds out that he needs “three [recommendation letters]. From three different gods.” Percy is frustrated, saying, “I have to do new quests, don’t I?”  

Percy’s first quest for the “divine recommendation letters,” is to help Ganymede, the “cupbearer of the gods,” find his missing chalice. Even though Percy’s quest to find Ganymede’s godly chalice is the ostensible plotline of the book, the novel explores the themes of changing friendship dynamics through the characters of Percy, his girlfriend Annabeth, and his best friend Grover. As Percy and Annabeth begin applying to New Rome University, Grover realizes that he feels left behind. Grover explains to Percy, “I’m worried about you and Annabeth leaving me next summer.” On top of this, Percy discovers that his mom is having a baby, and Percy will be leaving for college soon after his sibling is born. Percy is excited for his mom and stepdad, but he describes, “I was thrilled for mom and Paul . . . But also, it made my own departure seem even more real. I would be leaving just as Mom and Paul were starting a new chapter. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. . . ”  

Percy ultimately decides that he is ready for this next chapter of his life and that leaving for university does not necessarily mean he won’t be able to stay connected with his family and friends back home. Percy reassures Grover that he intends to always keep his best friend in his life. Percy explains to Grover about his dream of growing old: “I told him about the daydream that got me through the wrestling match — of Annabeth and me and him, dozing in the sunshine at a cottage on the seashore.” Percy realizes that, as Annabeth says, “[You’re] never alone . . . We’ll always be here to help you,” even when he ultimately goes away for school. Though Percy is applying to a college specifically for demigods, many readers, especially those in high school, will be able to relate to Percy as he worries about his relationship with his family and friends changing when he goes away for college.  

Overall, The Chalice of the Gods will thrill fans of the original Olympians series, but could also be read alone without confusion. Riordan explains the references to Percy’s previous adventures in a way that allows The Chalice of the Gods to make sense to new readers. For example, Percy references earlier books as he explains how his relationship with his demigod powers has changed. Percy says, “Back when I was ten or eleven, things just happened, and I didn’t understand why. Fountains would come alive. Toilets would explode . . . As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to control my powers, more or less.” 

The Chalice of the Gods emphasizes the importance of acceptance of life’s changes. For instance, Percy and his friends confront Geras, the god of old age, and in order to get back the chalice, Geras tells Percy he must defeat him. Instead of fighting back against Geras, Percy is able to end the battle by hugging Geras instead, explaining, “Getting old might be scary and difficult. It involved things I didn’t want to think about, like arthritis varicose veins, and hearing aids. But if you grew old with people you loved, wasn’t that better than the alternative?” 

Sexual Content  

  • After successfully escaping a dangerous river, Percy kisses Annabeth. Percy explains, “I tried to give [Annabeth] a kiss, but it was difficult, because she started laughing . . . She kissed me back. ‘I love you, too, Seaweed Brain.’” 
  • After Percy obtains the Chalice from Geras, the god of old age, Annabeth “marched up and kissed [Percy].” 
  • At the brunch for the gods at Mount Olympus, Zeus comments while watching Ganymede distribute food and beverages, “I do love watching [Ganymede] walk away . . . ” Hera, a goddess and Zeus’ wife, exclaims, “Could you not at the brunch table?” 

Violence  

  • Percy explains that demigods under eighteen can’t use cellphones because “they attract monsters” who then “show up and eat them.” 
  • Percy sneaks into a river belonging to the river god Elisson and is nearly drowned by the angry god for swimming in his sacred river without permission. Percy explains, “there’s a river god tossing me around at the bottom of his grotto, flushing gunk through my nostrils and mouth, it’s like trying to breathe in a sandstorm. I was blind and disoriented, slamming into rocks, unable to concentrate.” Percy is able to escape by causing the river to shoot him out like a geyser.  
  • Geras, the god of old age and the god who has stolen the chalice, tells Percy that he must “defeat [Geras] in wrestling” or be turned into “a pile of powdered bone.” Percy escapes this fate by embracing Geras and surprising the god.  
  • During the battle, Geras punches Percy. “With his free hand, he punched me in the ribs . . . At least he wasn’t smashing my face into the pavement yet.”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Percy’s mom explains, “Why I’m not drinking [wine] tonight.” Then, she reveals that she is pregnant. 

Language  

  • Occasionally, characters exclaim, “Oh, my gods.” 

Supernatural 

  • The ancient Greek gods, heroes, and monsters are all real.  
  • Percy meets the new guidance counselor at his school and realizes she is actually a sea spirit called a nereid. Percy says, “I studied her more closely. Her curled hair was in fact a bed of oysters. Her dress shimmered like a jellyfish membrane.” 
  • Percy explains what is known as “the Mist.” He describes, “It’s weird how the Mist works. Even for demigods who see supernatural stuff all the time, you have to concentrate to pierce the barrier between the human world and the godly one. Otherwise, the Mist kind of just plasters over what you see, making ogres look like pedestrians or a giant drakon look like the N train.” 
  • Percy’s quest is to find a stolen chalice belonging to Ganymede, the cup bearer to the gods. Ganymede explains that the cup cannot fall into the wrong hands because “the goblet makes drinks taste good to the gods. But if a mortal got hold of it . . . one sip from it would grant them immortality.” 
  • Percy and Annabeth communicate through Iris-messages as opposed to using cellphones. Percy explains, “You shine a light through the water vapor to make yourself a rainbow. You throw a coin into it, say a prayer, and voila — you’ve got a shimmering Annabeth sitting next to you.” 
  • Percy uses his demigod abilities as the son of Poseidon. For example, Percy explains how he blasts himself out of a river god’s dangerous river. “My tidal wave had swept the cliff walls right up to Annabeth’s feet, leaving the rock sparkling clean . . . I had apparently given the River Elisson my super-deluxe Poseidon Wash package.”  
  • Percy uses a magical staff from the goddess Iris to fly. Percy explains that the staff can fly him to deliver a message. “Just before the staff had started pulling me upward, I’d been thinking how much I wanted to tell Annabeth I loved her. That was the message.” Percy describes flying via the magical staff: “I wasn’t just flying inside of the rainbow . . . I was becoming part of it, which sounds a lot cooler than it felt. All the molecules in my body dissolved into energy.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • There are references to the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology throughout the book.  

Murder at Midnight

Murder at Midnight presents the story of Mangus the Magician and his newest servant, Fabrizio. The story takes place in the kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy in 1490. Pergamontio is behind the times, and the hapless King Claudio is terribly superstitious in this traditionally Catholic kingdom. When hundreds of identical papers calling for treason against the crown appear overnight, the royal advisor accuses Mangus of witchcraft. Desperate to save his new master’s life, Fabrizio sets out to help prove Mangus’s innocence and discover what created these documents. 

The main protagonist, Fabrizio, is a delightful mix of naïve and brash – he’s never quite sure how he’s going to help Mangus, but he’s determined to try even though he’s likely to make many life-threatening mistakes along the way. In some other characters, this might be trite or annoying, but Fabrizio is ten years old and genuinely doesn’t know any better. He believes in magic wholeheartedly despite Mangus’s repeated explanations about how he’s an illusionist, not a magician. Fabrizio wants nothing more than to save Mangus from certain death – except, maybe, learn magic himself. 

At the start of the novel, Mangus is curmudgeonly and deeply uninterested in Fabrizio, but by the end when Fabrizio and his friend Maria help save his life, he’s just curmudgeonly. Their dynamic involves plenty of Mangus demeaning Fabrizio for not being smart enough, which motivates Fabrizio to want to be a better servant. Mangus is a self-proclaimed philosopher, and he relies on reasoning to make decisions. He serves as a counterweight to Fabrizio whose decisions are motivated entirely by his heart. Although these two never quite see eye-to-eye, they grow a close bond. 

These two characters are well-developed for future installments, and the mystery plot of this first book works well. Fabrizio meets Maria, the daughter of immigrants who bring a printing press to Pergamontio. As the kingdom is somewhat backward, this situation is slowly unveiled through the course of the novel, eventually showing that the scandal runs right to the heart of the king’s inner circle. The plot is interesting with semi-historical elements, and it’s action-packed enough to keep the attention of younger readers. 

Murder at Midnight deals with some light violence as the story is set in 1490s Italy with plenty of intrigue and quite literally backstabbing. The main conflict revolves around Mangus, whose life is threatened since he’s accused of witchcraft and the punishment is death. The book also deals with some Catholic-related themes since Italy is a historically Catholic nation, though the book doesn’t take any stance on religion. Murder at Midnight is a fun introduction to the printing press and censorship. In addition, the dynamic between reason and emotion comes through, showing readers that a balance of the two ideas leads to better outcomes than just reason or emotion separate from each other. Through cooperation and patience, Fabrizio and his various companions can save Mangus and go on with living their peaceful lives – that is, until the next book, Midnight Magic.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When the other servants, Benito and Giuseppe, speak to Fabrizio, they often take swings at him because they don’t like him. For instance, Fabrizio is coerced into telling them secrets from Mangus. When he’s trying to run off, Fabrizio notes that he is “trying to dodge a flurry of blows.” This happens somewhat often. Fabrizio notes that from this particular altercation, he receives bruises from them and nothing more. 
  • The king’s officials, DeLaBina and Scarazoni, threaten to “burn [Mangus] at the stake” and “cut out his heart” if he truly is a magician. Mangus, of course, is not a magician but an illusionist, but the other characters don’t necessarily understand this. 
  • Fabrizio is falsely accused of distributing treasonous papers, and he is taken down to the dungeon to be executed. While there, he nearly trips over a corpse. A soldier asks if the body is dead, and the executioner says, “I hope so. I broke his neck three days ago.”  Fabrizio is not executed, and there is no further discussion about the corpse. 
  • Fabrizio and his new friend Maria find DeLaBina dead in the dungeons. Fabrizio notes, “Beneath lay a man with his head twisted to one side. A ruby-encrusted dagger was sticking out of his back. On the ground, a pool of wet blood was spreading.” This is the extent of the description. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Light language is used frequently. Terms include: fool, stupid, ignorant, blockhead, nasty, ugly, and fat. 

Supernatural 

  • Fabrizio works and lives with Mangus the Magician, who performs, as far as Fabrizio is concerned, “real magic” as well as sleight-of-hand tricks. Much of the book’s main plot deals with how the Kingdom of Pergamontio feels about magic that is rooted in anything other than Christian miracles. Mangus notes that the king “is deeply superstitious” and that he has “outlawed magic.” 
  • One night, Fabrizio watches Mangus perform and decides what is real magic and what is fake, saying that when “a burning candle was pulled from an ear” and “a box changed into a hat” it was for sure “true magic.” 
  • The king of Pergamontio expresses his true fears as to who made the identical treasonous papers that have been distributed throughout the kingdom. He says, “Ghosts? Is that who made the papers? Ghosts can do anything they wish, you know.” DeLaBina expresses that it’s instead magic and someone who “is in league with the devil.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Since the book is set in 1490 Italy, the characters are notably Catholic. For instance, Mangus notes that “God gave us the gift of reason.” 
  • The kingdom has a curfew, and Mangus tells the crowd that there’s a curfew because “the king loves us and wishes to keep us safe from devils.” 
  • Fabrizio makes an astute comment that catches Mangus’s attention, and Fabrizio attributes it to living on the streets. Fabrizio says, “When you are a homeless orphan – as I was – the teachers God provides are one’s own eyes and ears.” 
  • After seeing a treasonous document, Mangus exclaims, “God protect us!” 
  • Mangus is accused of using magic to make treasonous documents to overthrow the king. As this is 1490 Italy, the king is uncomfortable with modern inventions like the printing press, and identical documents are outside the bounds of imagination. The top prosecutor for the kingdom says, “Such identical replication is impossible for human hands! Not even God – in all his greatness – makes two things alike.” 
  • Fabrizio refers to the treasonous papers against the king as “the devil’s work.” Mangus corrects him that the papers were definitely done by human hands. 
  • The executioner, Agrippa, explains his profession to Fabrizio. Agrippa says that he wanted to be a stonemason, but “the good God willed it otherwise, didn’t he?” 
  • A knock sounds at the door of the execution room, and Fabrizio, who thinks he’s about to be executed, “fell to his knees and began to murmur frantic prayers.”  
  • Fabrizio meets Maria, the daughter of immigrants from Milan who own a printing business and use a printing press. Maria introduces herself as a “printer’s devil” because she’s covered in the black ink she works with, and it’s incredibly hard to scrub off. 
  • When Mangus’s wife, Sophia, learns that her husband has been arrested, she “clasped her hands in brief prayer.” 

Don’t Fear the Creeper

The Mob Squad are the greatest heroes the town of Cornucopia has produced since it was founded: Mal the bold, Lenna the strong, Tok the wise, and Chug the steadfast. And Jarro, who’s renounced his bullying ways to reveal a truly kind heart. Together they’ve journeyed across the Overworld, delved into the Nether, and saved the day for Cornucopia again and again.

So why can’t they get any respect from the adults who run the town? The only one who understands is Nan, Mal’s great-great-great-grandmother, who trained them to be as resourceful and adventurous as she was in her day.

So when Nan gets sick and isn’t getting any better, the kids refuse to just sit by and do nothing. There’s something out there that can help her—an enchanted golden apple that can cure just about anything. And the Mob Squad will stop at nothing to get it.

But as they venture outside the walls of Cornucopia, they aren’t counting on being followed. The kids soon discover a mysterious foe whose motives are as unknown as the face that hides behind a Creeper’s head. If the Mob Squad wants to rescue Nan, they’re going to have to save themselves first.

Don’t Fear the Creeper is a fast-paced adventure with plenty of near-death experiences to keep readers’ hearts racing. As the Mob Squad searches for the golden apple, they travel into the unknown and often end up in unexpected danger. Through it all, each member of the mob squad plays an important role as the kids work together to reach their goal. Their determination and persistence are admirable, even if their actions are often imprudent. The book’s chapters change point of view which allows each member of the Mob Squad to give their perspective. However, the alternating points of view add little to the story and the characters’ voices are not unique, which makes it difficult to keep track of who is telling the story.

While most of the events stay true to the Minecraft game, some readers may be frustrated by the Mob Squad’s careless actions. For example, when going through a cave system, the Mob Squad comes across dark green blocks. Every time someone makes noise, something shrieks. Despite this, the kids are not quiet and end up waking a monster that chases them. While they make it out of the cave safely, they nearly died because they couldn’t stop talking. 

The book’s ending also becomes a little preachy as it focuses on the Elders’ attempt to close off the town. However, Lenna thinks, “There’s value in teaching children they’re not invincible. . . There’s nothing wrong with running away when it’s the best choice.” The ending contains several epilogues that drag on. Still, fans of Minecraft will enjoy the story’s action, adventure, and the Mob Squad’s friendship. If you’re ready to delve into another Minecraft adventure, grab a copy of Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • When the Mob Squad sees a goat, Chug approaches it. Jarro sees “the horns lower into position, and I see the horror on Chug’s face, and then Chug is flying through the air like a bird. . .Chug flops onto the ground, his armor clanking. . . [Lenna] takes the goat out with a few shots.” Chug isn’t injured.
  • While underwater, the Mob Squad is attacked by a “drowned” which is an underwater zombie. “When the drowned throws its next weapon, Chug bats it away and goes in for a slice with his sword.” When Chug screams, Jarro draws “my own sword and kick[s] down towards Chug, who’s hurt and having trouble continuing the fight.” The drowned bites Jarro and “the bite burns my arm, and Chug lands a hit while I struggle. . .” Finally, Chug “takes it down.” The scene is described over three pages. 
  • Fish attack the Mob Squad. When Tok sees the first one, he screams and “paddle[s] backward with my hand, but the gigantic fish is right in front of me, and it slams into me, and it feels like getting run over by a horse covered in knives, and I thrash and squeal in panic. . .” When the fish attacks, Tok describes, “a wired beam of purple wavy light burst out of its giant eye and straight for me, and I flail and dodge.” The kids escape. The fish attack is described over four pages. No one is seriously injured.
  • The fish again attacks the Mob Squad. Chug beats “the fish down with my sword, but it gets a few slams in. . . Someone screams behind me and I spin to find Mal being targeted by a fish-eye bubble ray. . . I hit it with my sword from behind, and it spins and comes after me. As I keep fighting it, trying to dodge the spikes, it suddenly feels like my entire body is on fire.”
  • As the fish surround the kids, Chug is “beating on the guardians (the fish) while they’re focused on Lenna. . . I double down on my onslaught, even when one of the guardians turns to face me, spikes out and bristling and big eye shaking like he’s going to start blowing bubbles at me again. . .” The kids escape. The attack is described over six pages.
  • In a previous book, Jarro was kidnapped. When an unknown enemy taunts Jarro, he thinks, “I’m going to end up just the way I did last time, tied up and blindfolded, abandoned in the middle of nowhere. They tied me to a tree and left me to die, alone and without weapons. . .” 
  • While on an island, a zombie appears and “Efram dispatches the zombie in a few quick slashes and moves on. Then an arrow tangs at us from the left, and Lenna takes it down with a few arrows of her own. . .”
  • A man wearing a Creeperhead attacks Tok. Tok explains, “He just hit me, again and again. . . he didn’t say a single word.” Tok was seriously injured and needed a Potion of Healing. 
  • Tok takes a Potion of Swiftness that makes him run super-fast. Lenna thinks he is a Creeper, so she “takes careful aim and lets her arrow fly. . .Tok stands before us, an arrow in his shoulder.”
  • In a multi-chapter battle, a Wither (a three headed skeleton) attacks the kids. Tok jumps into the fight when the Whiter is “headed right for Lenna, and without telling my body to do anything, it’s sprinting toward her, sword out. As the skull nears us, I swing my sword, and it swooshes right past my blade and smacks me in the chest, and the world explodes around me in a flash of white against the dark sky.” Tok is seriously injured. Tok exclaims, “my body doesn’t seem to want to work. My arms are weak, my legs exhausted like I’ve already run a mile.” 
  • The Wither and the Creeperhead appear at the same time and the Creeperhead begins throwing TNT at the kids. The Wither skull hits Mal. “She’s almost limp” and Chug carries her “like a baby back toward the open cave mouth.” 
  • As the Mob Squad fights the Wither and the Creeperhead, the Creeperhead holds a block of TNT over his head. Then, “The TNT block he was holding over his head explodes, throwing him back against the mountain.” He is knocked out and the kids tie him up, but the Creeperhead is not seriously injured.
  • The Wither follows the kids into the cave. Chug sprints “right at the Wither, running it through with my sword. I hit it again and again, so fast that it can’t seem to launch a skull. . .” Then, Tok joins in the fight. “Tok lands hit after hit. It’s perfect for him, really— [the Wither] can’t move and it can’t fight back.” The Wither explodes and its skeletons run away. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Potions are often used. For example, when someone is sick or injured, they are given a Potion of Healing. 
  • In order to breathe underwater, the Mob Squad uses the Potion of Water Breathing. When Jarro drinks the potion, “the funniest feeling comes over me—like I’m inside a bubble and as light as air.”
  • After being attacked by fish, Tok gives his friends “Potions of Regeneration. They should help us heal faster, if we get hurt.” The ingredients include “a ghast tear and some Nether wart.” 
  • One of Tok’s potions uses “fermented spider eye.”
  • When given a golden apple, an elderly lady’s health is restored.

Language   

  • Poppeycock is used once.
  • The town’s people call Lenna “Loony Lenna.”
  • Heck is used once; darn is used twice. 
  • One of the Mob Squad calls someone a jerk four times. 
  • After almost dying in the fish attack, an old man saves the kids. He calls the kids “fools” and “morons.”
  • Tok is injured, but he’s still trying to talk, so Lenna says, “Shut your piehole.” 
  • Lenna calls the guards who won’t open the gates “creeps.”
  • An elderly woman calls one of the town’s elders “the little nincompoop.” 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Clockwork Crow

A magical story of snow and stars, The Clockwork Crow is a mysterious gothic tale set in a frost-bound Victorian country mansion. On her way to her new home, orphaned Seren Rhys is given a mysterious package by a strange and frightened man; she reluctantly takes the package with her. The package contains miscellaneous gears and parts that build a small, metal crow. As Seren adapts to her new life at Plas-y-Fran, she is thrust into a mystery about a young boy who vanished on Christmas Eve a year before. The mansion servants refuse to answer Seren’s questions, so she decides to investigate on her own. Who are the family who must not be spoken of, and can Seren find the boy, Tomos, before time runs out? 

Twelve-year-old Seren Rhys has lived in an orphanage for most of her life. After the death of her great-aunt, Seren discovers that she will be moving in with her godparents who have a mansion in Wales. She dreams of a fabulous life with lots of joy and warmth, but that is not the reality awaiting her. The servants of the house speak about the family in hushed whispers, and Seren’s curiosity gets the better of her. With the help of her magical Clockwork Crow, she uncovers a great mystery regarding the youngest boy of the family and decides it’s up to her to save him. Despite being afraid, Seren decides, “I’m not going to let that stop me.” 

The author crafts an elaborate fantasy from deceptively simple language. The book is written in third person and follows Seren’s journey throughout. Many readers will relate to Seren’s curiosity and her desire to learn more about the household’s secrecy. The supporting characters are fascinating yet ambiguous, likely from being poorly revealed. This is perhaps a casualty of the quick pace that the book has. The deadened manor provides the perfect backdrop for magical forces. Together, these elements create an engaging story that draws readers to try to solve the mystery with Seren. 

The importance of belonging is highlighted since Seren has been alone for most of her life and dreams of the “traditional” family that others have. When she arrives at Plas-y-Fran, she discovers that the family has been torn apart following the disappearance of their son, Tomos. Seren reflects that saving him at her expense would be acceptable, because “[Tomos’] mother and father were longing for him. But no one was longing for her. No one would care if she never went back.” She has always felt like an outsider, after living in an orphanage for the beginning of her life and then joining a family that already had a child. Through her adventure, Seren learns the value of belonging and discovers that she is loved.

The Clockwork Crow is enjoyable to read, although the story is a bit rushed. The novel consistently moves forward and never feels stagnated. At the beginning of every chapter, there is a short riddle that is relevant to the chapter, although it is not one that readers can solve. An example riddle is “Beak and wing and eye and claw. I’m not who I was before.” Fans of fantasy and mystery will enjoy The Clockwork Crow, but it can be enjoyed by all readers thanks to its message about self-discovery and found family. Seren feels lonely at times but manages to establish a family with her godparents after finding their son and reuniting the family. This book is the first in the Clockwork Crow trilogy; if readers are interested in continuing the story, they can read The Velvet Fox to follow Seren’s journey.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • The housekeeper consistently calls Seren an “impudent little girl.” She also puts Seren down frequently. For example, the housekeeper says Seren has “appalling manners.”

Supernatural

  • The Clockwork Crow is able to talk and move independently once the key is cranked. The Crow claims to be “as real as [Seren]” when asked if the events were just a dream.
  • The Crow was confined to clockwork when a witch cursed him by saying, “until you give up the one thing that means the most to you, you’ll be a black crow forever and ever.” Prior to the curse, the Crow used to be human.
  • There is a fairy family of “magic, secret creatures, who can never get older, can be beautiful or ugly and twisted.” Every character in the book is afraid of the Fair Family and speaks about them in hushed whispers.

Spiritual Content 

  • The household attends church sermons every Sunday, and the housekeeper tells Seren “this is the Day of the Lord and we must be respectful” regarding the tasks and activities expected of her for the day.

The Lost Girl

When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark. The twins have always had each other’s back and their bond was so strong that they never felt alone. They shared their looks as well as their thoughts and feelings. Lark was the extension of Iris and vice versa, and they were always better off together. 

However, things change when they are put in separate classes in fifth grade. They are in unfamiliar surroundings without their other half. For the first time, they have to make new friends and acquaint themselves with new teachers, new routines, and new challenges. Despite the grownups telling them that this is the best decision, Iris and Lark do not agree.  

Iris’s heart aches because she misses her sister’s constant presence. She had always been confident with Lark by her side, but now she has to navigate the scary and unfamiliar world of fifth grade alone. Lark, on the other hand, finds herself hiding in a world of her own as she struggles to adapt to the changes. The once inseparable twins now feel the weight of their individuality. 

At the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them. Things both great and small go missing. The girls can’t help but feel a sense of unease as they notice their world changing. When Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it is up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe. Iris starts paying attention to her surroundings and taking note of suspicious activities. With each passing day, Iris becomes more determined to protect her sister and unravel the mystery of the missing things. 

The Lost Girl is an incredibly touching story that celebrates the unbreakable bond of sisterhood, and the beauty of individuality. The story follows two sisters, Iris and Lark, as they navigate the challenges of life, and come out on the other side stronger and more resilient. The reader experiences the twins’ journey and is drawn into the world of Iris and Lark by their intricate relationship. Since the story is told from the third-person perspective, the narrative style creates a sense of mystery around the identity of the speaker, which adds an intriguing element. While this narrative style has its benefits, it can also be confusing at times. For instance, the speaker seems to have knowledge of the girls’ internal thoughts, which can sometimes make it difficult to discern who is thinking or talking. However, black and white pictures appear once each chapter and provide a visual element that helps readers fully immerse themselves in the story. 

Throughout The Lost Girl the reader is reminded of the transformative power of change, and how even the most difficult situations can lead to personal growth and a greater understanding of yourself. However, The Lost Girl could benefit from a more developed and connected plot. The mystery and magic elements are not clearly explained which may cause confusion and disconnect readers. While the beginning seems to crawl along at a snail’s pace, the imbalance between the explanation behind the mystery and the deep development of the main characters leaves the ending feeling rushed.  

The Lost Girl presents a heartwarming tale about the bond of sisterhood and the journey towards self-discovery. While the plot development has some flaws, specifically with the integration of mystery and magic, the novel still offers wonderful life lessons.  Additionally, the themes of individuality, family connection, and the power of friendship are sure to strike a chord with many readers. Readers longing for books similar to The Lost Girl should also read the Legend of Eerie-on-Sea Series by Thomas Taylor and Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Mr. Green, the man who owns the antique shop, invites Iris to stay with him. When she refuses, Mr. Green tries to force Iris to stay. Before anything can occur, Duchess, Mr. Green’s cat, comes to Iris’s aid. “A yowling sound—then Mr. Green yelled, ‘Ow!’ Duchess was at his ankle, biting. Iris wrenched free from his grasp and ran forward, and then heard another yowl, this time in pain. Mr. Green kicked the cat. Then his hand wrapped around her shoulder again, and the next thing she knew, she was being thrown into the doorway marked office.” Duchess and Mr. Green remain mostly unharmed, but Iris is left trapped in the room. 
  •  Mr. Green attempts to get close to Iris because he plans to use magic to transform her into a doll. Iris “dove over to the shelves with the jars of magic, grabbed one, and hurled it at Mr. Green. He yelled and ducked out of the way. The jar exploded on the wall, and the magic inside splattered and oozed and steamed and hissed, and Mr. Green slapped his hands over his face and screamed.” Iris temporarily halts the attack, but wounds Mr. Green with a magic substance.  
  • The girls from Camp Awesome, the after-school camp Iris attends, attempt to save Iris from Mr. Green. Unfortunately, the girls are no match for the size and strength Mr. Green possesses. Mr. Green “swore, then threw Hannah across the room and kicked Lark in the stomach. She stumbled backwards. Iris dove to her.” Hannah and Lark are wounded slightly. The girls are left trapped listening to the demands of Mr. Green. 
  • Iris agrees to go with Mr. Green as long as he allows the other girls to go free. To ensure she doesn’t leave, he binds her to a chair. Mr. Green “growled at her. And then he duct-taped one arm to the chair. Then the other. Then he bound her ankles. And then her mouth.”  
  • The girls continue to fight Mr. Green and they use their intelligence to outwit him. They formulate a plan to shove him into the magic well. “Then several things happened at once. Mr. Green pushed the door open. As he did, Lark jumped backward. A crow let out a cry and dove toward him. He whirled around, and out of nowhere Duchess came barreling forward, right toward his ankles. He bobbled. Lark thrust out her hands and pushed. He slipped backward. And he fell.” The girls defeat Mr. Green and escape. After he falls into the well, it is presumed that he is dead and unable to come back up from the magic water within. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Tommy Whedon, Lark’s sworn enemy, makes fun of Iris in the hallway. “You’re a psycho, you know that?” Iris retaliates by calling him a mole rat and blowfish.  
  • Tommy Whedon became Lark’s enemy when he called her crow girl. “And at recess, Tommy told Iris she was nasty and ugly and bossy and no one liked her, and Lark didn’t talk for the rest of the day. Somehow their parents got wind of the ‘mole rat’ comment and Iris got a talking-to about name calling. Meanwhile people whispered Freak and Crow Girl at Lark for the rest of the year.” This nickname pops up a couple of times.  

Supernatural  

  • Lark is imaginative and believes there is magic in even the most mundane things. Lark believes her teacher to be an ogre because he made fun of her and seems out of place as a fifth-grade teacher. “‘I am pretty sure,’ [Lark] said, voice intent, ‘that Mr. Hunt is an ogre’…To Lark an ogre took great pride in his collection of children’s hearts and when the other ogres would come over for dinner (usually ogres serve yak to guests) he would show his treasure, boasting about how he had the finest collection in the land. He’d take the jar off the shelf and tell the great and glorious story of the capture of the child the heart once belonged to.” This is a thought Lark brings up repeatedly throughout the text and she continues to theorize about why she believes Mr. Hunt is an ogre. 
  • Iris sees a cat, Duchess, travel thorough a clock.  
  • Duchess leads Iris behind a curtain where Iris discovers a whole house. Not only is it almost the size of a mansion, but there are remarkable pieces of art scattered throughout. Mr. Green says, “I told you I had magic. You kept saying it was science.”  
  • Mr. Green use magic to make a compass using water and create a battery out of a potato.  
  • Mr. Green gains power by accessing wells of magic. He shows Iris a new well that is hidden inside his mansion. “Iris shook her head slightly as if to clear it. It was a well of magic. Magic was a thing, something you could scoop up like water.” Iris has a hard time comprehending the magic.  
  • Inside Mr. Green’s office, Iris discovers more magic. “One wall of shelving was lined with wooden carvings, and perched right in front of it was a big shiny black-and-gold sewing machine with a foot pedal. Another was filled with sealed jam jars of shimmering magic.”  
  • Mr. Green explains magic’s power. “The magic is hard to work with, but it does excel at one thing in particular . . . It excels at transformation. This is very useful when you need to walk out of a museum with a painting or take a sculpture the size of a semi-truck out of a public garden. It can also be useful in other ways. And I think, Miss Maguire, I know the best way to keep you. . . Perhaps I can give you as a gift to [my lost sister] after all.” He explains to Iris that he could use the magic to transform Iris into a doll for his sister.  
  • The explanation behind who the narrator is brought full circle and revealed as Mr. Green’s lost sister, Alice. It is learned that Alice turned herself into a crow and that she’s the giant crow following the girls throughout the story. “Iris was right — I did run from you. You locked me in a room, you said it was for my own good, and I pulled all the magic I could from the room and turned myself into a crow. I made a tool to open the latch and flew out the window. Crows are very good with tools. Magic has a cost. You gave your humanity willingly for it. I gave mine, too, but in a different way. I like my way better.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

Illyria, a land shrouded in mystery and magic, is home to a kingdom full of potential sorcerers, witches’ curses, and a mysterious mist called “the Dread.” Marya Lupu has always known her place in the kingdom. Her role is to stay quiet and make sure her brother Luka gets the title his family feels he deserves, which is to be a powerful sorcerer. However, on the day that the sorcerer’s guild comes to test Luka’s magical capabilities, Marya finds herself at the root of a chaotic mistake that will change her life forever. As it turns out, Marya’s brother is not a sorcerer after all, and the guild finds Marya to be unfit for the norms of society. Upon the king’s wishes, Marya is sent away to Dragomir Academy, a prestigious school for troubled girls. Although initially hesitant and fearful, Marya soon finds that Dragomir Academy is a place of great opportunity and learning. 

At the academy, Marya is introduced to the values and practices necessary for a lady of Illyria. In the eyes of the kingdom, Marya needs to know etiquette, needlework, music, and literature in order to have value. But Marya also discovers that Dragomir Academy is a place of secrets and intrigue. As she delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the academy, Marya realizes that her fate is intertwined with Illyria’s fate. And as Marya uncovers the secrets of Dragomir Academy, she realizes her true destiny may be far greater than she ever imagined. 

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that delves into the lives of young girls dealing with personal issues such as what their role is inside a patriarchal society and what power they hold. Although the story starts off slowly, it gradually builds momentum as it explores the complexities of Marya’s and the other girls at the academy’s lives. Unlocking the mysteries will leave readers on the edge of their seats. 

As Marya arrives at Dragomir Academy, she is introduced to an entirely new world, one full of challenges and untold secrets. Her journey to unravel these secrets makes the book compelling.  Readers’ hearts will break as they follow Marya through the difficult challenges the ladies of Illyria face. Marya is a character that readers will want to give a hug. She is extremely relatable, especially for young girls who are learning to navigate their way in the world. She is curious, intelligent, and admirable, with a deep sense of empathy that makes her all the more endearing. Readers will find themselves rooting for Marya at every turn, as she overcomes obstacles both big and small on her journey of self-discovery. Her steadfast determination to succeed and strive to find out the truth makes her an inspiration to anyone who has ever faced adversity. Whether she’s exploring new horizons or facing down a challenge head-on, Marya’s spirit and resilience are sure to leave a lasting impression on readers of all ages. 

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy is a powerful book that tells the story of girls who have been told that they are powerless. They have been told to calm down, be proper, and be quiet. This book is about finding strength, friendship, and the power within yourself. It’s about choosing to be strong despite the obstacles in your path. With vivid descriptions of the academy and the girls, the author paints a picture that is both whimsical and heart-wrenching. This is a must-read for anyone looking for an empowering story about young women who refuse to be silenced. However, it is not a read for the faint of heart, as it shows the gravity of how heavy life can be for a woman.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The Dread is a mysterious monster affiliated with the kingdom that causes villages to be lost overnight. The Dread leaves the villagers dead, which is described several times as the Dread leaving corpses without blood or souls. 
  • Marya reflects on the loss of her baby brother, Pieter. “The fever came during the day and he died during the night. She was eight, then. It happened while she was sleeping. She’d tried to stay up to watch him, but she was so tired from the day of trying to get the fever down.” She was heartbroken over the loss of her brother, after his passing her family pretended he didn’t exist.  
  • Two significant girls at Dragomir Academy get “mountain madness.” When the onset occurs, the girls start shrieking and crying because they either see things or feel that there are bugs crawling underneath their skin. Simona, the sixth year in charge of her class, tells Marya of her experience. “Nothing was there. But then it kept happening. Or it would feel like spiders were underneath my skin, scuttling in my veins… I tried to hide it, pretended everything was fine. And then one night when I was sleeping, I dreamed a giant spider was on my chest, tying me up. But it felt so real. So I started screaming and fighting, trying to get it off me.” Mountain madness then becomes a topic of interest for Marya as she feels there is something more to it that the adults are hiding.  
  • A girl’s aunt accidentally harmed a village boy. The girl says her aunt “was practicing witchcraft. Like, some boy who had been pestering her while she was walking, suddenly his hair lit on fire.” The child was okay, but her aunt was sent to an asylum for witches.  
  • High Count Arev, a member of the Sorcerer’s Guild, answers questions about witches. “During the early days of the Witching Wars, we simply put them to death. But of course, that ultimately added to our troubles, for reasons we understand now . . . All the magic of the witches we killed during the Witching Wars either transferred to new witches or appeared somewhere else in the kingdom as an uncontrollable entity and would wreak havoc.”  
  • The headmaster, Headmaster Iagar, of the school, locks Marya in a quarantined cottage. Then, he corners her in the great hall, but Elana, Marya’s friend, helps protect her. “Elana was at the top of the stairs, out of breath, Madame Rosetti, the other teacher at the academy, behind her. The headmaster whirled around, but before he could say anything, Elana lifted her hands and pushed them towards him, the air shimmering with power. He flew backwards, slammed into the wall, and fell to the ground.” He is left unharmed but remains unconscious for several minutes after the blow. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Elana was taken into isolation by the headmaster. “Then I fell asleep again and woke up and I couldn’t remember if it even happened at all, or I’d dreamt it . . . At least, I think that’s what happened. I slept so much. It must have been an enchantment. Or a potion. So I can’t really tell what was a dream and what was real.” Anyone who has “mountain madness” is taken to a quarantined cottage and given a potion that creates a drug-like effect on the user.  

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • Sorcerers and witches are discussed throughout the entirety of the text as they are the protagonists and antagonists of the society. The Sorcerer’s Guild is made up of the young men of the kingdom who possess the talent to harness magic, while the witches are the enemy that they face. The Sorcerer’s Guild and high-ranking officials repeatedly assure the people of the kingdom that any woman who possesses a witch’s talents are harmful beings and must be stopped at all costs.  
  • The Dread is a monster that attacks the villages. It is “the monstrous force that lived in the forest and roamed to nearby towns to devour them.” The Dread is a misty, purple monster that kills an entire village in one night. It is explained that it is brought on by a curse set forth by the witches.  
  • A letter arrives at the Lupu home about Luka’s upcoming sorcerer’s test. “Representatives from the Council of Magical Protection of Illyria, serving the Sorcerer’s Guild, will be at your home in fifteen days, at noon, to evaluate your son, Luka Lupu, for potential giftedness in the art of sorcery.” Upon the day the guild arrives, Luka, like several other young boys throughout the kingdom, will be tested to see if he possesses the ability to harness magic. If he does, his family will be sent to a rich estate and he will join the Sorcerer’s Guild. If he does not, they will continue to live as they do and work hard to build their way up in society.  
  • Madame Bandu, a local village woman, explains how the magical testing will work for Luka. “The Sorcerer’s Guild has always been able to detect potential sorcerers through some kind of spell. It used to be that all boys would be sent to the estates so that they could be mentored when their time did come in. It’s only in the last few decades that they developed a test that could — with reasonable accuracy — predict which boys would actually come to wield magic.” 
  • Marya is learning about the history of Dragomir Academy and the beliefs many individuals hold about females. “Did people think education would somehow turn these girls into witches?” She believes this to be a ridiculous thought and one that makes her sad for the girls who do not get an opportunity for education. 
  • Madame Szabo, Marya’s teacher at Dragomir, asks them about their knowledge of witches. Marya answers, “Well, they cast spells. Like everyone else in the area would lose their vision at once, or sleep through a harvesting season, or plant catnip instead of turnips . . . Or they would all get fevers that lasted for months and months.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Breadcrumbs

Hazel Anderson and Jack Campbell were inseparable best friends. They shared a unique and magical world of their own creation, filled with wonder and imagination, that no one else could fully understand. It was only together that they found their place within the world. 

But one day, without any warning or explanation, Jack suddenly ceased all communication. Hazel feels bewildered, hurt, and alone, and she’s unable to comprehend why her closest companion had seemingly abandoned her.  

Hazel is devastated and can’t understand why her best friend left without a word. Hazel ponders over Jack’s mysterious behavior until Tyler, a close friend of Jack’s, shares what he believes to be impossible. Jack had been taken into the woods by a white witch on a sled. 

Determined to find out the truth and rescue her friend, Hazel embarks on a perilous journey through the mystical woods, using all of her wits and bravery to navigate the treacherous terrain and overcome many obstacles. Her only hope lies in finding the white witch who is rumored to dwell deep within the woods – the same witch who Hazel believes holds Jack captive. 

Hazel can’t help but wonder if Jack truly wants to be rescued or if he has intentionally chosen to leave her behind. The closer she gets to the truth, the more Hazel’s doubts and uncertainties begin to consume her. She wonders if she’s truly prepared for what she might find and if the truth behind Jack’s disappearance might be more than she can handle. 

Hazel is a character that is easily relatable due to her simple and down-to-earth personality. She has a warm and welcoming demeanor that allows people to feel at ease around her. Additionally, Hazel’s experiences are ones that many can relate to, such as the ups and downs of relationships, the struggles of balancing school and friendships, and the journey of self-discovery. In essence, Hazel is a character that embodies the human experience, making her a truly multi-dimensional and interesting character to explore. As she relies on her wits, bravery, and unspeakable determination to uncover the truth and rescue her friend, readers will be rooting for her the entire way. 

The whimsical story includes fifteen black–and–white illustrations that are scattered throughout the text. The illustrations are detailed, yet soft and cartoon-like. It helps bring the reader fully into the world within Breadcrumbs. 

Breadcrumbs is a captivating and enchanting story that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and resilience. The story demonstrates that no matter how lost one may feel, it is never too late to find oneself and embrace who you truly are. Hazel, the protagonist, is a shining example of this. She discovers her true worth and identity. Through her journey, Hazel learns the value of true friends who support and encourage one another, even during the most challenging of times. Breadcrumbs also highlights the importance of perseverance and determination in overcoming obstacles and achieving our dreams. Overall, Breadcrumbs is a heartwarming tale that reminds readers of the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After getting upset, Hazel throws a snowball at Jack. A few seconds later, unhurt by the snowball, something else causes him to cry out in pain. “’Ow!’ He yelled. ‘Ow!’ His voice cracked into the sky. His other hand flew to his chest and he fell to his knees.” A snowflake with a shard of cursed glass fell into his eye.  
  • Two classmates, Tyler and Bobby, taunt Hazel as they do most days, but this time she has had enough. She retaliates by throwing a pencil case at Tyler. “In one motion Hazel stood up, grabbed the hard pencil case from her desk, and hurled it at Tyler. There were some yelps, some gasps, and then absolute quiet.” Tyler is hit in the head and left with a large, painful bump. 
  • Hazel meets a woman who stole a swan’s skin. Hazel accidentally discards the skin. The woman scratches  Hazel for throwing away the skin. “‘I see,’ the woman said, running a cold finger down Hazel’s cheek. ‘Actions have consequences, little girl.’ And then there was pain. Stinging, and then searing. The woman had stuck a nail into Hazel’s cheek, and it was like a talon. She dragged her finger down, splitting the skin on Hazel’s face. It traveled down her cheek to her neck.” Hazel is left with a gash that bleeds profusely until a young man comes to aid the wound. She is left with a horrible scar. 
  • The white witch gives Jack a puzzle of broken shards that continually cut his fingers as he moves them. “He looked down at the puzzle shards. They were made of old, jagged angles. He reached a finger out to touch one of the points. He felt nothing, but a small dome of red blood rose out of his finger pad.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language   

  • When Jack abandon’s Tyler and Bobby as friends they blame Hazel. They taunt her with different names such as Crazy Hazy, psycho, and baby. 

Supernatural  

  • The narrator gives background on a goblin, who is only prevalent to the beginning part of the story.  “Mal looks nothing like you can imagine, neither goblin nor troll nor imp nor demon. But neither the goblins nor trolls nor imps nor demons know what Mal is either. For Mal is not any of those one things, but all of them . . .” This character only exists to create an entryway into the magic that exists throughout the rest of the story. 
  • The narrator takes a moment to provide context about the glass that made its way into Jack’s eye. This piece of glass is not anything ordinary, because it is a shard from a cursed mirror. “Mal had just invented something delightful – or at least something he found delightful, for that is an altogether different prospect. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary mirror . . . For the mirror took beautiful things and made them ugly, and took ugly things and made them hideous . . . the mirror shattered into the sky. . . one landed in the eye of a boy.”  
  • After Hazel notices the change in Jack’s behavior, she asks an adult what supernatural options there could be for Jack’s sudden change in personality. The adult says, “There are a few options. Possession is one. Not by a demon, but by something a little more harmless, like a goblin or imp. . . Or an evil disembodied brain thing.  Or there could be some sort of enchantment. By a witch or wizard. Or by a magical item, something that was given to them, or something they acquired, maybe by accident. Or something that’s infected them that causes them to see the world in a skewed way.’” 
  • Tyler tells Hazel about the impossible thing he saw right before Jack’s disappearance. Tyler says, “He wasn’t alone. There was a woman there. She was . . . she wasn’t right. She was tall and weirdly thin. She wasn’t real. She was all white and silver and made of snow . . . like an elf or a witch . . . like a movie.” 
  • Hazel encounters three women in the woods that promise to help her. “[The first woman] picked a long gray string out of the box. It had a puff of wool attached at one end. She passed the string down, puff end first, and the three hooded women stared at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.” The string the women look at represents Hazel’s life. The three women are supposed to represent the Fates who are in charge of the lives of those inside the world. They can see that her fate is yet undetermined and promise to help her if she asks a question. Although upon hearing her questions about the white witch, they send Hazel on her way.  
  • Hazel meets a young boy who lives in a cabin in the woods. His sister has been changed into a bird. The boy explains that a couple “‘said she’d run away. But I saw the bird and I knew. . . ‘ He glanced at the gold cage behind him. ‘It’s just like her. And you always know your sister.’”  
  • As Hazel walks through the woods, she thinks, “There were witches in the woods, they stole beauty from swans and then rotted from the inside. There were couples who wanted to turn girls into pretty little birds. The woods do strange things to people.” 
  • Hazel meets a kind couple that says they want to help, but upon walking Hazel listens to the stories of the flowers. She finds out that the couple has changed the girls into flowers. Hazel runs back into the woods before they can turn her into a rose.  

Spiritual Content  

  • None

Shadow and Bone

Alina Starkov never expected to be anything but ordinary. An orphan from Keramzin, a small village in Ravka, she is a mapmaker in Ravka’s First Army. Her best friend, Mal, is also in the army as a tracker. Alina wants nothing more from life. 

But that changes when her regiment attempts to cross the Fold, a swath of deadly darkness created 400 years ago by the Black Heretic that splits Ravka in half. Alina discovers that she can summon light, making her a Grisha – someone with the ability to practice the Small Science. But Alina is no ordinary Grisha – she is a Sun Summoner, who is prophesied to destroy the Fold for good. 

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite—and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift. 

Alina begins working with the mysterious Darkling, the only Shadow Summoner and leader of the Grisha. He tells Alina that he seeks to rectify his ancestor’s mistake and unite Ravka once more. The Darkling says Alina is Ravka’s only hope. But the more Alina learns about the Grisha world, and about the Darkling himself, the more she realizes that things are even more complicated than she previously thought. With Ravka’s future on her shoulders, Alina must figure out who her allies are and possibly prevent a catastrophe bigger than the creation of the Fold itself. 

As the first book in a fantasy trilogy, Shadow and Bone has the difficult task of setting up its characters, setting, and plot in an engaging way while still leaving room for the story to develop in subsequent books, and it does not disappoint. The world-building is excellent as it introduces just the right amount of information so that the reader is not confused but is still intrigued to learn more.  Throughout the story, Bardugo expertly weaves in more details as needed. Ravka comes to life through Bardugo’s lush prose that provides just enough description without distracting from the plot so that even the most plot-driven readers will not be able to walk away from this book. 

Another positive aspect of Shadow and Bone is its vast cast of characters. Even minor characters have multiple layers of depth which keeps readers on their toes and makes them constantly examine the characters’ decisions. Alina is an easy character to relate to for anyone who has ever struggled to fit into an unfamiliar environment, and her strength and perseverance make her an admirable protagonist. This is especially evident in her struggle to merge her new life with her old dreams for her and Mal, and readers will root for her as she searches for ways to combine her ordinary past with her extraordinary present. Readers will eagerly devour Shadow and Bone, and delight in learning about the world of the Grisha alongside Alina. 

Sexual Content  

  • A beautiful Grisha girl smiles flirtatiously at Mal. His friends tease him. “‘You know she’ll be staying at camp,’ Mikhael said with a leer. ‘I hear the Grisha tent’s as big as a cathedral,’ added Dubrov. ‘Lots of nice shadowy nooks,’ said Mikhael, and actually waggled his brows.”  
  • Mal taps on Alina’s tent after hours. One of her fellow soldiers hears the knock and giggles, “If it’s that tracker, tell him to come inside and keep me warm.” 
  • The night before their regiment crosses the Fold, Alina and Mal reminisce about their childhoods. They are interrupted and when Mal gets up to leave, he tells Alina to wish him luck. She does, and then thinks sarcastically, “Good luck? Have a lovely time, Mal. Hope you find a pretty Grisha, fall deeply in love, and make lots of gorgeous, disgustingly talented babies together.”  
  • Alina’s friend Genya usually spends her time at the Grand Palace because the Queen and especially the King like to keep her close. It is insinuated that the King treats Genya as if she is a prostitute. Genya later confirms this to Alina, telling her that “the King has his way with lots of servants.” 
  • The Darkling kisses Alina in an empty room at the Little Palace. “I’d been kissed before, drunken mistakes, awkward fumblings. This was nothing like that. It was sure and powerful and like my whole body had just come awake. I could feel my pounding heart, the press of silk against my skin, the strength of his arms around me, one hand buried deep in my hair, the other at my back, pulling me closer.” This scene occurs over two pages. 
  • As Alina wanders the outskirts of the city, a drunk man stumbles out of an inn and grabs Alina by the coat. He says, “Hello, pretty! Have you come to keep me warm?” He makes a few more comments in the same vein; Alina quickly gets away by blinding him with her light powers. 

Violence  

  • When Alina’s regiment attempts to cross the Fold, they are attacked by volcra, deadly creatures who live in the Fold and feed on humans. There are many injuries and casualties, including Alina’s friend Alexei. Alina “gasped as Alexei’s arm was yanked from mine. In a spurt of flame, I saw him clutching at the railing with one hand. I saw his howling mouth, his wide, terrified eyes, and the monstrous thing that held him in its glistening gray arms, its wings beating the air as it lifted him from his feet, its thick claws sunk deep into this back, its talons already wet with his blood. Alexei’s fingers slipped on the railing . . . His screams faded into the sounds of battle as the volcra carried him into the dark. Another burst of flame lit the sky, but he was gone.” This scene occurs over four pages. 
  • When Alina is being taken to the Little Palace by Grisha guards, they are attacked by Fjerdan assassins. Alina “huddled on the floor [of the carriage], clutching the knife’s heavy hilt, my knees to my chest, my back pressed against the base of the seat. Outside, I could hear the sounds of fighting, metal on metal, grunts and shouts, horses whinnying. The coach shook as a body slammed against the glass of the window. I saw with horror that it was one of my guards. His body left a red smear against the glass as he slid from view.” This scene occurs over four pages. Many unnamed people die, and a few are injured.  
  • Alina has a nightmare where she “threw open the door . . . and screamed. There was blood everywhere. The volcra was perched on the window seat and, as it turned on me and opened its horrible jaws, I saw it had gray quartz eyes.”  
  • During a combat training session, Alina spars with Zoya, one of the most powerful Grisha. Zoya “pressed her advantage and lunged forward. That was her mistake . . . I [Alina] stepped to the side, and as she came in close, I hooked my leg around her ankle. Zoya went down hard. . . But before I had a chance to even register my victory, Zoya sat up, her expression furious, her arm slashing through the air. I felt myself lifted off my feet as I sailed backward through the air and slammed into the training room’s wooden wall. I heard something crack, and all the breath went out of my body as I slid to the ground.” 
  • In the woods, thieves attack Alina and Mal. Alina’s training saves them. “Before he could recover, I [Alina] slammed a knee into his groin. As he bent double, I put my hands on the back of his head and brought my knee up hard. There was a disgusting crunch, and I stepped backward as he fell to the ground clutching his nose, blood spurting between his fingers.”  
  • The Darkling kills Morozova’s stag in order to use its antlers to make an amplifier for Alina. The Darkling “strode forward and without hesitating slit the stag’s throat. Blood gushed into the snow, pooling around the stag’s body. I watched as the life left his dark eyes, and a sob broke from my chest.” 
  • Alina has a nightmare. “That night, I dreamed of the stag. I saw the Darkling cut his throat again and again. I saw the life fading from his dark eyes. But when I looked down, it was my blood that spilled red into the snow.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Alina watches a friend “take a swig from the bottle [of kvas] and then lurch forward.” Kvas is the Ravkan equivalent of beer. 
  • While en route to the Little Palace, Alina, the Darkling, and the rest of the Grisha guards sit around a fire and “pass a flask back and forth.”  
  • Genya, Alina’s best friend at the Little Palace and a Grisha servant to the Ravkan King and Queen, describes the King as “probably drunk” and says that he “devotes all his time to hunting, horses, and imbibing.”  

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • This book involves a magic system known as the Small Science, which is a way of manipulating matter. Those who can wield the Small Science are known as Grisha. The Grisha are split into three orders: Corporalki (the Order of the Living and the Dead), Etherialki (the Order of Summoners), and Materialki (the Order of Fabrikators).  
  • The Darkling and Baghra, Alina’s tutor, are Shadow Summoners, while Alina is a Sun Summoner; these are unique abilities that no other known Grisha possess. For example, here is a description of when Alina summons light for the first time on purpose and by herself: “I called and the light answered. I felt it rushing toward me from every direction, skimming over the lake, skittering over the golden domes of the Little Palace, under the door and through the walls of Baghra’s cottage. I felt it everywhere. I opened my hands and the light bloomed right through me, filling the room, illuminating the stone walls, the old tile oven, and every angle of Baghra’s strange face. It surrounded me, blazing with heat, more powerful and more pure than ever before because it was all mine. I wanted to laugh, to sing, to shout. At last, there was something that belonged wholly and completely to me.” The Darkling’s power works in a similar way: “He brought his hands together and there was a sound like a thunderclap. I gasped as undulating darkness spread from his clasped hands, spilling in a black wave over me and the crowd.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Many Ravkans worship Saints, and consider Alina to be a living Saint because she is the Sun Summoner. 
  • The Apparat, the King’s spiritual advisor, tells Alina, “There is something more powerful than any army. Something strong enough to topple kings, and even Darklings . . . Faith.”  
  • Alina checks the casualty lists every week, looking for Mal’s name, and each time she doesn’t see his name she “gives thanks to all the Saints that Mal was safe and alive.” 
  • When Alina is on the run, she can’t resist slipping into a tiny church to hear the priest say Mass. The priest “offered prayers for the congregation: for a woman’s son who had been wounded in battle, for an infant who was ill with fever, and for the health of Alina Starkov. ‘Let the Saints protect the Sun Summoner,’ intoned the priest, ‘she who was sent to deliver us from the evils of the Shadow Fold and make this nation whole again.’” 
  • Alina describes Genya as “a painted icon of a Saint, her hair a burnished copper halo.” 

Revenge of the Beast

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then, Bethany arrived.

Now, Ebenezer and Bethany are on track to become do-gooders. Bethany wants to get rid of anything in their 15-story house that was vomited out by the beast. Although Bethany is ready to “de-beastify” the house, Ebenezer is much more hesitant. With every magical object Bethany and Claudette sell in a yard-sale, Ebenezer cringes. From gold-plated cutlery to scooters to pianos, they are all sold. Ebenezer has a hard time letting go as he watches the gifts he has acquired over the past 512 years being taken away. 

Bethany goes to every place in town in hopes of volunteering, however, she finds her search disappointing when no one trusts her. Since her reputation includes pranks like putting animals in Miss Muddles’ candy shop, the town people believe Bethany’s act of “volunteering” is a sneaky way for her to pull pranks. On top of that, the items Ebenezer and Bethany sold are going rogue. The dinnerware turns food moldy, and the scooter throws anyone off who tries to ride it. Bethany feels hopeless, but she is wants to go into the community and right her wrongs. Yet how can she do good if no one gives her a chance? 

Revenge of the Beast is a great sequel. Meggitt-Phillips does a great job foreshadowing. Plus, the beast is brought back in an interesting way that avoids repetition. The reader sees that Bethany and Ebenezer’s previous trials truly impacted their aspirations and values–Bethany more than Ebenezer. Lastly, the ending is a perfect cliff-hanger for the next book. 

Friendship is a theme in Revenge of the Beast due to the gained closeness of Bethany and Ebenezer. Ebenezer even offers to be the beast’s servant without any gifts or request if it meant Bethany would be safe. Ebenezer said, “The thought of not seeing [Bethany] again makes me want to cry, because I’ll miss everything about her.” By letting go of the opportunity to use the beast’s powers, Ebenezer shows how much Bethany’s friendship means to him. The story also teaches that it is better to turn the other cheek. Bethany highlights this when she says, “Being cruel to one’s enemies is like chopping off your arm just so you can hit them with it – in the end, all you do is cause more damage to yourself.”  

Revenge of the Beast has black and white illustrations, which is a fun way for the reader to see settings and characters’ emotions. However, there are more acts of violence in this book than in The Beast and The Bethany, so a more mature audience may be needed. Plus, the plot lines are more complex due to of each characters’ adventures. Still, readers who enjoyed the previous book will not be disappointed because they will enjoy Bethany’s tough attitude and Ebenezer’s protectiveness over Bethany.  

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • When Ebenezer calls the boys in his neighborhood his friends, they respond with, “We’re not your friends, Ebeloooser. I thought we showed you last time what happens when you call us that.” Ebenezer says “Oh yes, that game where you chase me whilst throwing sticks and stones is great fun . . . ”
  • Because of the removal of his beastly gifts, Ebenezer asks Bethany, “Are you trying to kill me or something?” 
  • The boys were throwing rocks at Ebenezer and the beast. Ebenezer’s “pleasure was interrupted by a rock which sailed through the air, whacked his shoulder, and ripped his ruffled shirt.”
  • One of the boys, Nicholas, throws a mud ball at Ebenezer. The ball leaves a mark on his shirt. 
  • After a group of boys throw rocks at Ebenezer, the beast “spread its mouth wide open and vomited out a blaze of fire.” The beast then tells Ebenezer to, “throw me at the one with the unpleasant face if you want to have some fun.” After Ebenezer does this, the beast vomits itching powder on Nicholas. 
  • The beast asks Ebenezer if Ebenezer wants him to “puddle” the bully, Nicholas. “Its three eyes were hungry for revenge” when he said “watch as I melt this child into a puddle. It’s my way of saying thank you.” Ebenezer declines the beast’s offer. 
  • The beast suggests “puddling” Ebenezer’s mother after Ebenezer informs the beast that his mother said Ebenezer will make friends after he stops being annoying. The beast says, “your mother’s a fool. Would you like me to melt her into a puddle?” Ebenezer denies the beast’s request of puddling his mother. 
  • Ebenezer is reluctant to sell diamond cheese boards to a man named Eduardo. Ebenezer “was about to tell Eduardo to take his nostrils elsewhere when he was treated to a furious kick from Bethany – and it was the sort of kick that told him he shouldn’t push his luck any further.”
  • After the children in the orphanage are forced to sew a sequin jacket, they have injuries to their hands. One boy’s hands “were covered with cuts and bandages.” 
  • Gloria is the new girl at the orphanage. She has taken over Bethany’s spot in being the one everyone fears. She loves attention and praise. So, many of her acts of violence are to receive more. After Gloria performs, she “started pulling Harold Chicken’s hair and telling him off for giving Claudette bigger claps.”
  • In one of his flashbacks, Ebenezer returns from Nicholas’ funeral. The beast describes why he died, saying, “my dear boy, I think he would have been a lot more pleased if he hadn’t accidentally impaled himself on his own point stick.”
  • Gloria “aimed the mushed apple at Geoffrey” with a  catapult. Gloria calls this her “acting method” for her show at the theater. Because Geoffrey is the first friend Bethany made in the last book, Bethany suggests Gloria use her catapult for Timothy, the new orphanage director, instead. However, Gloria launches the apple at Geoffrey anyway. 
  • After buying a shirt from Ebenezer, a boy says, “every time I put it on, it either tries to strangle me with an overly tight neckline, or the sleeves make me beat myself up.”
  • As Ebenezer tries to tell Bethany important news, she gets angry about being interrupted. “Bethany picked up one of the forks and threw it at him.” She told him, “If you don’t leave right now, then I’m going to have to start throwing the knives.”
  • Bethany receives a disturbing phone call. “Bethany looked at the phone receiver as if it had just tried to bite her ear off. Then she smashed it against the wall. . .smashing and smashing until there was nothing left but a wire in her hand.”
  • The beast eats a parrot named Claudette. “First, I ate all that was in her belly– that took me a while; she was a fat parrot. At the moment, I’m destroying her kind, hopeful personality by showing her that the world is truly a cruel place. After that, it won’t take me long to gobble through the rest of her.” He then says, “I’ve never eaten someone through their insides before – I should do it more often.”
  • As the beast controls Claudette’s body, he takes Ebenezer to the attic. He keeps Ebenezer there so Ebenezer does not ruin the beast’s plan of eating Bethany and Gloria at the theater. The injuries the beast gives Ebenezer to take him to the attic and keep him there are described. “There were talon marks on his ankles from where the beast had dragged him upstairs, and his neck was swollen with bruises because the shirt had strangled him every time he had tried to call for help or warn Bethany.”
  • The shirt the beast puts on Ebenezer forces him to stay awake. “Every time you close your eyes, the shirt will strangle and squeeze you awake.”
  • Bethany becomes angry with Ebenezer and starts beating up muffins. “As she beat up the muffins, she imagined she was beating him up too.”
  • The beast says Gloria, “even tried strangling me with this silver rope.” The beast then suggests to Bethany that they should “eat her.”
  • The beast uses Claudette’s wings to fly Bethany across town. He drops her but pretends it is a game. However, “the beast likes thinking that Bethany could smash into the ground at any moment.”
  • Two of the children in the audience are “puddled” because they were talking.  The beast “vomited out a large yellow umbrella and sent it flying above Geoffrey’s head. . . The umbrella opened above Geoffrey’s head, sucked up his wriggling body, and closed itself again. A few moments later, it spat out a puddle through its handle.” Then, “The beast wiggled its fingers and brought the big yellow umbrella hovering over the best seat in the house – which happened to be occupied by Eduardo Barnacle. The beast puddled Eduardo right in between his screaming parents.” Luckily, the umbrella brings them both back in the end. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • The man from D.O.R.R.I.S, the undercover agency that captures magical creatures like the beast, puts a special smoke into the air at the theater that allows the audience to fall asleep. The smoke then alters the audience’s memories. 
  • At the prank shop, the owner suggests Bethany use the “demonic dream-lolly.” He describes, “One lick and your victim will have nightmares for weeks.”

Language 

  • The boys Ebenezer knew when he was younger called him “Mr. Ebenoozer Loser.”
  • Bethany calls people “gitface,” “stupid gitface,” and “selfish gits” many times. She also tells others to “bog off.” 
  • Bethany uses “flipping” and “freaking” frequently throughout the book. For example, she calls some people “total flipping Idiots.” She also says, “You’re flipping amazing!” 
  • The beast tells the boys picking on Ebenezer that, “If you or your snotty little friends tell anyone about me, then I will hunt you down.”
  • There is frequent name-calling including calling someone a “beastly brat,” a “weak fart,” a “twit,” an “idiot,” and an “unpleasant blip.”
  • After Nicholas’ funeral, the beast calls Nicholas “a moron, unworthy of mourning.”
  • The words on Claudette’s poster for her performance at the theater says, “Anyone who didn’t buy a ticket would be an ‘UTTER MORON WHO DOESN’T DESERVE TO LIVE.’”

Supernatural

  • Just like in the first book, the beast is told to vomit out special gifts for Ebenezer. Ebenezer thinks of a gift the beast gave: a gold-button shirt that fit whoever wore it perfectly. It was self-cleaning and self-tailoring. 
  • In a flashback, the beast vomits out a memory book for Ebenezer. It shows Ebenezer the person he misses most. In the present day, Ebenezer looks at this memory book often to see the life he used to have with the beast. 
  • The gold-buttoned shirt Ebenezer sold to Eduardo was pulling Eduardo. “He was walking very strangely – with two outstretched arms and a pair of feet dragging along the ground, as if he were being pulled toward Ebenezer’s house by an invisible thread.”
  • Claudette can lay eggs that have any food a person desires. For example, “Claudette laid an egg filled with pains au chocolat for Bethany.”
  • The scooter Bethany uses is controlled by the beast. The scooter drives itself and can go as fast as it pleases. 
  • The silver rope that was vomited out by the beast is used to drag Gloria to the theater. The beast wants her to go to the theater so he can eat her. The rope drags her to the front of the stage where the beast sits. 

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs

Solimar, a soon-to-be princess of the kingdom of San Gregorio, is about to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. “After the quinceañera, she would be considered a princess of the world. And she would also officially be crowned Princess Solimar Socorro Reyes Guadalupe of San Gregorio.” 

Solimar’s home is known for its oyamel forest, a sacred place for the monarch butterflies that migrate each year. Solimar decides to watch the new generation of monarchs arrive in the oyamel forest. When Solimar goes to oyamel, she is surrounded by butterflies, who completely cover her arms and her rebozo, or shawl. Afterwards, Solimar notices that her rebozo looks as if it has “butterfly wings embedded in the fabric . . . and they’re shimmering.” The encounter with the monarchs gives Solimar the ability to predict the near future while she is wearing the rebozo and standing in sunlight. 

But then, on the eve of the kingdom’s annual supply trip, Solimar’s brother tells her, “He’s running away from home to join a ship because he doesn’t want to be king anytime soon, or possibly ever.” On top of this, when her father and brother set off on the trip, a neighboring king and his guards invade Solimar’s kingdom and take her mother and abuela hostage. The invading king plans to use Solimar’s mother and the rest of their family as a bargaining tool to force Solimar’s father to give him a thousand acres of their oyamel forest. Solimar hides just in time to escape the notice of the invaders and realizes it is up to her to find a way to warn her father of the invaders and their plans. Solimar, her bird Lázaro, and an enchanted talking doll set off on their quest down the river, in an attempt to “warn her father in time and change the destiny of her kingdom.”

Solimar is a sympathetic and strong female character that readers will connect with due to her determination and willingness to go against the mold. Though she is a soon-to-be princess, Solimar does not believe she needs to look a specific way to be considered royal. She explains that she prefers her hair short, and says, “Where does it say what a princess must look like?” She even argues with her brother and father for reform within the kingdom. She explains, “I wanted to change things in my kingdom. I have ideas about forming a council of men and women who advise the king and allowing everyone in the kingdom to vote,” instead of just men. 

Readers who enjoy fantasy and heroic journeys will love Solimar’s adventure to rescue her kingdom. This book occasionally showcases Spanish words, which can expand readers’ exposure to new vocabulary. The first time the Spanish words are used, they are typically explained in English, but readers will also be able to use context clues to identify the meanings. There is also a map of all the different locations Solimar visits as she journeys through the kingdom of San Gregorio at the front of the novel. 

Readers will sympathize with Solimar as she learns to appreciate her responsibilities to the kingdom. Solimar’s family also shows growth, as they ultimately decide to let their son, the prince, pursue the life of a sailor and “creat[e] a transport fleet for [their kingdom].” Another example of growth is when Solimar is hesitant to put on a crown, fancy shoes, and a gown for her quinceañera. Her dislike of these formalities symbolizes that she is afraid that in becoming a princess she will still not have a voice in making decisions that impact the kingdom. However, by the end of the novel, Solimar grows to appreciate her family, who trust her input and ideas and even appreciate the quinceañera’s formal ceremony. Overall, this book showcases the importance of family, friendship, and finding trustworthy people in tough situations. Readers eager to explore more books about friendship should also read A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi and A Hundred Horses by Sarah Lean.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Abuela’s friend who practices enchantments, Doña Flor, tells Solimar what will happen if someone tries to steal the magical rebozo from her. Doña Flor says, “Anyone who tries to break the bond would suffer the wrath of the ancestral spirits,” which means, “Rage, madness, impending doom.”
  • A leader of a rival kingdom breaks into Solimar’s family home. “Mothers called for their daughters. Girls cried. Footsteps scuffled. Chairs tipped over. A man’s booming voice ordered, ‘Be quiet!’” Solimar’s mother, grandmother, and friends are trapped and kept as hostages. “Abuela glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Solimar. Her eyes filled with alarm, and almost imperceptibly . . .Abuela waved for Solimar to go away.” Solimar stays hidden and escapes.
  • The guards from the rival kingdom surround Solimar’s mother, abuela, and their advisors. “One stepped forward and announced, ‘By order of King Aveno, you all are under house arrest and may not leave the castle.’” When King Aveno enters, he reveals he is holding hostages to “gain the advantage I needed to negotiate for the land I wish to buy” from Solimar’s father, King Sebastián. 
  • Solimar’s friend, Berto, talks about his father who “died five years ago.” Berto does not describe the event in detail. 
  • King Aveno snatches the rebozo from Solimar and suddenly “the sky darkened, and a wind stirred and steadily grew . . . From the forest, a dark, tornado-like cloud raced toward the stage. [The king’s spy] and King Aveno held on to each other in an attempt to withstand the fierce gale. The wind roared.” The tornado “lifted away, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished. When the wind and world quieted, King Aveno and [his spy] were nowhere to be seen. All that remained were their boots and Solimar’s crumpled rebozo.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • Occasionally, Solimar’s Abuela proclaims “for heaven’s sake.”

Supernatural

  • When Solimar goes to watch the migration of the monarch butterflies, she suddenly is surrounded by them: “A swarm of monarchs descended and swirled around her—a blur of black, orange, and coral—creating an iridescent mist as if she was swaddled in the softest and nicest blanket.” She starts to hear “a rhythmic humming” and is not sure where it is coming from as, “The song persisted, though, and grew louder and louder until it reached a crescendo of haunting voices.”
  • After her encounter with the monarchs, Solimar notices a mystical substance around her. “Glittery specks lingered in the air like suspended jewels” and her shawl, or rebozo, is covered in the magical substance. “One side looks as if the butterfly wings are embedded in the fabric . . . and they’re shimmering.”
  • After Solimar’s encounter with the butterflies, she can predict things, such as when her abuela is about to fall down a hill while searching for a specific herb. Solimar explains, “I’ve never seen that herb before. I just knew where it was and that she would fall. But I don’t know how I knew.”
  • Solimar’s friend Josefina tells Solimar, “[My boyfriend] asked to meet me tonight, but he was so serious and standoffish that I am worried his feelings for me have changed. What will he tell me?” Solimar instantly begins to predict a proposal, “Only that he loves you…” And sure enough, this prediction does come true. 
  • To see if her predictions are only lucky guesses, Solimar asks her friend Maria to, “Ask me something else. Maybe about the expedition. Something I couldn’t already know.” Maria says, “When I talked to [the stable hand] only an hour ago, he mentioned your father had just decided on the horse he would ride in the lead tomorrow. Which stallion will have the honor of wearing the king’s colors?” Solimar answers correctly, confirming she can make predictions while wearing the magical shawl. 
  • Abuela takes Solimar to see a folk healer, “where few dared to travel unless they needed to be rid of a curse or cleansed of evil spirits.”
  • The folk healer, Doña Flor, taught Solimar’s grandma how to use herbs to help heal ailments. Abuela says, “Her enchantment is for good . . . some things at Doña Flor’s house are charmed. Just . . . be accepting. That’s all I ask. Embrace the mystery and the peculiarities.”
  • Doña Flor tells Solimar, “Your rebozo is the swaddle for the butterflies. You are now their protector and inseparably connected to them.” Because of this, Doña Flor reveals that the magic of the butterflies in the shawl “are safely embedded. It’s part of the magic, as is the ability for [Solimar] alone to bear their intuition about the near future and what lies ahead.”
  • Though Solimar is now able to access the magical intuition of the monarchs, she knows “each day that it is sunny, [Solimar] must open the rebozo to warm and strengthen those you carry. Otherwise [the monarchs] will never have the stamina to take leave and cluster in the trees.” In addition, Solimar must avoid people asking her questions in the sun because, “For every question you answer, it drains a little of [the butterflies’] strength. If they lose too much they will surely die.”
  • Doña Flor has enchanted dolls that “begin to chatter.” Doña Flor tells Solimar that “their enchantment is strong, yet they are generous souls and very helpful.”
  • Abuela has tried to use spells. She says, “I tried to make a love potion on [my cat] and the stable cat, hoping to make them compatible. But I wasn’t exactly successful . . . But instead of falling in love with each other, they fell in love with the first inanimate object they touched. In [her cat’s] case, it happened to be that green woolen sock she carries everywhere.”
  • Solimar uses magic to figure out which way to go in the dangerous devil’s river. Solimar “heard the chorus again — mystical and ancient and with such harmony that her arms prickled and tears filled her eyes. A clutch of monarchs lifted from the rebozo, their wings beating in time to the rhythmic song, and trailed after the swarm toward the waterway on the right.”
  • The magic of the monarchs can move a canoe without Solimar paddling it at all. “The canoe glided to the right, following the monarchs’ path.”
  • Solimar uses her predictive abilities to help navigate a perilous labyrinth of caves. She reveals, “The tunnel on the right is navigable, but there is no through passage. The water is stagnant, and the air is foul-smelling. The one in the middle has a rock ceiling that eventually becomes so low that the only way to pass is by swimming beneath it, underwater. The tunnel on the left leads to a long corridor and a bat-filled chamber.” She makes it safely out of the caves. 
  • Solimar and her abuela plan to distract the invading guards with an enchantment. As the invaders sit in the middle of the room waiting for the greedy king’s decision about his hostages, “The awnings above the audience collapsed, spilling all manner of household items into the audience: feather dusters, wooden spoons, tea towels. . . Everyone who had been forewarned about the pastries and had not eaten them laughed as each guard picked up an inanimate object — and immediately fell hopelessly in love with it. At least for a few weeks, they would be as lovestruck and preoccupied as [Abuela’s cat], whose sweetheart was a green woolen sock.”
  • Solimar carries the rebozo and protects the monarchs that are magically embedded inside until they are strong enough to leave. At that point, “A wave of butterflies erupted from the oyamel forest. They dove and swooped around Solimar. . . The ancient song began, beautiful and melodic. The butterflies lifted the fabric, turning it around and around in the sun, and waving it so that it rippled until the creases fell away.” The last butterfly “emerged . . . the last one she protected landed on [Solimar’s] finger, then flew away to join the others in the oyamel forest.”      

Spiritual Content 

  • Solimar’s kingdom is home to “the oyamel forest,” a forest that draws in monarch butterflies. She explains, “Like everyone in the kingdom, Solimar believed that the ancestors of the monarch butterflies inhabited the oyamel forest, and that year after year, their spirits lured a new generation of butterflies to this spot during their migrations.”
  • In Solimar’s kingdom of San Gregorio, “the forest and the monarchs were revered and protected,” and the forest is often referred to as “the sacred place.”
  • Solimar ponders what draws the butterflies to the forest each year. “Isn’t it amazing that the butterflies, that have never been here before, arrive season after season at the same spot as their ancestors? Is it the magnetic pull of the earth or the position of the sun as the scientists suggest? Or do the spirits of their fathers and mothers whisper directions to them in a dream? Is it some magical intuition that allows them to know what lies ahead? . . . it’s a miracle.”
  • The dangerous river that prevents Solimar’s kingdom from trading goods is referred to as “Río Diablo,” or the devil’s river. 
  • When Solimar and her abuela visit Doña Flor for advice on Solimar’s ability to predict things, Doña Flor uses scents and vapors to help her. Doña Flor “stopped and picked a few leaves from one of the dried bouquets hanging from the ceiling and tossed them on the fire. A crisp fragrance, like a muddle of pine and mint, filled the room. Doña Flor waved the vapors toward her and inhaled deeply.” Abuela explains, “The strong scent of eucalyptus helps with remembering.”
  • Doña Flor explains that when any of the monarchs of the oyamel forest are weak, “on those occasions, the ancestral sprits of the monarchs choose a benevolent courier to protect the stragglers until they are strong enough to join the others” on their migration.

The Last Leopard

Martine, her grandmother, and her best friend, Ben, are off to Zimbabwe to help her grandmother’s friend, Sadie, run her hotel in the Matobo Hills. But when they arrive, Martine realizes that someone wants to run Sadie off her land. Not only that, but hunters and treasure seekers are trying to capture Khan—a legendary giant leopard, rumored to be the rarest in the world. Can Martine help before it’s too late?

Martine is surprised when her grandmother announces they are going to Zimbabwe to help her friend Sadie. When they arrive at the isolated hotel, Martine discovers that Sadie is hiding something. Sadie eventually reveals that Mr. Ratcliffe has been trying to run Sadie out of business so he can hunt the legendary leopard, Khan. When the police unexpectedly arrest Martine’s grandmother and Sadie, Martine, and Ben vow to keep Khan safe even if it means putting themselves in danger. 

The third installment of the Legend of the Animal Healer Series has a darker mood than the previous books because it focuses on Mr. Ratcliffe’s greed and his “canned” hunting business. In order to keep his illegal business in operation, Mr. Ratcliffe bribes corrupt police officers. Mr. Ratcliffe is not content with hunting lions and other dangerous animals. Instead, he is also determined to kill the legendary leopard Khan—even if it means hurting others to obtain his goal.

When Martine’s grandmother and Sadie are arrested, Ngwenya, a local, helps Martine and Ben hide in a local village. This situation gives readers an inside look at the indigenous people who live in the bush. While the Zimbabwe culture is completely different from the United States, the communities shine with beauty even though, like any society, not everyone has pure intentions. The mix of characters that Martine and Ben meet adds interest to the story as well as highlights the negative aspects of greed. In the end, the story clearly shows that money is not important; instead, people only need “love, freedom, and enough to eat.”

The Last Leopard is a fast-paced story that teaches readers the horrors of canned hunting and the need for people to take action to save endangered animals. In the author’s note, St. John explains that illegal hunters have caused “cheetahs, lions, and hippos, animals we thought would be around forever, [to be moved] onto the endangered list, and the leopard, one of the world’s most elusive and beautiful creatures, [to be] in danger of being wiped out. Unless we act soon, we’ll wake up to discover that there is only one last leopard.”

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence

  • According to legend, the tribe elders, including Lobengula, hid a treasure. Lobengula was suspected of “having several of his own brothers murdered.” After the treasure was hidden, “Lobengula ordered all who had buried the treasure to be killed in case they had thoughts of stealing it.”
  • When others went to search for the treasure, their expedition “was cursed. Men were struck down with illness none had ever seen before; charged by elephants or murdered by rivals; one even had his nose licked by a lion just before he was disemboweled.”
  • The story revolves around the practice of canned hunting which is “the wicked and widespread practice of putting lions, leopards, and other dangerous and hard-to-hunt animals in small enclosures so that ‘hunters’ are guaranteed a ‘kill’ or a trophy to hang on their walls.” Mr. Ratcliffe owns the Lazy J [?] which captures animals to be hunted.
  • Martine hears a shot. When she looks through binoculars, she sees “the lion lay dead on the ground. The hunter had one foot on its chest and one hand on his rifle, and he was smiling and posing for photographs. The lion’s blood was leaking out onto his boot, but he didn’t seem to notice.”
  • While in the wilderness, the leopard Khan knocks Martine to the ground. “His great paws thudded against her chest and his claws pierced her skin. She was winded and in pain. She could feel blood trickling down her armpit.” Martine can feel Khan’s hatred and fear as well as his exhaustion “from the endless struggle to survive.” When Khan hears others coming, he runs into the desert.
  • Martine and Ben sneak onto Mr. Ratcliffe’s property, where they find animals ready to be canned hunted. When the owner sees them, Martine and Ben run. As they ran, Khan “jumped from the sky” saving Martine and Ben. A man who witnessed the events says, “There was no shooting. One of the guides went to get his rifle and Khan opened up his chest with a swipe of his paw. That man will be spending many months in the hospital.”
  • To keep Martine and Ben out of the way, Mr. Ratcliffe pays a man named Griffin to kidnap the kids. “They’d been kidnapped at about nine o’clock in the morning and denied food or water until six in the evening because Martine refused to give Griffin any information on her gift.” After Martine pretends to tell the future, Griffin allows the kids to eat. Then, he locks them “in a dusty, windowless storeroom with nothing but a bottle of water, a wooden crate, and a couple of snacks.”
  • To escape from Griffin, Martine and Ben hatch a plan to have the “Enemy of Lions” ants bite Griffin. When the ants begin climbing up Griffin’s legs, he “let out a tormented scream. . . He was leaping, twisting, and screeching like a madman.” Griffin’s friends jump up to detain the kids but “Martine and Ben were ready with the sacks. A single swish sent showers of biting ants all over the men.” The kids escape.
  • Martine and Ben go in search of Khan. While searching, “a hand was clamped over [Martine’s] mouth.” Martine is able to flee, but Griffin follows her. “Griffin grabbed at her ankle and missed. Martine scooped a rock as she dodged him and threw it with all her might. The rock hit the bees’ nest square on.” The bees attack Griffin who “fled down the mountainside.” Later, Martine discovers that police found “a comatose figure by the roadside. . . he was so swollen that one of the constables described him as looking as if he’d been blown up with a bicycle pump.”
  • A guide pulls a gun on Ben, so Ben pretends that he will lead the guides to the leopard. Ben is uninjured. 

Language

  • An adult asks Martine, “What the heck do you think you’re doing?”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • A young adult and his friends are looking for the location of the legendary treasure. They want to find the treasure so they can buy luxuries including cigarettes and whiskey. 
  • When a witch doctor is called to help a sick child, he chanted and “took a swig from a brown bottle at his side. . . In between chants, the witch doctor had continued to take long swallows from his brown bottle.” Before the end of the ceremony, the witch doctor passes out drunk.
  • Martine carries a survival kit that contains “three small brown bottles: one for headaches and pain, one to treat Bilharzia, a disease found in Zimbabwean rivers, and one for stomach ailments.” Martine gives the stomach medicine to the sick baby, who recovers.
  • One of Sadie’s workers discovers that the owner of the Lazy J. paid someone to poison the water tank for the cattle on Sadie’s property.

Supernatural

  • There are several witch doctors who use bones and other items to tell the future. One witch doctor tells Martine, “I will throw the bones and tell you what you need to know. . . what you call destiny is written in sand and not in stone.” During the ceremony, the witch doctor “scattered the bones onto the dry earth.”
  • The witch doctor tells Martine and Ben, “You are bound together, but you will be torn apart. When that happens, look to the House of Bees.”
  • Martine has a gift that allows her to feel the emotions of animals as well as heal them. When she finds Khan, who is injured, Martine uses her magic. When Martine uses her gift, she has a vision of “the ancients, the San Bushman. . . and they were chanting with her, encouraging her. . .  a magical energy came from them and passed through her as if she were a lightning conductor.”
  • When Martine’s hands heat up, she puts them on Khan’s wound. “At first the leopard writhed beneath her touch as if her hands were so hot they were singeing him but gradually his muscles relaxed and a peace came over him.” Afterward, Martine uses moss, honey, and super glue to treat Khan’s wound. 

Spiritual Content

  • The people of the Matobo Hills created shrines to worship “Mwali, the High God. Each shrine had its own guardian and they are looked after to this day.”
  • After Martine and Ben are kidnapped, Martine pretends to be ill. When Griffin sees her pale skin, he prays, “Mwali, don’t desert us now.” 

The Girl who Speaks Bear

Yanka, a twelve-year-old girl, lives in a small village with her foster mother, Mamochka. Yanka isn’t exactly sure of where she came from, but “Mamochka says I was about two years old when she found me outside the bear cave,” at which point, Mamocka took Yanka home and raised her as her own. Yanka has distinct memories of living in the bear cave and memories of “the bear who raised [her].” One day, a family friend, Anatoly, visits and tells Yanka about the Story of the Lime Tree’s Curse. In the story, Yanka recalls, “It was about an enchanted tree, and a woodsman and his family who were cursed to be bears” after the woodsman became too greedy while making demands of the magical lime tree. Yanka wonders if there may be a connection between this story and her past, as “that story was about people turning into bears and now my legs have become bear legs.” 

Yanka notices that she is different than the other children in her village. She says, “I tower above all the other twelve-year-olds, and most of the grown-ups too. And I’m stronger than everyone. Even the ice cutters and woodchoppers.” Yanka takes a great tumble at the village’s festival, and when she awakes, she realizes “My legs are enormous. Thick and muscular. And covered in fur . . . I have bear legs.” Yanka takes her new legs as a sign that she should explore her birthplace. She goes into the forest, hoping to discover more about her memories. 

Yanka is a very sympathetic character as she struggles to feel a sense of belonging that many readers may relate to. She explains, “But if I don’t know where I came from, how can I be sure where I belong?” Ultimately, When Yanka’s journeys to find her birth mother, Yanka discovers that her mother passed away, when she “was trying to rescue [Yanka’s] father. He was trapped in Smey’s [a fiery dragon] cavern.” Though her mother has died, Yanka learns that her mother left her with her grandmother, “The bear Tsarina.” Incredibly, Yanka realizes that her family has been cursed to turn into bears, but in some cases, they can periodically transform into humans. This makes Yanka wonder, “Am I meant to be a bear or a human?”  

Throughout her journey, Yanka shows immense growth, and she especially grows to appreciate the village people who love her. As she goes further into the forest to learn about her birth mother, Yanka begins to fully transform into a bear. However, once this happens, Yanka comes to understand “I’ve been so focused on where I don’t fit into the village that I’ve lost sight of where I do. I have a mother, Mamochka, who loves me. A best friend in Sasha . . . There is a place for me in the village.” This realization pushes Yanka to try to break her family’s curse so that she might return to her village once and for all.  

The folktale style of The Girl Who Speaks Bear will keep readers on their toes, as each chapter is set up as its own separate tale within the story. The chapters flow together in a way that helps readers understand Yanka and her family better. Readers will be interested in the use of many Russian words like “sbiten,” a hot honey drink, and they can find the meaning of each of these words in the glossary at the back of the book. 

Yanka ultimately finds that even the magic of the Lime Tree cannot undo “old curses,” such as the one placed on her family. However, Yanka learns to embrace the differences that make her stand out. She says, “I don’t want the curse to be broken. I don’t want to be only a human forever. I like being a bear too . . . I want to keep this gift and learn how to control it.” 

Overall, this story will capture readers’ hearts as Yanka embraces her love for the forest, as well as her love for her family in the village. The author employs folktales that connect with her grandmother’s Prussian heritage. This novel emphasizes the importance of appreciating the people who love you for who you are. Yanka explains, “I’ve seen so many amazing things on this journey . . . But above all, I’ve learned the importance of going home to the people you love.” 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Yanka decides to go into the forest to look for clues about the bears who raised her. She remembers the dangers that lie within the forest. “Fire dragons who would burn your life away and Yaga [people who collect souls of the dead] who would steal your soul.” 
  • In the forest, Yanka is attacked by a wolf called Ivan the Grey as she tries to cross through an area of the forest that is guarded by his pack of wolves. Yanka says, “I drop the lantern and raise my arms to protect myself. Ivan the Grey bites down on my elbow, crushing it between his powerful jaws, I yell in pain and fall back.” Yanka escapes further violence by telling Ivan the Grey that she knows about his missing claw and how it was stolen. 
  • Yanka and her pet weasel, Mousetrap, befriend a young elk who is being attacked by wolves. Suddenly, Yuri [the elk] screams… [Yanka] frowns at him, confused—then [makes] out a writhing dark creature on top of him. A wolf. Teeth flash as they bite into Yuri’s rump.” Yuri s escapes as Yanka and Mousetrap distract the wolf.  
  • Some animals in the forest explain how dangerous the fire dragon, Smey, is. The animals tell Yanka, “[Smey] poisons the air with his sulfurous breath and heats soil into bubbling mud . . . [Smey] sends fires through our forest, burning our trees, charring our den.” 
  • Yanka’s newfound ally, Ivan the Grey, attacks the dangerous dragon, Smey, “Ivan lets out a blood-chilling snarl and tears straight through the center of the dragon.” However, this does not kill the dragon, instead it exposes its heart, “a pulsing, beating heart made of fire.” 
  • Ivan the Grey is hurt after attacking Smey, “Ivan whimpers in pain as he lands awkwardly” after the dragon causes another explosion. Fortunately, Ivan is able to recover. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Mamochka is a healer who uses herbs. “People say Mamochka can cure anything — that if she wanted to, she could cure the sky from bleeding at sunset — because she has the wisdom of the Snow Forest inside her.” Mamochka’s healing skills are paralleled by her caring personality, as she truly loves to help others.  
  • Mamochka makes Yanka remedies when she is ill. Yanka explains, “Whenever I’m unwell, [Mamochka] has a tonic or a tea to make me feel better. This winter she even made a special ointment, just for me, when I complained that my feet ached from growing too fast.” 
  • When Yanka wakes up to find that she has bear legs, Mamokchka tries applying various herbs to help fix it. Yanka says, “Through [Mamochka] said her remedies weren’t working, [Mamochka] still covers my legs with so many different herbs that I end up smelling like her medicine-mixing corner.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • Yanka is able to talk to all the animals in the forest. For example, while she passes by the edge of the Snow Forest a bird speaks to her saying, “Yanka the Bear! Come back to the forest!” 
  • Yanka believes Anatoly, a friend of Yanka and Mamochka who frequently visits their home, and his stories about the forest. Yanka explains, “There’s a forest filled with creatures . . . A fiery dragon flies across the night sky and regal bears dance in a crumbling castle overgrown with vines. A house with chicken legs sprints along a riverbank and a pack of wolves hunt beneath a silver moon.” 
  • Yanka recalls, “The villagers tell stories about Yaga—witches who live in houses with chicken legs surrounded by skull-and-bone fences. In their stories, Yaga eat lost children and steal their souls.” However, Yanka’s encounter with the Yaga prove that they are not dangerous to the living, as they help Yanka find her lost family.  
  • The Yaga that Yanka meets live in a house that is animated and able to walk and move about on its legs. Yanka notices, “The porch balustrades curl around my back, helping to support me.’ 
  • Yanka grandparents were curses and turned into bears, which happened overnight. “But all too soon, [Yanka’s grandfather] came home pale and trembeling, and everything changed. [Yanka’s grandfather] would not tell [Yanka’s grandmother] what had happened and fell asleep with his head on her lap . . . And when they awoke, [Yanka’s grandparents] were bears.” 
  • The Yaga bring one particular fisherman back to life. “The Yaga grabbed the fisherman’s soul and ran to his bosy. ‘Get back in!’ she ordered with such fierceness that the fisherman dared not refuse. He lay down in his body and breath surged into his lungs.” The fisherman was actually Yanka’s father.  

Spiritual Content  

  • As part of her village’s annual festival to celebrate the start of spring, Yanka is “chosen to carry Winter,” as “every year at the festival, a big straw doll called Winter is burned, to symbolize the end of winter and the coming of spring. Carrying Winter is a real honor, usually given to one of the grown-ups who has contributed most to village life over the season.” Yanka’s strength is central to her being chosen for this role.  
  • Occasionally, some characters exclaim, “for spirit’s sake.” 

Magical Imperfect

Etan is a twelve-year-old boy whose life is full of silence, earthquakes, and a bit of magic. He lives in a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. The ground beneath his feet is constantly shaking, threatening to upend everything he knows. But despite the danger, Etan finds solace in the game of baseball, a sport that has been a part of his life since he was old enough to hold a bat.

However, Etan’s world is turned upside down when his mother is admitted to a mental institution. He suddenly finds himself unable to express his thoughts and feelings because his words are trapped inside his head. Without the ability to communicate, Etan feels isolated from the other kids his age since he is unable to reach out and connect with them.

But there is one person who understands him better than anyone else: his grandfather. Raised in a close-knit community of immigrants, Etan’s grandfather knows the value of acceptance and understanding. He doesn’t judge Etan for his silence, but instead offers him the comfort and support he needs to navigate this difficult time.

Not everyone in the community is as kind-hearted as Etan’s grandfather. When a local shopkeeper asks Etan to run an errand for him, this sets off a chain of events that will change Etan’s life forever. While running the errand, Ethan Meets Malia Agbayani, whom the boys at school have nicknamed “the creature.” At first, Etan is hesitant to approach her, but when he finally does, he discovers a kindred spirit. Despite her nickname, Malia’s voice is like music to Etan’s ears. She sees the world in a unique way, and her perspective helps Etan to find his own voice. As they spend time together, Etan realizes that outside of his community, there is a world full of people who are different but just as valuable. With this newfound understanding, Etan’s world begins to open in ways he never thought possible.

Etan is a truly endearing main character that will captivate the reader’s imagination. His journey through the obstacle of selective mutism is truly inspiring, as he learns how to overcome his personal struggles and create new friendships. As the reader follows his journey, they are taken on a fascinating exploration of his family’s rich Jewish history, with all of its intricate traditions and customs. Through Etan’s eyes, the reader is transported to a world full of magic and wonder, where anything is possible if you believe in yourself. With each passing chapter, the reader will feel more and more invested in Etan’s story, eagerly anticipating what will happen next and how he will continue to grow as a person.

Readers will also be captivated not only by the wisdom and mysticism displayed by Etan’s grandfather but also by the rich cultural context he provides. Through his tales from his homeland in Prague, the grandfather shares his deep knowledge of the Jewish religion and the Hebrew language. Moreover, his character serves as a powerful reminder that everyone has the ability to create magic in the world – all that is required is a strong belief and a heart full of love. The reader cannot help but be inspired by the grandfather’s teachings, and they will come away with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of world cultures.

The Magical Imperfect is a heartwarming tale that emphasizes the value of embracing diversity and the true meaning of unity. The author beautifully showcases the power of empathy and compassion, and how they have the ability to bring people together. Through vivid descriptions and relatable characters, The Magical Imperfect teaches us that our differences should be celebrated rather than feared and that we should strive to build bridges of understanding and respect. Overall, this book is an excellent reminder of the importance of kindness and acceptance in our increasingly diverse world. This is a rich, rewarding, and deeply moving story that is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • Malia, Etan’s friend, introduces Etan to a spot that is full of magic. “These are the Sitting Stones. This is where the trees listen the most. The pool is magical . . . But this water is magic.”
  • During an earthquake, Ethan gets a small cut on his arm. His grandfather sees the cut and decides to show him the power of the clay. Grandfather pulls Ethan close “presses down his two clay fingers on the cut on my arm . . . The cut is gone. I search with my fingers, trace my skin up and down, and back and forth . . . Then it feels like the world starts to spin cold and warm all at once. . .” Ethan’s grandfather explains, “Your body, Etan, it’s experienced something from another time, an ancient thing giving its power to something new right now.”
  • Etan and Malia visit the Sitting Stones and he begins to wonder if the clay inside the pool could heal. He wonders if it would help heal Malia’s eczema issues.
  • Another object that is considered magical is a small green stone that Etan is given. The stone helps give him the strength to find words to speak. His grandfather explains,  “This, he says, is a bareket, an emerald, an ancient, powerful stone, like from the breastplate of Aaron . . . When you feel afraid to speak, hold the stone in your hand, tight tight tight, and it will bring you courage.” 
  • In order to heal Malia’s eczema, Etan and Malia combine his grandfather’s clay and the clay from the Sitting Stones pool. Ethan puts “clay on two fingers, dab it onto her face, around her eye. I [Ethan] pray, think of the trees, the pool, my green bareket, somewhere in the water . . . When most of the clay is off my hands, Malia starts humming, her voice like light. ‘Look!’ she cries. Her red, swollen arms are smooth, clear, like the red was never there.” To both of their amazement, the clay makes the redness disappear. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Etan’s family holds religion near and dear to their heart. His grandfather is a Jewish immigrant that uses his religion and the magic associated with it to teach Etan different lessons about life. He often reminds Etan how important it is to remember his heritage and the different objects that help represent them. When Etan’s grandfather leaves his workshop early, it is usually for a specific religious activity, like lighting the Shabbat Candles. “When he leaves extra early so he can be home to light the Shabbat candles. The candles, he says, they make us Jews.”
  • Etan’s grandfather has a small box full of valuables from his life in Prague. He believes that the objects within hold a magical power that each represents a different thing. The object most talked about in the book is the clay. “This is the last of the clay taken from the Vlata River by your ancestor, the Maharal himself . . . It’s the clay of the golem; it once made a terrible monster that defended the Jewish people in their time of great need.”
  • There are mentions of aspects of the Jewish religion throughout the text, but it isn’t until Etan begins to pray when using the clay on Malia, that there is a full string of Hebrew language used. “Baruch ata Adonaim Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.” This is the prayer that they say for bread at Shabbat.

Kitty and the Twilight Trouble

Girl by day. Cat by night. Ready for adventure! In the sixth book of this popular chapter book series, Kitty, a little girl with catlike superpowers, must teach a new friend what it takes to be a true superhero.  

Kitty is looking forward to visiting the carnival with her family and her cat crew. But her feline friend, Pixie, is too busy spending time with Hazel, a new superhero. When near disaster strikes at the carnival, Kitty uses her catlike superpowers to help. But Hazel thinks she can save the day without any assistance from Kitty. Can Kitty show Hazel what being a true superhero means, before someone gets hurt? 

Kitty returns in this fast-action story that focuses on friendship. In this new installment of the series, Kitty and her cat crew experience friendship trouble when Pixie meets a new friend, Hazel. Pixie starts spending all her time with Hazel and ignores everyone else. Even though Kitty and the cat crew are hurt, Kitty tries to be understanding and non-judgmental. When Figaro complains about Hazel, Kitty says, “She might be really nice once you get to know her.” Even though it’s difficult, Kitty doesn’t criticize Hazel.  

But when Kitty finally meets Hazel, Hazel is mean. Hazel tells Kitty, “Pixie is my sidekick now. She doesn’t need you anymore.” Kitty is upset and wonders why Pixie didn’t stick up for her. However, when Hazel and Pixie need help, Kitty doesn’t think twice; she jumps in to rescue the two cats. In the end, Kitty forgives both Hazel’s and Pixie’s bad behavior and even befriends Hazel. Kitty realizes that “being a superhero is more than being brave. It’s about being kind, too, and looking for the best in others—animals and humans.”  

Kitty and the Twilight Trouble has a fast-paced plot that will keep readers engaged until the very end. Each page has illustrations ranging from cat prints to detailed illustrations of Kitty and her activities. The illustrations are black and white with a pop of orange. The beautiful pictures will help readers visualize the story. Although most of the vocabulary is easy, younger readers may need help with some of the words such as harrumphing, clambered, dangerously, and slunk. 

Whether readers are new to the Kitty Series or have read them all, Kitty and the Twilight Trouble will captivate them. Newly independent readers will fall in love with Kitty because she is brave and kind; however, she is not perfect and learns from her mistakes. In the end, the story teaches that friends forgive each other. Both parents and children will love the Kitty Series because Kitty and her cat crew show the importance of being kind and having empathy for others. If you’re looking for another cute cat book that teaches about friendship, check out Pioneer Cat by William Hooks or The Catfish Club by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Hazel calls Kitty a “silly human.” 
  • A cat, Figaro, says, “That Hazel is a menace!” 

Supernatural 

  • Kitty has “catlike” superpowers that allow her to jump and somersault. “With her superpowered senses, she could see in the dark and hear sounds from miles away.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Found

On one fateful day at Sky Trails Air, an airplane full of 36 infants and no adults appears out of thin air. Thirteen years after the plane incident, readers meet Jonah Skidmore and Chip Winston, neighbors, and new friends. The boys were adopted thirteen years ago, and both receive mysterious letters that read “You are one of the missing” and “Beware! They’re coming back to get you.” 

When trying to find out what the letters mean, the boys meet an FBI agent who refuses to share any information regarding a matter of “national security.” After a bit more digging, the boys discover they were victims of a vast smuggling operation and are now caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different outcomes for Jonah’s and Chip’s lives. The boys struggle to decide how to protect the lives of all 36 children and must choose to return to the future or stay in the current time which might ruin the fabric of time. 

Jonah is the primary protagonist, who is nonchalant about most things in his life — adoption, planning, confrontation, and more. However, when others are in trouble, Jonah is the first to step up and fight. Chip is Jonah’s newest neighbor and friend, and the boys bond over their mysterious situation. Chip is more emotional than Jonah, and he is more prepared to jump into situations headfirst. Jonah’s younger sister, Katherine, is intrigued by the mystery and is enthusiastic to help —  sometimes to a fault. Jonah reflects that “she made this whole mess sound as if it was just a challenging math problem . . . this was just an intriguing puzzle to her.” Chip and Katherine are more eager to find clues than Jonah, who ends up being the voice of reason at times. Despite their differences in approach to the challenge, the three characters work together to solve the mystery.

Found is a phenomenal book for young teens as they begin to question their identity and relationships with others. The book’s primary theme is identity, as Jonah and Chip try to answer the question: “Who am I?” While not every adolescent isn’t adopted or struggling with a multi-generational infant-smuggling operation from the future, readers can appreciate how the characters work to understand their past and how to shape their future. However, there are plot holes in the story regarding how the timeline works and there is little background on what the reader knows about Chip and Jonah’s past. The questions readers are left with leave them to continue reading the series to find answers.

The action-packed book has suspenseful turns that readers won’t expect. For readers who love science fiction and mystery, Found is a perfect story. The science isn’t entirely explained, but if readers are able to look past that and focus on the story, the book will be hard to put down. The main characters are brave and try to do the right thing, which could inspire readers to do the same. This is the first book in an eight-part series, so the book ends on a cliffhanger to keep readers engaged and interested in the next book: Sent. 

Sexual Content 

  • Chip admits that he has a crush on Jonah’s sister, Katherine. When Jonah’s mom finds out Katherine is hanging out at Chip’s house, alone, she thinks, “There couldn’t be anything romantic going on between those two, could there? She’s only in sixth grade, but this is an older boy . . . ”

Violence 

  • After Chip learned he was adopted, his father refused to talk about the topic. This upsets Jonah, who fantasizes about “stalking over to Chip’s house, swinging his best punch, and hitting Chip’s dad right in the mouth. He wanted to hit him a couple of times.”
  • Someone tries to abduct Jonah, Chip, and Katherine when they meet with an eyewitness from the plane incident, Angela DuPre. Someone else jumps onto the abductor, which allows the children to get away. The person who tackles the abductor “had one hand pressed into the other man’s hair, holding his head down. With his other hand, the tackler was frantically waving Jonah away.” The teens are able to safely escape with no injuries.
  • Two of the bad guys get tased while trying to abduct the teens in order to return them to the correct time. Angela DuPre “pointed her gun at [one] and a stream of light shot across the room, jolting him. He let out a scream and fell to the ground, twitching.” The men are stunned momentarily but are not seriously injured.
  • The final fight scene between the attackers and the children gets violent. Jonah has a direct confrontation with one of the bad guys named Gary. “With one hand, Jonah grabbed for Gary’s hair, with the other, he poked his fingers into Gary’s eyes . . . Jonah let go of Gary’s hair just as Gary was shoving him away, flinging him toward the stone wall. Jonah slammed against the wall hard. He thought he could feel every bone of his spine hitting rock, one bone after the other.” Jonah is not seriously hurt, and able to run immediately after. This scene only lasts one page.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • The teens believe there is a ghost sharing information with them. 
  • Angela DuPre has a conspiracy that Chip and Jonah were part of an attempt to travel back in time. Angela explains, “the theories are that if anything could go faster than light, all sorts of weird things would happen. Time and space would have a different relationship.”

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Beyond the Kingdoms

Alex and Conner Bailey once lived the fairytale life most kids dream of. They spent the past few weeks in The Land of Stories – a world of kingdoms where fairy tales are true and their friends are famous storybook characters such as Little Red Riding Hood and Mother Goose. However, Alex and Conner aren’t living in a fairytale anymore. Following the death of the twins’ grandmother, the Fairy Godmother, The Land of Stories is threatened by the Masked Man, who is amassing an army to destroy the Land of Stories once and for all. 

The story picks up where A Grim Warning left off, with Alex and Conner hunting down the Masked Man. Alex is desperate to prove that the Masked Man is her late father after seeing him unmasked briefly, but no one believes her. Alex and Conner track him to a tavern where he uses a portal to escape. When the Masked Man vanished, Alex and Conner struggle to find their next clue. Meanwhile, Alex has had trouble with her new role as the Fairy Godmother, as her powers have become uncontrollable. Her unreliable powers lead her to lash out unexpectedly and almost cause harm to her friends. Because of this, the Fairy Council decides to remove her from the position of Fairy Godmother.

Upset, Alex runs away and meets with Mother Goose, who decides to help Alex prove The Masked Man is her father. They discover that The Fairy Godmother had two children, the twins’ father and Lloyd, who grew up despising magic and had ambitions to destroy the Land of Stories. Because of this, the Fairy Godmother killed Lloyd’s magic and had him imprisoned. However, Lloyd has recently obtained a potion and a collection of books from the human world. With these two items, he can travel to other fictional worlds, where he plans to recruit an army. 

With the new information, Alex regroups with Conner. They take their own potion and chase the Masked Man through fictional worlds such as The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. Teaming up with famous characters such as Arthur and the Tin Woodman, they make it back to the Fairy World too late – the Masked Man has already started launching attacks on the kingdoms, which sends the fictional world into chaos.

The Land of Stories Series is filled with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. While keeping track of the long list of characters is difficult, the series is entertaining because of the modern twists of a classic fairy tales. Conner is a funny and witty character who is dedicated to his sister and provides much-needed comic relief. Meanwhile, Alex is more serious, as she struggles with the responsibility of being the Fairy Godmother and managing her powers. She grows the most as a character, learning to take responsibility for her actions while also moving on. After loosing her position on the Fairy Council, she says, “My biggest fear was disappointing someone, and then after one moment of weakness, I ended up disappointing the entire fairy tale world. But rather than fighting the world that discarded me, I chose to continue saving it. So maybe greatness isn’t about being immortal, or glorious, or popular – it’s about choosing to fight for the greater good of the world, even if the world’s turned its back on you.” 

Though it seems like everyone is against her, Alex follows her heart and trusts that, in time, people will see her point of view. Many of the characters who have been villains in The Land of Stories Series refuse to forgive others and direct their anger back at the world, thinking that will make them happy. But Alex knows this won’t work. To be happy, one must be content with their own decisions. This is why – even when Alex is tempted to stay in one of the other fictional worlds she travels to – she instead returns to the Land of Stories, knowing she would regret not saving the fairy tale world. 

Overall, Alex and Conner stick to their morals and by each other, helping even when things seem grim. The twins and their allies protect the world they love in the face of great odds. The story ends on a cliffhanger as Conner proposes a way to beat the Masked Man. Conner wants to return to the real world to get his own stories, but we’re left wondering how Conner’s writing will help. Readers will have to tune in to the next installment, An Author’s Odyssey, to find out if Alex and Conner can save the Land of Stories before it’s too late. Readers who are ready to jump into another captivating series with lots of action and adventure should also read Keepers of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.

Sexual Content 

  • Alex kisses Rook, her former boyfriend, on the cheek. 
  • Alex kisses Arthur. “[Alex] leaned over and kissed Arthur more passionately than she had ever kissed anyone. . . Arthur kissed Alex back. . . They lay under the stars and kissed each other” until morning. 
  • Maid Marion and Robin Hood “share a kiss” as Robin Hood sneaks into her bedroom. 
  • Mother Goose and Merlin fall in love. Merlin kisses Mother Goose’s cheek.  

Violence 

  • In the Hall of Dreams (see supernatural), the Fairy Godmother looks at her son’s dream and sees his desire to destroy the Land of Stories. “There was destruction everywhere she looked. Castles and palaces were crumbling to the ground and villages were on fire. The ground was covered in carcasses of every creature imaginable.”
  • The Masked Man slaps a soldier who makes him angry. “The Masked Man backhanded [the soldier] across the face.”
  • With her sword, Goldilocks cuts off a witch’s arm. “[The witch] crawled across the walls like a lizard and lunged for Goldilocks. [Goldilocks] swung her sword and sliced off the witch’s left arm.” The witch’s arm grows back. 
  • Jack is attacked by bugs. “Hundreds of insects crawled out of the witch’s tree-bark skin and attacked him, biting and stinging all over his body.” 
  • Alex uses her powers to choke one of the Masked Man’s soldiers. “The trees around the creek suddenly came to life. They grabbed every person at the creek except for Alex with their branches and held them tightly to their trunks. . . The branches wrapped around [the soldier’s] throat and choked him. . . He was gagging and could barely speak.” Alex lets him go. 
  • In a flashback, the Fairy Godmother kills her son’s magic so that he won’t take over the world. “The boy turned back around and saw his mother pointing her wand at him. POW! Ropes blasted out of the tip of her wand and wrapped her son around a tree. . . The Fairy Godmother pointed her wand at him again and hit her son with a bright blast of light. A few moments later, a sparkling silhouette his exact shape and size fell out of him. The Fairy Godmother waved her wand and chains wrapped around the silhouette. She dragged it into the river and held it under the water. The silhouette squirmed and convulsed as the Fairy Godmother drowned it, splashing water everywhere. . . Little by little, the silhouette faded in the water until it washed away completely.”
  • The Tin Woodman tells the story of how he was made. “The Wicked Witch of the East cast a spell on my axe, causing it to slip out of my hand and cut off my limbs one at a time, eventually severing my head and splitting open my body. A local tinsmith rebuilt me one appendage at a time until I was made entirely of tin.” 
  • Red discovers that the witch, Morina, has been kidnapping children and draining their youth and beauty to make potions that make other people seem younger. Eventually, these children die. 
  • Morina kills another witch. “Morina raised a hand towards [the witch] and she suddenly went as stiff as a board. Her stone skin cracked and chipped away until [the witch] crumbled into nothing but a pile of rocks on the ground.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Mother Goose carries a flask with alcohol or “bubbly” inside, that she occasionally drinks. 
  • While in Wonderland, the caterpillar from the story smokes a hookah. Mother Goose joins him and also smokes from the hookah briefly. 
  • Alex meets Merlin and Mother Goose when they are “three-quarters deep into a large bottle of ale.”

Language   

  • The Masked Man calls one of his soldiers an “idiot.” 
  • Goldilocks is pregnant. After crying, she says “damn these hormones!” 
  • Mother Goose calls the Fairy Council “uppity, colorful know-it-alls.” She later calls a woman a “loon.” 
  • Jack asks, “What the hell happened?” 
  • Red says that she’s going to kill the woman who stole her fiancé, Charlie. “I’m thinking about the day I get Charlie back, and get to slaughter Morina like the cow she is!” 
  • Mother Goose says the biggest “jerk” she’s had a fling with, was Charlemagne.

Supernatural 

  • In the Land of Stories, all fairy tales are real and magic is abundant, from witches casting spells to mythical creatures such as unicorns and mermaids. People use magic for everything, from teleportation to healing injuries.
  • A major aspect of this story is a potion that allows the user to open a portal into any fictional book of their choosing. The Fairy Godmother uses the potion to travel into Frankenstein. “As soon as the third drop [of the potion] made contact, the book illuminated like a gigantic spotlight . . [The Fairy Godmother] clutched her wand and stepped straight into the beam of light.” Other characters throughout the story will use the potion to travel into stories such as Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan. 
  • The Fairy Palace, where the Fairy Council lives, has a Hall of Dreams, where each person’s dreams are stored. “[The Fairy Godmother] pushed opened the double doors and stepped into the boundless space and watched the thousands of orbs floating around. Each orb represented someone’s dream.”

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Tea Dragon Tapestry

The final installment in the Tea Dragon Trilogy, The Tea Dragon Tapestry, is a soothing synthesis of characters from the previous books who come together to celebrate their culture in a charming fantasy realm. In the opening pages, readers are reunited with Greta, a teenage villager training to be a blacksmith, and her love interest Minette, a young prophetess healing from traumatic memory loss.

When Minette receives an illustrious tapestry from the monastery she used to call home, she is reimmersed in a culture she left behind. She begins to have strange dreams about the Ancestor – the sacred creature depicted on the tapestry. Meanwhile, Greta is preparing to study under Kleitos, a master blacksmith. She also fosters pet tea dragons, one of whom is grieving over a former owner.

Greta and Minette meet Rinn and Aedhan, who have traveled from a mountain village to visit Rinn’s uncle, Erik, and his partner, Hesekiel. Readers will recognize these older characters from the previous books. Greta and Minette learn important life lessons from their role models, such as how to belong in a new place and reconnect with one’s origins and identity.

Greta completes a project to demonstrate her skill to Kleitos, and Minette weaves more details onto the tapestry to contribute to her culture. The graphic novel concludes with an epilogue in the form of a letter written by Hesekiel. The letter details how his generation has passed on their legacy to the younger generation, and how the cycle of life and death gives him hope for the future.

Nonbinary readers will likely identify with Rinn and Aedhan, as well as the elusive Ancestor, all of whom use they/them pronouns. Queerness is not called into question or judged in this world. The Tea Dragon Tapestry also provides positive representation for physically disabled people, as Erik lives a fulfilling life regardless of being confined to a wheelchair.

O’Neill’s endearing artistic style continues to immerse readers in a flourishing realm that values family, traditions, nature, and following one’s heart. Their choice of colors is more vibrant and pastel than the previous books. The Tea Dragon Tapestry brings satisfying closure and momentous hope to the series. Like previous installments, this book shows an impressive capacity for storytelling, art, and positive representation.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Erik and Kleitos playfully duel with swords in a field, but nobody is injured.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • When brewed into tea, leaves harvested from the small household pets known as tea dragons have the power to send the drinker into a trance and allow them to glimpse their own memories or past events experienced by those around them.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • The book includes multiple fantasy creatures, such as shapeshifting dragons, anthropomorphic birds, and humans with features like tails, horns, furred ears, or goat legs.

Spiritual Content 

  • Minette’s culture performs rituals and prayers to a being known as the Ancestor. Minette formerly lived at a monastery dedicated to this primordial creature.

Amulet Keepers

Strange things are happening in London. Red rain is flooding the streets. People are going missing. And someone is opening graves in Highgate Cemetery . . .
 
Only Alex and his best friend, Ren, suspect the truth. A Death Walker, a powerful ancient Egyptian evil, is behind the chaos. Their quest to stop him takes them from New York to London, and from the land of the living to the deep underground tombs of the long dead. Will they stop the Death Walker before he gets too powerful . . . or will the tombs claim them, too

The second installment of the TombQuest Series jumps into action right from the start. Even though the plot is similar to The Book of the Dead, Amulet Keepers ramps up the fear factor, especially since part of the mystery revolves around a missing boy. Amulet Keepers has more violence and may frighten younger readers, especially because the Death Walker steals people’s souls. In order to break up the tense scenes, Alex’s cousin Luke appears several times. Luke adds some humor to the story and his athletic abilities come in handy while fighting several thugs.

Many readers will empathize with Alex, who is desperate to find his missing mother. However, Alex’s short temper occasionally borders on the side of being thoughtless and mean. Nevertheless, Alex’s best friend Ren has Alex’s back, even when she becomes frustrated by his bossy attitude. Despite Alex’s behavior, readers will appreciate how all three characters — Alex, Ren, and Luke — have different strengths that help defeat the Death Walker. Amulet Keepers also introduces a mummified cat to the cast of characters, which adds an interesting twist. 

TombQuest is an exciting series full of action and adventure that will keep readers engaged but might frighten some readers. Readers wanting a fast-paced story where danger — and mummies — lurk around every corner will find Amulet Keepers entertaining. Readers who want an adventure that doesn’t involve the dead coming back to life will find Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger more to their liking.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • A man is walking in his neighborhood when a dead mummy attacks. The man screams, but “the neighbors stayed in their beds, pulling the sheets a little closer. And so none of them saw the powerful figure of one man drag the limp frame of another out of the light at the edge of the village. . .” 
  • While leaving the airport, Alex and Ren are ambushed by Liam, a thug that works for The Order. Alex’s “own heavy suitcase crashed into him. Liam swung the thing like a Ping-Pong paddle, clocking Alex hard on the shoulder and sending him sprawling to the pavement. . . Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Liam bring the suitcase down toward Ren, trying to swat her like a fly.” Ren is “knocked flat.”  Then, Liam puts a zip tie around Alex’s wrists.
  • Liam tries to put Ren and Alex into a van. “As he reached out for Alex, a shoulder slammed hard into Liam’s gut and a pair of arms wrapped up the tops of his thick legs. . . Liam’s mouth formed a perfect round O as he fell backward and his head slammed into the side of the van.” After Alex’s cousin, Luke, incapacitates Liam, the kids escape. The scene is described over three pages.
  • Liam follows the kids to a museum. To get into the parking lot, Liam has to take care of the security guard, Glenn. Liam “grabbed the back of Glenn’s head with one powerful hand as the other one shot up towards the guard’s neck. The gleaming metal point of a large hypodermic needle sank deep into the soft, pale flesh of Glenn’s neck. . . the guard fell still.” The guard was injected with horse tranquilizers and was “lucky to be alive.”
  • When a Death Walker comes after Ren and Alex, Alex grabs the scarab, and “a powerful phantom wind rose up. . . it was enough to slow [the Death Walker] and knock him off balance.” During the fight, Alex shoots a “spear of wind” at the Death Walker, but “the creature opened his mouth wide and ate it. The wind disappeared into a howling vacuum inside.” The creature tries to feed on Ren’s soul. Alex saw “a flicker and a blur as a mirror image of his best friend slowly began to pull away from her body. . .He looked down and saw the same thing happening to him.”
  • Alex uses his scarab’s magic when the Death Walker tries to feed on Alex and Ren. With his eyes, Alex breaks a tree branch. “The Walker looked up in surprise, pointing his open mouth at the falling branch. . . A moment later, the branch crashed down on his oversized frame, knocking the foul man-thing to the ground.” The kids are able to run away from the Walker. The scene is described over four pages.
  • Dr. Aditi, who was helping Alex and Ren, is in a cemetery when the Death Walker sees her. “Two strong hands clamped down on her shoulders. . . The powerful hands dug into her shoulders as he opened his mouth wide and showed her oblivion. The world went cold, and the last thing she saw as her eyes turned white and her lips edged past purple was her very self, slipping away.”
  • While in an isolated part of a museum, Liam corners Ren. “There was nowhere to go, no other exit, but she put the room’s one bench in between her and the towering thug.” Liam takes out a syringe of horse tranquilizer. “He stabbed out with the syringe. . . she screamed as the point of the needle raked across her left arm.”
  • Ren tries to run from Liam, but “he reeled her in like a wriggling trout as the drop of tranquilizer began to take effect and her vision began to blur.” Luke and Alex jump in to help Ren. Alex uses his amulet to push Liam’s lookout down the stairs. Then, Alex “squeezed his fingers into a sharp point and . . . a lance of concentrated air caught Liam directly under his chin, sending him reeling backwards.” Then, Luke “lowered his shoulder and crashed into the back of Liam’s legs, sending the big man toppling over him and onto the floor.” 
  • When Liam tries to take an unconscious Ren, Alex attacks the thug with wind. “As Liam rose onto one knee, his body jerked violently off the floor and spun toward the other two men. His big frame caught them at shoulder level and all three landed in a heap . . . grunting from pain and surprise.” All three kids escape without injury. The scene is described over six pages.
  • After failing to capture Alex and Ren, Liam is taken to the Death Walker. “Liam felt his body lift off the ground, his feet kicking out from underneath him. He could only flap his arms helplessly as he was slammed back down. The back of his head crashed into the hard-packed dirt and knocked him out cold.” Liam is mummified.
  • Alex and Ren are in a series of tunnels under a cemetery when “a massive force struck Alex so hard that he flew sideways into the wall . . . he left an Alex-shaped impression in it as he slumped down to the floor . . . Ren spun around to find the long iron snout of a crocodile mask turned toward her like the barrel of a gun. Her hands wrestled futilely with an unseen force clamping down hard on her throat, cutting off the blood flow.” The Death Walker’s servant, Te-mesah, ties up Alex and Ren.
  • To force Alex to talk, Te-mesah hurts Ren. “Ren gasped with pain and surprise as her bound hands were yanked over her head. . .Ren’s feet were a foot off the ground. . . Her face was a mask of pain and despair.” 
  • Pai, a mummified cat, comes to Ren’s aid. “Pai hissed again, gathered her haunches underneath her, and jumped. . . Te-mesah put his hands up, but it was too late. . . He stumbled backward and smacked into the wall, then . . .attempted to pry the hissing whirlwind from his head.” While Te-mesah is occupied, Ren and Alex escape. The scene is described over three pages.
  • While in the tunnels, Alex and Ren find Willoughby (a Death Walker). Willoughby had Robbie, “a young boy, tied to a stone slab in front of him. The boy turned his tear-streaked face toward them. He screamed for help, but a filthy rag tied over his mouth muffled the words.” 
  • A mummy begins to chase Robbie but he “executed a nifty soccer-field fake. . . the mummy barreled straight ahead, as mummies do. Alex grasped his amulet, raised his right hand, and released the most powerful lance of wind yet. . .The mummy toppled forward at full speed and wiped Willoughby out.” 
  • Willoughby focuses on Alex, deciding “who to kill first. . . [the Death Walker] punched his hand forward again, and Alex’s body convulsed hard on the floor. . .He reached up and wiped his mouth painting a red smear across the back of his hand.”
  • Robbie cuts off Willoughby’s hand. “The metal shears snapped shut, making a grotesque sound as they cut through muscle and old bone. Robbie squeezed with every muscle in his small body – and all the anger in there, too – leaning his chest and all his weight down on the handles. . . Willoughby’s hand dropped to the dirt floor with a dull thud.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • After using his magic, Alex’s head hurts so he “rifled through his stuff for his bottle of headache pills, took two too many, and collapsed onto his bed.” 

Language 

  • When Alex is being mean to Ren, she tells him, “Don’t be a jerk.”
  • Alex calls the Death Walker’s servant a scumbag.
  • Freaking and heck are both used once.

Supernatural

  • In England, it rains blood several times.
  • Alex has a scarab amulet that gives him special powers such as being able to sense the dead and control wind.  
  • Ren befriends the mummy of Bastet. “Part protector and part predator, the cat-headed goddess was both revered and feared in ancient Egypt.” 
  • The mummy of Bastet gives Ren an amulet in the shape of an ibis, “the symbol of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing.” The amulet gives Ren visions, but she doesn’t understand what they mean.
  • Captain Winfred Willoughby was a tomb raider who was accused of murder. Upon his death Willoughby was mummified, and he comes back to the world of the living as a Death Walker.
  • An archeologist was mummified and brought back to life. “Everything about him was wrong, an abomination. . . The man’s skin was mottled and uneven; in some places it was stretched taut and dry, like a mummy’s, and in others, it hung loose, like a pale old man’s.” To stay alive, the mummy must feed on the souls of the living.
  • To send Willoughby back to the land of the dead, Alex uses his amulet to activate the Book of the Dead. Alex recites, “O thief! O usurper! Get back! Return, for you should know justice. . .” The spell does not work until Ren cuts off Willoughby’s hand, which was the ancient Egyptian’s punishment for stealing.

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Fourth Suit

Ridley Larsen is a friend that anyone would want. She’s fierce, loyal, and sharp as a whip. However, her harsh critique puts her friendship with the rest of the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even with the threat of Kalagan—the group’s long-time enemy—hanging over them. 

Nonetheless, the Magic Misfits solve the incidents happening in Mineral Wells, which brings them closer to discovering Kalagan’s hiding spot and his true identity. But Ridley’s temper gets in the way of their hard work. Ridley must work to master her temper so the Magical Misfits can work together. 

Ridley takes the spotlight in this installment of Magic Misfits. A limited third-person perspective lets the reader learn about Ridley’s reasons for her brash attitude and her tumultuous relationship with her mother, who often prioritizes her work over Ridley. Readers will relate to Ridley’s frustration when she doesn’t understand why the others are happy with trusting adults, due to her rocky relationship with her mother. The lack of communication tears apart Ridley’s friendship with the rest of the Magic Misfits. 

Ridley’s distrustful, distant relationship with her mother raises her suspicions towards other adults. She especially doesn’t trust Mr. Vernon, the purveyor of magic goods, because he’s been keeping secrets from the Magic Misfits all summer. The Magic Misfits ask her to trust Mr. Vernon when they find out about the Emerald Group, Vernon’s old network of fellow magicians. Ridley agrees to trust her friends and opens up to them because she realizes that her being impulsive and not listening is making her friendships suffer. 

As the Magic Misfits encounter Kalagan more often, the idea of trust and acceptance comes to a head. Ridley’s mistrust in Vernon halted their progress in stopping the villain, much like Ridley’s distrust of the rest of the Magic Misfits did. Vernon is forced to open up about the truth behind the dissolution of the Emerald Group. Eventually, with everyone’s support and openness, the old and new magician groups can face Kalagan. When Kalagan is defeated and Ridley and her mother reconcile, Ridley learns that you can rely on the people around you to help you become a better friend and a better person.

Occasionally, an omniscient, unnamed narrator chimes in with a recap of the story’s events, which blends in seamlessly with the overall narration. As a bonus, black and white pictures are scattered throughout the novel and help readers visualize the setting and the action scenes. In order to engage the readers more, there are how-to magic tricks sprinkled throughout the story. These sections contain instructions for performing the magic tricks, along with illustrations to reference. Tricks such as transforming a quarter into a penny and turning water into ice are easy to do, but adults are encouraged to help their little ones with these activities. 

The Fourth Suit is a lively and riveting story that gets its energy from the tension of holding onto the past while trying to change for the better. Combined with exceptional narration and detailed descriptions, the striking visuals of various styles complement an incredible story. Readers will enjoy reading about the friendship between Ridley and her friends, and how they patch up their relationship as well as stop Kalagan once and for all. If you are looking for stories about magic, friendship, and secrets, give Magic Misfits: The Fourth Suit a read! Readers who want more action and adventure should also check out The Revenge of Magic by James Riley and Rise of the Dragon Moon by Gabrille K. Byrne.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Carter, one of Ridley’s friends, calls Kalagan a “creep.”
  • Carter refers to Kalagan’s brother as a “lunatic.”

Supernatural 

  • Many of the characters use tricks related to illusions or trickery, such as Ridley’s transformations or Theo’s levitation. They are in no way similar to supernatural magic or the paranormal. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Carter’s uncle says he “did some digging deep in [his] soul” and that he “joined a church group in town.”

Dolphin Song

Martine’s class is going on an exciting school trip—a voyage to watch the Sardine Run off the coast of South Africa. But the trip takes a dramatic turn when their ship runs into a fierce storm, and Martine and her classmates are thrown into shark-infested waters! Luckily, a pod of dolphins rescues and transports them to a deserted island, but now the children—and the dolphins—face a new and terrible danger. Will Martine be able to use her special gift with animals to save them?

While other students are looking forward to the class trip, Martine has been plagued with terrifying nightmares about being in the ocean and surrounded by sharks. Then Grace, a witch doctor, warns Martine about staying away from the ship’s gate, which increases Martine’s fear and confusion. Martine’s fear of the ocean is understandable, and it increases the story’s suspense. 

Despite the warnings, Martine’s greatest fears come true when she and several of her classmates are thrown into the raging ocean. The story takes an unexpected turn when Martine and some of her classmates are stranded on a deserted island and must fight for their survival. While much of the story revolves around survival, there is still plenty of animal action — a cage dive with sharks, an encounter with a man-o-war jellyfish, and a swim with dolphins. Through Martine’s experiences, readers will enjoy learning about various sea creatures as well as how sonar poses a threat to ocean life. 

Once the group of students lands on the island, they soon split into two groups, leaving Ben and Martine to join forces. During their time on the island, the kids only begin to work together out of necessity. However, they soon join forces to save the dolphins, and in the process, they learn the importance of giving someone a second chance. Along with this lesson, Dolphin Song weaves in many important life lessons including being able to fix your mistakes and the importance of standing up for what you believe.

Martine struggles with uncertainty, fear, and forgiveness, but her inner turmoil doesn’t slow the story’s action. However, readers will enjoy seeing Martine’s personal growth that leads her to more fully understand her best friend, Ben. In the end, Martine realizes “that was the thing about a friend. You could do things that weren’t really possible on your own. Friends made you brave. Friends made things fun.”

The Legend of the Animal Healer Series uses a unique approach that will give readers a new appreciation of sea life. The story educates readers about the importance of protecting all sea creatures. However, Dolphin Song does have several scenes that may upset sensitive readers. While Dolphin Song recaps the important information from the first book in the series, for maximum enjoyment, the books should be read in order. Animal-loving readers who want more action-packed animal adventures should also read the Wild Rescuers Series by Stacy Plays and the Survival Tails Series by Katrina Charman.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Santa Carolina was known as Death Island, as it was a penal colony. “The jailers at Santa Carolina used to take prisoners to Death Island, a tiny shell sandbar, and tell them if they could swim the five miles or so back to the mainland—a stretch of water cursed by vicious crosscurrents and even more vicious sharks—they’d be freed. None of the prisoners ever survived.”
  • When the ship hits a terrible storm, everyone grabs a life jacket. One student, Claudius, “wrenched at Ben’s life jacket, trying to pull it off by brute force. Ben wriggled out of Claudius’s desperate grip and held up a hand in surrender.” Ben falls into the ocean without a life jacket, but he survives.
  • Martine is exploring a reef by a sunken ship when a manta ray pushes her toward the surface. “An instant later, there was a muffled, undersea explosion. . . the ray caught the full impact. Bits of cartilage, tissue, and manta ray skin rained down on the sea like lava.” Martine had a bloody gash on her arm, but the ray saved Martine’s life.
  • A group of bad men show up on the island and see Claudius. They think the boy might be a spy so they take him back to their hideout and tie him up. The skipper questions Claudius and “struck Claudius across the face. A palm print appeared on the boy’s cheek.” When the group finds out there is a reward for information about Claudius, they decide to treat him better.
  • A tourist, Norm, was cage diving with sharks when he fell into the water. A great white swims toward him, “like a torpedo sleek and deadly, shooting toward the stricken man. As it approached, its jaws stretched wide and its serrated teeth were plainly visible. In seconds, Norm would be missing an arm, his head, or even his torso.” Martine uses her gift to stop the shark.
  • An island, Santa Carolina, has a dark past that is discussed several times. Santa Carolina was “a notorious penal colony and Death Island, which was not an island but a shell bar, had seen many prisoners drowned after being abandoned by guards.”
  • Sonar can disorient and confuse dolphins and whales. The sound a sonar gives off “can carry up to a hundred miles and be as loud as a fighter jet takeoff. In some cases, it can cause whales to surface too quickly, leading to a fatal condition similar to the bends in human beings. They get gas bubbles in their organs. Their brains bleed. Dolphins’ lungs explode.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • One of the sailors drinks “a home-brewed concoction called palm wine.” 
  • A sailor tells Martine a story about a man who had a “skull-splitting headache.” A “witch doctor had started the treatment by putting a large pebble into his fire. . . blended herbs in a bowl made from a special wood and engraved with a cross, then added water. . . After making a series of tiny incisions in the man’s forehead, the witch doctor rubbed in a little of the herb point and sent him home. . .” After the story, the sailor says he uses aspirin for his headaches.
  • When Martine sees a sunken ship, she assumes the pirates had been drunk on rum.
  • A tribe of sailors would catch fish by crushing “the leaves of the lulla palm” which made the fish intoxicated. “When the fish were rolling drunk, the men would simply scoop them into a net.”
  • One of the student’s parents would leave him alone while they went to cocktail parties. 

Language 

  • There is some name calling among the kids including runt and loser.
  • Martine gets angry at Ben and says, “You are a wimp. You’re pathetic.” 
  • One of the kids tells Martine, “I thought you were a fruitcake.”
  • One of the kids says Ben is “a tree-hugging nutcase.”
  • Oh my God is used as an exclamation once.

Supernatural

  • Martine is able to heal animals with her touch. When she finds a beached dolphin, Martine touches the dolphin, and “the electric current zapped her. . . She kept her palms on the dolphin’s side . . . then her palms heated up to the point where they were almost sizzling . . .” After the dolphin is healed, Martin and a kite surfer put the dolphin back into the ocean and it swims away.
  • Martine goes to a secret cave where she sees paintings that show her future. When Martine sees a new painting, she thinks the paintings are “as if the forefathers were reaching out from beyond the grave.”
  • Claudius, one of the stranded school kids, gets stung by a man-o-war jellyfish. Martine tries to help him. She “laid her hands on him. Almost immediately her palms began to heat up. . . The energy went as far as Claudius’s skin and then stopped as if blocked by an impenetrable barrier.” Martine’s gift didn’t help.
  • While trying to use her gift to help Claudius, Martine has a vision. “The scene at the beach swam away and she saw smoke and Africans in animal masks and then, out of nowhere, a mental picture of Grace’s plant. . . came into her head.” Martine uses the plant to save Claudius.
  • Grace, a witch doctor, uses bones to tell the future. She believes that “everythin’ is already written” and that you cannot change fate’s path. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Ben is Buddhist and also half Zulu. He says, “Buddhism does allow the eating of meat; we’re just not supposed to cause pain. . . Buddhists believe that animals are equal to people.”
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