Fridays with the Wizards by Jessica Day George

To read my reviews of the other books in this series, click here: Tuesdays at the Castle, Wednesdays in the Tower, and Thursdays with the Crown (pending).




Title:Fridays with the Wizards (Castle Glower #4)
Author: Jessica Day George
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: MG Fantasy
Rating:Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Princess Celie and her companions have made it home safely from the Glorious Arkower, and everything is back to normal now that the Eye of the Castle is where it belongs. With more magical griffins to care for, Celie, Lilah, and Rolf have their hands full. But when the dangerous ancient wizard Arkwright escapes the dungeon and goes missing within the Castle, no one can rest until he is found. Only Celie knows where he is most likely hiding--deep within the secret passageways behind the walls of their beloved Castle. With danger lurking behind every tapestry and under every trap door, Celie must find the wizard and save her family. Readers will be swept away by another charming magical adventure featuring Princess Celie and her very special Castle" (King County Library System).
Opinions: I cannot believe that I didn't post a review of book three in this series. Seriously going to smack myself in the noggin'. Oh well, guess I'll just have to reread Thursdays With the Crown to be able to ensure the most accurate review for you. (Darn!)

Moving on....Jessica Day George just gets better with each book she releases. I mean these are middle grade books and yet my husband and I can't wait to read them together after the kids go to bed. (Though we secretly wonder if Jessica keeps blueprints in her office to Castle Glower because she knows exactly where everything is located and where everyone needs to be. I love it.). It impresses me that Celie is able to manage so many changes within her family and home, and the addition of the griffins, etc. Yes, she does have the occasional meltdown, but she is one smart & resilient young lady. I kinda want to be her when I grow up.  I loved seeing a greater involvement from the queen in this story and finding out more history and realizing that she has seriously cool hidden skills. Overall this book is a fantastic addition to the Castle Glower series and a great read for boys, girls, teens, and especially their parents. ;-)

Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

Title: Sky Raiders (The Five Kingdoms #1)
Author: Brandon Mull
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Whisked through a portal to The Outskirts, an in-between world, sixth-grader Cole must rescue his friends and find his way back home--before his existence is forgotten" (King County Library System) .
Opinions: Okay, I am never going into a haunted house again (like I'd have gone before reading this book, but really. . . not happening now). I love the vividness and imagination that Brandon Mull creates in this new series. I love the concept. I'm intrigued by the varied characters. And I love the cool and amazing equipment and abilities that they come up with to use in this book. Seriously, I want to be able to shape, have a jumping sword, and about a dozen other awesome things.  I love Cole as a main character and I'm intrigued by Mira, Jace, and Twitch. I want to raid a sky castle and try and rescue my friends.  Plus, each of the five kingdoms is unique opening up the reader to imaginative locations like giant playgrounds, lakes of milk with floating cookies and much more.  This has to be my favorite of Brandon's books since his Fablehaven series. So go pick it up and read it with your kids. Make it a family adventure. You'll enjoy it.

Air Keep by J. Scott Savage

To read my reviews of other books in this series click here: Water Keep and Land Keep.




Title: Air Keep (Farworld #3)
Author: J. Scott Savage
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy (or YA depending on your library)
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Marcus and Kyja continue to search for the Elementals they need to unite to open a drift between Earth and Farworld, but the Air Elementals have a strange sense of humor and with Farworld in the grip of a terrible drought and daily earthquakes, the two friends face untold challenges" (King County Library System).
Opinions:  I love this series, but I made the mistake of keeping this book in my car. I have a habit of always having a book in my car for when I'm stuck in a drive-thru somewhere or waiting for kids to come out of school.  The problem is that I've changed the way I eat and the kids are out of school for the summer, therefore I have to wait in far fewer lines.  So I finally wizened up and brought the book into the house. I was half-way when I did that, and I just finished reading it. Once I had the dedicated time to focus on it I could not put it down.

My favorite character by far in this book, the third in its series, is Kyja. I love her more than ever. She is passionate, determined, talented and flawed. She's great. As Marcus' health/emotional state is tied in with the health of Farworld he felt weaker in this book, but it was totally intentional. Marcus had to learn to open up and be honest and some other stuff I can't tell you without spoiling the story.  I loved the unveiling of the air elementals.  The uniqueness between the different types of elementals is intriguing, especially when it comes to their weaknesses. And who wants a racing snail. . . um, me please. The snail and Mr. Z were fascinating, mysterious, and I want to see more of them.  So yea, when is Fire Keep coming out?  According to GoodReads it isn't until October, but Amazon shows it as July 1st.  As for me, I sure hope Amazon is right.

Wednesday's in the Tower by Jessica Day George

To read my review of the first book in this series, click here: Tuesday's at the Castle.



Title: Wednesday's in the Tower (Castle Glower #2)
Author: Jessica Day George
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None (other than a desperate need to own a griffin)
Premise: "After discovering a giant egg in the magical Castle Glower, Princess Celie agrees to care for the egg and what creature it hatches" (King County Library System).
Opinions: Okay, this series is just FABULOUS!!!! and it keeps getting better. I want to live in this country, that castle, and to hang out with those kids. Celia is by far my favorite heroine in a mid-grade book and I love how her family believes in her and supports her.  This is a great read for kids and um, those who are no longer kids on the outside, but still running wild with a young heart. And hurrah for Rufus! I want a griffin too! Okay, enough said. Go read this series to your kids, now. As for me, I will be anxiously waiting for the arrival of book three, Thursday's with the Crown, which is schedule for an October 2014 release.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

 To see Stephanie's review of this book, click here: Tuesdays at the Castle.


Title: Tuesday's at the Castle (Castle Glower #1)
Author: Jessica Day George
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: MG Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Eleven-year-old Princess Celie lives with her parents, the king and queen, and her brothers and sister at Castle Glower, which adds rooms or stairways or secret passageways most every Tuesday, and when the king and queen are ambushed while traveling, it is up to Celie--the castle's favorite--with her secret knowledge of its never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom" (King County Library System).

Eleven-year-old Princess Celie lives with her parents, the king and queen, and her brothers and sister at Castle Glower, which adds rooms or stairways or secret passageways most every Tuesday, and when the king and queen are ambushed while travelling, it is up to Celie--the castle's favorite--with her secret knowledge of its never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/908964082_tuesdays_at_the_castle#sthash.F807xMY3.dpuf

Eleven-year-old Princess Celie lives with her parents, the king and queen, and her brothers and sister at Castle Glower, which adds rooms or stairways or secret passageways most every Tuesday, and when the king and queen are ambushed while travelling, it is up to Celie--the castle's favorite--with her secret knowledge of its never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/908964082_tuesdays_at_the_castle#sthash.F807xMY3.dpuf

Opinions: I have yet to read a Jessica Day George book that I didn't like. This specific book is now when I'm my top 15 of my favorite books to read. The plot feels like a retelling of an older story, but with a unique twists. The Castle is my favorite character of the whole book. I'm intrigued by the fact that the castle is alive in its own unique way, and is in charge of who will be the King of the entire country. The was it shows its approval of some characters versus others is hilarious, and it is usually spot on about the person's character.

I also appreciated the relationship between the royal siblings. They looked out for each other,learned from each other, and trusted each other. I loved that she was mapping out the Castle and getting to know it on a personal level. Princess Celie was also an intriguing main character. She trusted, and could interpret, the signs the Castle was giving her. She is smart, kind, and funny. She even instigated several practical jokes on those in the Castle who were against her family.  I seriously had a difficult time  putting this book down.

Beyonders by Brandon Mull

Title: Beyonders: A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1)
Author: Brandon Mull
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Fourteen-year-old Jason Walker is transported to a strange world called Lyrian, where he joins Rachel, who was also drawn there from our world, and a few rebels, to piece together the Word that can destroy the malicious wizard emperor, Surroth" (King County Library Sytem).
Opinions: At first I really struggled to read this book--it has actually taken me several tries to get into it. There is a lot of world building that has to happen in order to setup the series and it took at least a third of the book before I felt the tug of being drawn into the actual plot. I have since carried the book in my car to read anytime I'm stuck in a drive through or waiting for kids. Only within the last month did I finally break half way through the book. That is when I started to get excited each time I had a moment to read it. Then yesterday I reached the two-thirds mark. Today I was forced to bring the book in the house after my errands because I couldn't stand to wait any longer to see what happened.

The premise is fascinating. The types of characters and creatures are incredibly imaginative and the story intriguing (at least to me it was after the basic world building was completed). I LOVE Rachel and I'm fascinated by Jason. I love the different ways they came to Lyrian and the things they learn about themselves along the way.  By the end of the book I was quite pleased and am looking forward to seeing where the tale turns in book two.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides

Title: Janitors (Janitors #1)
Author: Tyler Whitesides
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "A sixth grader stumbles upon a secret that threatens to turn schoolchildren everywhere into mindless automatons" (King County Library System). 
Opinions: This was an interesting book to read.  The plot is inventive.  I mean who else would come up with the idea of school janitors mixed with magic.  I loved Tyler Whitesides ability to take things that we take for granted when going to school and putting unusual twists to them.  I'm intrigued by the main characters - Spencer and Daisy.  Spencer is slightly OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and often feels the need to clean his room and to wash his hands.  Daisy is highly gullible, especially when she is nervous and is often misled by the school bully because of it.  However, Daisy and Spencer make a great duo for combating the evils that invade their school. This book is definitely written for a younger audience, but would be great for parents reading together with their young kids.

The Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley

To read my review of the first book in this series click here: The Sisters Grimm: Fairy-Tale Detectives.

Title: The Council of Mirrors (Sister Grimm #9)
Author: Michael Buckley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Death related to fantastical battles
Premise: "Hoping to save their family and the citizens of Ferryport Landing from the evil plans of Mirror, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm seek counsel from the other magic mirrors, who advise them to join forces with the Scarlet Hand." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This series is brilliant on so many levels and this book provides an awesome conclusion.  Mr. Canis remains one of my favorite characters throughout the series, as well as Puck, The Trickster King.  But overall I still LOVE the sisters, Sabrina and Daphne and the sacrifices and growth they make in this final story. In fact, this book left me bawling, in a happy-resolved sort of way when we finished it last night.

Michael Buckley does a fantastic job of weaving in all sorts of fairytale characters in such a brilliant manner that they come alive for a whole new generation of readers.  I'm really hoping that this series will trigger kids of all ages to reevaluate classic fairy tales for themselves. In fact, this series made the Fabulous Reads list of Top 100 favorite books (to see what other books were on the list click here) a few years ago and it still belongs there,  So, if you haven't read this series, then stop waiting and go to your library right now and check it out.  Parents: This is one of those series that can entice even the most reluctant young reader out there and pique their interest.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

For my review of book one of the Kane Chronicles please click here: The Red Pyramid.


Title: The Throne of Fire (Book 2 Kane Chronicles)
Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Carter Kane and his sister must prevent the chaos snake Apophis from breaking free in a few days' time or the world will come to an end. To have any chance of battling these Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I am LOVING this series. Now that I'm used to the switch between point of views each chapter I have really gotten into the plot a lot easier this time around. I love the intensity/urgency that Sadie and Carter must keep up to reach their goal. I love the underlying humor. I LOVE BES!!!! I mean how can you not love a speedo wearing dwarf god. Rick Riordan is brilliant with his characters.

Sadie and Carter continue as strong characters as they work together to try and revive the Sun God Ra in time to fight off his arch-enemy Apophis. I love the strength they find while working together, but also the truths they discover about themselves when alone. I love seeing new magicians working with the Kane's and the new talents that they possess. This sequel is a definite must read.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Title: The Red Pyramid (Book 1 in the Kane Chronicles series)
Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "After their father's research experiment at the British Museum unleashes the Egyptian god Set, Carter and Sadie Kane embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs." (King County Library System)
Opinions: Rick Riordan has expanded on his revisiting of different pantheons through modern twists and plots. This time, instead of using the Greek Gods as he did in the Percy Jackson series, he is focusing on the world of Egypt and its plethora of deities (though he frequently makes not-so-veiled comments about the Gods from his other series throughout the book).

This book was intriguing on many levels. I love the fact that Rick Riordan adds additional complexity of characters by dealing with a multi-racial family and the difficulties that entails (especially when it comes to others' prejudices). I also enjoyed seeing Sadie and Carter's relationships growing through the story as they had only seen each other twice a year since their mother's death 6 years earlier. I enjoyed being able to learn more about the various Pharaohs, gods, and Egyptian history. The narrative perspective took a little getting used to as the story is being "told" via a tape recording by Sadie and Carter (the main characters) and has been transcribed into book format for our reading pleasure. So you will find that even though each chapter is told from a specific character's point of view, the other sibling often butts in with their own comments (which siblings tend to do).

I think my favorite character of all was the cat-goddess Bast. She is spunky, tenacious, mischievous and draws the reader in. Bast would then quickly be followed by Khufu, the basketball-playing-eat-anything-ending-in-O loving baboon. He was hilarious, brilliant, lovable, and fascinating.

At times it was difficult to try and keep track of all the various gods, versions of gods, hosts, demons, magicians, hieroglyphics, familial relationship, etc., but the story was compelling and inventive. Also, for a first book in a series it was rather lengthy, but I think the detail required to cover all that was covered required it (if that made any sense at all). I look forward to reading more of this series and hope you do as well.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter Book #7)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: FABULOUS
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Language, Moderate-to-Heavy Violence, Death/Murder
Premise: "Burdened with the dark, dangerous, and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, Harry, feeling alone and uncertain about his future, struggles to find the inner strength he needs to follow the path set out before him." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I love this book. I mean I LOVE this book. Granted this book will make you cry (being pregnant I think I went through an entire box of Kleenex). I think that J.K. Rowling did a fantastic job tying up all the loose ends and I loved the ending. My favorite characters were Kreacher, Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley has a fantastic moment that made me cheer. As this is a story of good trying to overcome evil, and being the concluding book in the series, there are a lot of fights/violence and several tense scenes to get through so I don't recommend it for younger readers (unless being read to as a family or pre-approved by the parents). Overall this is a fantastic end to the series and was really hard to put down until the very last page.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2 of the Harry Potter series)
Author: JK Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: Some violence and brief but intense scenes
Premise: "When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school." (King County Library System)
Opinions: Just like its predecessor I read this book in under a day. I could not put it down. The imagery is vivid, the characters captivating. It far surpasses what you see in the movie (and I loved the movie). The reason I gave this a rating of ADORE instead of FABULOUS is that I have an active imagination and I don't like spiders and snakes. So certain scenes involving those creatures still creep me out severely, but that's just me. Just be aware that if your younger readers wish to read this book they may or may not have the same reaction as I did. In this book I would have to say my favorite characters are the Weasley twins and Ginny. I know that they are supporting characters, but I felt distinctly drawn to them for personal reasons. You'll have to read the book and see if you agree or tell if there is someone else you preferred and why.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: JK Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Somewhat intense scenes when Harry faces evil
Premise: "Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches." (King County Library)
Opinions: It has been several years since I read this book. In honor of the second half of the book seven movie coming out this summer I thought I should re-read the entire series. I forgot just how AWESOME this book is and SO much better than the movie. It is imaginative, funny, tense, and intriguing. My favorite characters continue to be Ron and Hagrid. They are complex and have wonderful personalities and senses of humor. This book is easy to dive into and hard to get out of. Even the second time reading it I had a hard time putting it down and read it in about a day. The story line draws in youth and adults alike. Some people may be concerned because it deals with witchcraft. In all honesty, I think it is an incredibly written basic tale of good versus evil. It even teaches about right and wrong and consequences. Overall I highly recommend this to all readers, especially if your child is not a fan of reading. This book is sure to draw them in.

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson

To read my reviews of the other books in this series then please click on the following links: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones, and Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia.





Title: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (Book 4 of the Alcatraz series)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Clean violence (you know a battle is happening, but nothing gory is described)
Premise: "When a hero is needed to save the doomed kingdom of Mokia from the evil Librarians, thirteen-year-old Alcatraz Smedry, whose family talents include getting lost and breaking things, answers the call." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This book is amazing. In fact the whole series is amazing. If you have a warped sense of humor (or appreciate a warped sense of humor) then this is the series for you. The humor drives this book and is zany and yet the characters still learn about inner strength and the difficulty of choices throughout. In fact, I have a step-son who is not fond of reading and I convinced him to read the first book in this series and he LOVED it and now wants to read the whole series. I'm not sure I can give a more glowing review than that.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter Book #6)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing, Moderate Violence, Death/Murder
Premise: "Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in an atmosphere of uncertainty, as the magical world begins to face the fact that the evil wizard Voldemort is alive and active once again." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I must say that Harry Potter really bothers me in this book (granted he has every reason to act the way he does). It just gets a bit tiresome after a while that he's grumpy, suspicious, vindictive (again he has valid reasons). That being said, I LOVE this book. I love getting to see Harry work with Dumbledore on a one-on-one basis. I love seeing various budding relationships. I love learning so much more about Voldemort. I love seeing more of Kreacher and Dobby. I love that there are still consequences for people's choices (especially Harry). This book is impressive at bringing the overall plot to a highly engaging and conflicting head. I love seeing how things that were mentioned in previous volumes come to play a major part in this book. The ending is a bit traumatic, so again I suggest that parents read this prior to determining if their children are prepared for what happens. Anyway, on to the finale...I can't wait (yes I've read it before, but I can't wait to read it again).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter Book #5)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Mild language, moderate violence, murder
Premise: "Harry Potter, now a fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, struggles with a threatening teacher, problematic house elf, the dread of upcoming final exams, and haunting dreams that hint toward his mysterious past." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I love and detest this book. In the process of re-reading this series I've come to a new appreciation of J.K. Rowling's ability to create characters that intrigue and pull me into the story. I love Harry, Ron and Hermione, Firenze, the Weasley twins and so many more (although the emotional roller coaster of teenagers thoroughly reminds me why I'm glad to have survived that period of life). I even love Umbridge and Snape in a very love/hate relationship. They are complex characters, well written, that I love to hate. I also love the twists and turns of this installment of the story that lead me through all the ranges of emotion.

I feel that I must warn those who have not read this story yet, that this is the most violent of the stories so far (though in a way its fairly clean violence). There are lot of hexes and jinxes and secret attacks all over the place, culminating in a climatic battle. Throughout the story many people are wounded and more than one die (but I will not say who so as not to spoil the story). The story also discusses good versus evil, life and death, betrayal, honesty, love and relationships and so much more that teens may experience in their own lives. As such, I do suggest that parents read this book prior to their kids to determine if they feel that their child is able to handle such topics and then have a discussion with them as to how they feel about what happened in the book. I do feel that this book continued to strengthen the overall story arc of the Harry Potter series (though the 800+ page length was a bit much for me). If you do choose to read it, I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter Book #4)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: At least 3 swear words, murder, and intense climax (may not be appropriate for younger readers)
Premise: "Harry Potter, a fourth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, longs to escape his hateful relatives, the Dursleys, and live as a normal fourteen-year-old wizard, but what Harry does not yet realize is that he is not a normal wizard, and in his case, different can be deadly." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This book was harder to read, mostly due to it being at least twice the size of the other books so far, but also due to the freedom of writing that the author seemed to achieve by that point. There is a lot more elaboration and description going on in book four then previously done. For the most part I loved seeing the greater detail, but about 2/3 way through the book I couldn't wait for the story to be done as it seemed unending. There were a few swearwords spread throughout the story, but my main concern for younger readers is the intensity of the climax. It is violent without a lot of elaboration(which I'm grateful for), but if you have my active imagination then it is plenty scary. Adults may want to re-read the story (or at least the ending) prior to allowing their children to in order to ensure that your child can handle it.

Now that I've said all the down stuff, let me tell you what I loved about this story. I love getting to see Sirius more, I love that Harry gets to experience more of the wizarding world by going to the World Quidditch Cup Final. I loved seeing more of the Weasleys, and I loved seeing more of Ron and Hermione. The people make this book. JK Rowling does a fantastic job of characterization. I also love the inventiveness of the trials within the TriWizard tournament. So overall, if you think you can handle the length, and the intensity, then I think you will still love this book. So go for it and read it...or read it again.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3 Harry Potter series)
Author: JK Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Two swear words, and some intense scenes
Premise: "During his third year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter must confront the devious and dangerous wizard responsible for his parents' deaths.For twelve years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well; and the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts... He's at Hogwarts." Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because there may well be a traitor in their midst." (King County Library System)
Opinions: Wow, my carpel-tunnel syndrome is getting a serious work out holding all these Harry Potter books and reading them non-stop. What can I say? I'm re-addicted to reading them. Even though I've read them all before and have seen all the movies (so far), I'm finding myself hooked all over again. The plot of book three is incredible, the characters fascinating and compelling (Ron is my absolute favorite in this one), and I love being able to learn much, much more of the back story. I loved finding out more about Harry's father and his friends and finding out about events that led up to Voldemort's downfall. I also love that there are always consequences (good or bad) for the choices the characters make. Book three does a fantastic job caring on the world of Harry Potter and leaving me wanting more in book four.

Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Jenny Nimmo

If you would like to see my review for book one of this series please click here: Midnight for Charlie Bone. If you haven't read the rest of the series, or in the middle of reading it, there are some minor spoilers regarding the series below. So feel free to read everything except the "Opinions" section.


Title: Charlie Bone and the Red Knight (Book 8 The Children of the Red King series)
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: mid-grade fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Some battle scenes
Premise: Charlie and the Children of the Red King must call upon all of their strength to defeat the darkness and finally learn the fate of Charlie's family, the evil intentions of the Bloors, what has become of Septimus Bloor's will, and the destiny of the Red King's heirs. (King County Library System)
Opinions: Finally a series that I've loved that is now finished. Yes, it is true. This is the last book in the series. So anyone who prefers to hold off reading a series until it is all finished and published, then now is your time to delve into this series. YAHOO!!! Now I may be about to create an avalanche of criticism for what I am about to say, but I will brave the criticism and speak my mind. I love the Harry Potter series...it rocks. HOWEVER...this series beats it hands down in my book. Written for a slightly younger audience than the Harry Potter series this book still delves into a world of modern fantasy. Also like Harry Potter it is about a young boy with special powers who is being sent off to a school to hone that talent. However, unlike Harry Potter this school is Bloor's Acadamy, which hosts only a small amount of endowed children (known as the Children of the Red King). The remainder of the school is filled with regular children gifted in various aspects of the arts. So Charlie works with both endowed and unendowed in the battle against evil. Another aspect that is different is that each endowed child has a different ability allowing each one to compliment the others' abilities as they strive to overcome those endowed who are on the side of evil rather than good.

In this, the last and final installment of the Children of the Red King series, Charlie must decide whether or not to forgive old enemies in order to fight against the Bloors and their evil companions as they strive to take over the entire city with the help of ancestors who have been drawn to the present. Dealing with more and more adversaries, Charlie also struggles with wondering why his parents are on vacation instead of helping him to fight evil. I love how this story deals with struggles on multiple levels and learning how to trust and believe in others. Through all 8 books I have been intrigued by the characters, the plot, and the imagery. Jenny Nimmo has done a fantastic job and a large part of me is sad to see it come to an end. Of all the mid-grade series I have read, The Children of the Red King series is in the top 5 favorites of all time for me.

Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson

To see my review of the first book in this series please click here: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians.

Title: Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: MG Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: Thirteen-year-old Alcatraz Smedry and his companions seek Al's father and grandfather in the Great Library of Alexandria, where they face undead, soul-stealing wraiths called the Curators of Alexandria, and one of the Scrivener's Bones, a part-human, part-machine mercenary. (King County Library System)
Opinions: I really enjoyed the first book of this series so I was eager to read the next one. Now I can say I love this series. Its focused towards pre-teen to teen boys, but as an adult I got a huge kick out of reading this story. The overall voice of the story is quite unique and I love all the "asides" that the narrator/author goes off on. I loved getting to know the characters better and to see Alcatraz build on his talents in order to save his friends and family. Each character has a definite and distinctive personality which I love and adds whole new levels to the story. Even if you are not a pre-teen boy I definitely recommend this as a fantastic read.