Fantasy

Fairy World: Enter the Magical and Mysterious Realm by Stella A. Caldwell, illustrated by Ryan Forshaw

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Published by Barron’s 

Summary:  Stella Caldwell presents herself as an expert on fairies who has traveled extensively to study these magical creatures.  Her definition of “fairy” extends to a variety of creatures including pixies, boggarts, elves, and many others.  She has included several “case studies”, relating stories in which she was called upon to investigate a human interaction with a fairy.  The oversized book is set up almost like a scrapbook, lavishly illustrated with labeled pictures of items associated with magical folk, such as wings and flowers.  There’s more than a hint of danger in associating with these creatures; many will help humans but can play tricks or worse if the people aren’t properly grateful.  The final two pages tell of fairies stealing children and replacing them with changelings who can eventually be trained to fit in to the human world.  80 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Fantasy fans will want to spend lots of time poring over this book.  There is so much information, presented in a variety of ways, as well as gorgeous artwork.  In each chapter, there’s at least one wordless two-page spread illustration, suitable for framing.

Cons:  Definitely for older kids…the fairies here are far more “Spiderwick Chronicles” than “Rainbow Magic”.

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey

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Published by Algonquin Young Readers 

Summary:  Princess Jeniah has just become Queen Ascendant, by virtue of the fact that her mother, the queen, is dying.  Jeniah’s training is rushed due to the circumstances, but she stumbles over one of her most important lessons: if any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall.  The dark, swampy Carse is uninviting, but Jeniah feels she must find a way to explore it.  In her quest to do so, she crosses paths with Aon, a peasant girl who feels broken because she’s the only person she knows who feels emotions other than happiness. She’s also one of the only people to be able to enter the Carse, so Jeniah enlists her to go deeper into it than she ever has before and report back.  As Jeniah learns more about her kingdom and Aon explores the Carse, both girls discover secrets about their land and themselves that threaten the eternal happiness that has been part of the Monarchy for many generations.  256 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  An enchanting fairy tale with plenty of adventure and some good messages about embracing the full range of emotions, not just happiness.

Cons:  Putting a 12-year-old in charge of the Monarchy seemed like a bad idea.

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke

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Published by First Second 

Summary:  Goblin has a happy life in his dungeon, visiting his friend Skeleton each day to play together with their treasure.  Then one day, a greedy band of adventurers invades the dungeon and steals everything, including Skeleton.  Goblin, determined to rescue his friend, sets off into the world.  The first creature he meets is a troll, who points him in the right direction, but warns him that “Nobody likes a goblin”.  His second meeting, with a farmer, confirms the truth of this statement.  Goblin manages to rescue Skeleton, but the two of them are chased into a cave by a mob of pitchfork-wielding villagers.  Just when it seems like they are doomed, a group of goblins emerges from the cave, crowns Goblin king (he happens to be wearing a crown), and fights off the enemy.  Everyone returns to the dungeon for a happy ending.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A surprisingly engaging tale, illustrated in fantastic detail by graphic novelist Hatke.  The illustrations have a comic book-medieval feel to them that draw the reader into the story.

Cons:  The troll tells Goblin that the adventurers took his Honk-Honk, and Goblin promises to get it back. I studied the pictures in the rest of the book, but couldn’t figure out what the Honk-Honk was, and no mention was made of it again

Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan, illustrated by Ben Hibon

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Published by Disney-Hyperion 

Summary:  Thorn is trying to find his missing father when he is captured and sold into slavery.  He’s rescued by Tyburn, an executioner from the kingdom of Gehenna, a country of darkness and gloom, rumored to be home to zombies and other questionable beings.  13-year-old Lily, a.k.a. Lilith Shadow, is the new queen of Genenna, having come to power when her parents and brother were murdered.  Tyburn has executed five of the bandits who killed the royal family, and is determined to track down the sixth one, whom he believes to be the mastermind and someone who wants to see Lily dead.  When Thorn becomes Tyburn’s squire, he meets Lily and gets drawn into the dangerous world around her.  Together, they experiment with some dark magic and race against time to try to unmask the evildoer whose ultimate goal is to take over Gehenna.  336 pages; grades 4-6.

Pros:  Fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson will enjoy this first entry in a new series featuring young teens learning to use their magical powers to defeat the evil around them.  With lots of adventures, plot twists, and short exciting chapters, this is sure to please fantasy readers.

Cons:  A friendly young character is murdered and there’s a slightly graphic description of Lily’s family’s killings.

Danger! Tiger Crossing (Fantastic Frame series) by Lin Oliver, illustrated by Samantha Kallis

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Published by Grosset and Dunlap 

Summary:  Tiger’s exploring his new neighborhood when he sees an orange pig in a hat and tie.  Pursuing this unusual neighbor, he meets a girl named Luna, and the two of them trace Chives the Pig to an old haunted-looking house.  Boldly making their way inside, they meet ancient Viola Dots, who hasn’t left her house in 50 years, ever since her son David disappeared into a picture frame, and Chives popped out in his place.  Upon close examination of the frame, Tiger discovers a clock, which he sets back an hour.  Almost immediately, the picture opens up, and he and Luna are sucked inside.  There they meet David, who is still 13, and have to outrun the hungry tiger that was in the painting.  They manage to find their way back, but David is left behind once again, leaving the reader ready for book #2, Splat! Another Messy Sunday, now available at a library or bookstore near you.  Back matter includes information about the painting the kids go into, Surprised! By Henri Rousseau. 128 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  A reasonably exciting adventure for early chapter book readers, with lots of illustrations, black and white for the times outside of the picture and color inside of it.

Cons:  It didn’t seem realistic that 50 years had gone by since David disappeared.  Viola Dots would have to be closing in on 90, yet looked and acted about 60.

Forest of Wonders (Wing and Claw trilogy) by Linda Sue Park

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 Published by HarperCollins 

Summary: Raffa Santana is a gifted apothecary, training under his stern father. He has an intuition about mixing potions and infusions that often prove to be effective at healing. On his first independent trip to the Forest of Wonders, accompanied only by his cousin Garith, he discovers a mysterious red vine. When he later uses it to treat an injured bat, he is amazed to find out that the vine gives the power of speech to animals. Garith takes part of the vine with him when he and his father move to the capital city. When Raffa learns of other more dangerous properties the vine has, he knows he must travel to Garith’s new home to warn him. He undertakes a perilous journey, befriending two somewhat mysterious girls along the way, and discovers the real, ominous reason Garith and his father have moved. The four kids have to make a daring escape, and the end of the book finds them on their own, surrounded by adults who want to put a stop to their rebellion. The first chapter of the next book in the series is included to whet readers’ appetites for more. 352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros: Interesting characters, plenty of action, talking animals, and a good dose of magic will please fantasy fans.

Cons: Is it just me, or is it grating to refer to dawn as “daybirth”, or have the characters wish each other “Steady morning”? It seems a little pretentious when compared to the humor of a Rick Riordan or J. K. Rowling.

The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

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Published by Scholastic Press 

Summary: Callum Hunt is getting ready to go back to school for his second year at the Magesterium, when he makes a disturbing discovery: his father, Alistair, has a secret basement room where it looks like he’s getting ready to perform potentially fatal experiments on both Call and his wolf, Havoc. Call escapes to his friend Tamara’s mansion, where he meets up with other magicians and learns about a powerful copper gauntlet that has been stolen from the Magesterium.  When the kids return to school, Call learns that Alistair is a leading suspect in the theft and, against his better judgement, decides that he must try to find his father and warn him about the accusations made against him.  Tamara, Aaron, and Jasper join Call on his quest, which ends, as these quests so often do, in a huge showdown between the forces of good and evil.  The Enemy of Death seems to have been defeated, but there is just enough doubt around that issue to pave the way for book three of the Magisterium series.  Grades 4-7.

Pros:  Fans of Harry Potter and Rick Riordan will be delighted with this series about a boy discovering his magical powers at a school for magicians.  The magical world is well-crafted and the action is non-stop.

Cons:  The great majority of the story took place outside the Magisterium, taking away the fun element of a magic school.

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

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Published by Candlewick Press 

Summary: Princess Magnolia is back, doing her quick-change routine from perfect pink princess to the monster-fighting Princess in Black. This time, she’s trying to enjoy her birthday party with her twelve princess guests, but that darn glitter-stone ring keeps ringing, alerting her to monster invasions.  When it goes off, she ducks into the broom closet, puts on her black clothes, and rides off on her black horse, Blacky (transformed from Frimplepants the unicorn).  Time and again, the ring goes off, and the princess has to dash off to fight monsters without alerting her guests to her secret identity.  When a monster attacks just as the presents are about to be opened, it’s the last straw.  Will the princess ever get to celebrate her birthday? Grades K-3.

Pros:  The second entry in the Princess in Black series is just as winning as the first, with a spunky heroine, sly humor, and plentiful illustrations.  A perfect first chapter book.

Cons: Duff the Goatherd, one of my favorite characters from the first book, was almost completely absent from this installment.

HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick

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Published by Random House

Summary: At the beginning of this graphic novel, D.J. hears a loud boom and sees a huge flash of light. Rushing to investigate, he discovers a boy wearing silver underpants who remembers nothing about himself.  He’s pretty cheerful about his situation, though, and quickly acclimates by absorbing all of D.J.’s vocabulary when they touch hands. As the story unfolds, the boy, who eventually remembers his name is HiLo, turns out to have fallen to earth from another planet and has a powerful enemy chasing him. Subplots involve D.J. feeling like an underachiever in a family of superstars and his reunion with his old friend Gina who has moved back to town after a three-year absence. D.J., HiLo, and Gina manage to save the planet…for now. Grades 3-6.

Pros: A funny, action-packed first entry in a new series. The cliffhanger ending promises more installments to come. A good choice for reluctant readers.

Cons: A few too many suspenseful situations were resolved with the appearance of a new superpower HiLo didn’t know he had.

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Dial Books

Summary: When Ephraim Tuttle was a boy, he discovered the magical Circus Mirandus, accessible only to those who believe. He showed the Man Who Bends Light a magic trick, and in return the magician promised him a miracle. Ephraim couldn’t think what he wanted, so he saved his miracle all his life. Now he’s dying, and his grandson Micah, who’s grown up on stories of Circus Mirandus, knows it’s time for Grandpa Ephraim to use his miracle. Micah and his new friend Jenny go off in search of the circus and the Man Who Bends Light. There are heroes, villains, stories within the story, and through it all, the power of magic and the imagination. Grades 4-7.

Pros: One of the most highly-touted books of 2015, Circus Mirandus just about lives up to the hype. The best part about it is, it’s a great story. Peopled with endearing characters, it unfolds at just the right pace, with magic and adventure woven throughout. This would make a captivating read-aloud for second grade and up.

Cons: The two main villains, Victoria and Aunt Gertrudis were a little one-dimensional.