THE IRON TRIAL by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Callum Hunt is an unpopular, angry boy with a damaged leg and mysterious past. Those things define him until he is admitted to the Magisterium to study magic. Call is the worst student in the trials because his father has warned him all his life that he needed to fail the trials. But he is accepted anyway, and once there, Call starts to get a sense of who he is - but things aren't necessarily what they appear in a world filled with magic. 

Wow. This was engaging and intriguing right from the beginning.Mysteries are probed, secrets are revealed and plenty of questions are left for the next book in the series. The characters are typical teen/pre-teens dealing with issues of friends, popularity and identity as they try to decide the kind of people they want to be. Plenty of questions left to draw readers forward in search of answers. I would recommend this to fans of the Harry Potter books. This has a different tone, but a similar premise with the magical training school.

4.5 out of 5

AR Reading level of 5.6

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE BRAVEST PRINCESS by E. D. Baker

Princess Annie and her magical immunity are back to try and save the day. This time she has seen her sister successfully married, and Annie is off to help her friend, Snow White. Snow's evil step-mother has escaped, and Snow is on a fast track to marriage so she can leave her kingdom and go somewhere safe. She wants Annie's help in choosing the right prince. Annie also has her own troubles to deal with in this story -- someone has figured out a way around her magical immunity, and Annie is in real danger.

It took me several days to get started on this book, so I had it on display in the library for awhile in my "What I'm Reading Now" spot. Student after student asked if she could check it out and were crushed to discover it was my personal book and not part of our school library. I was surprised by how many girls requested the book but hadn't read the first two books in the series. The cover really captured their attention! Happily, I could steer them toward the start of the series while they wait for me to get a copy for the school.

This was a great adventure story and a terrific continuation of the series. There's great development of the relationship between Annie and Prince Liam - including some realistic tension between Annie's desire to be helpful and Liam's desire to keep her safe. Another good happily-ever-after for a princess in Annie's world, and hopefully more adventures to come in the Wide-Awake Princess series.

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time

KISS AND SPELL by Shanna Swendson

Katie and Owen are back! Owen has his magic powers back - and Katie now has some, too! This has the potential to change her role at MSI - just what she was looking for - except that they have to keep the magic a secret. If the powers that be in the wizarding world knew that Owen had his magic back, he would probably be arrested as a danger to the world, even though Katie knows Owen could never be evil, no matter who his biological parents were. Before they have too much time to develop a plan for this recent change in both of their statuses, elves start disappearing and Katie and Owen start sleuthing. What they find could destroy their relationship... since they don't even remember they have one.

I was tickled to find there was a new book in this series! You can read about the other books by this author here. It's no secret to folks who read the blog regularly that I enjoy fantasy and science fiction. I have loved this series from the beginning because it contains the magic and fantasy pieces I enjoy without going too dark and creepy, which I don't. The middle was a little frustrating. For a few pages I started to wonder if the e-book folks had made a mistake! Nothing in the book felt right - the setting, the way the main character was acting.... Hang with it, and it will all start to make sense. This was a fun adventure with characters I already love and a great love story. As soon as I finished, I was online looking to see if there was another book on the way. Looks like this could be the last in the series.... I will hold out hope for a new story some day, but until then, I'll just keep reading these and enjoying them time and time again.

4.5 out of 5 stars

MAGIC BONE SERIES by Nancy Krulik

   

Sparky the puppy finds himself in trouble all the time - he doesn't mean to knock things over or make his two-leg, Josh, mad by digging up the yard. Then Sparky finds a magic bone - one that takes him first to London and then to Hawaii for some adventures.

These books could not be any cuter! Fun, fun, fun. Another great transitional chapter book series. Sparky has an endearing "voice" that is very puppy-like (innocent, eager) and funny. This is like the Palace Puppies series in that the dog tells the story, but Sparky's voice feels more manic and puppy-like. Just darling! My students will LOVE these books. More, please!!

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading levels of 2.6 and 2.5 respectively

Book three comes out next week and book four will release in March 2014.

Graphic Novel Week: TOMMYSAURUS REX and CARDBOARD by Doug TenNapel

In Tommysaurus Rex, a boy's dog dies, and his parents send him to stay with his grandfather while he recovers from his loss. The boy, Ely, finds a TRex who acts a lot like his dog, Tommy. A bully causes trouble for the boy and for Tommysaurus Rex. 

In Cardboard, a dad who is down on his luck buys a cardboard box for his son's birthday gift. The cardboard is magic. Whatever they build comes to life. But they don't follow the magic rules and things go horribly out of control. There is a bully in this story as well.

Both of these graphic novels are great. The stories and art are very well done. I thought Tommysaurus was extremely touching and the ending was excellent. Cardboard was also very good, but darker than Tommysaurus. I think Cardboard is a better fit for middle school than for elementary school, so I am adding Tommysaurus to my library and recommending Cardboard to older readers.

4 out of 5 stars for both.

AR reading level of 2.0 for Tommysaurus. Cardboard has a reading level of 2.2 with AR.

HURRY UP, HOUDINI! by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel back to Coney Island, New York in 1908 to meet Harry Houdini and learn his "secret of greatness." Along the way, the siblings get in an argument because Annie makes decisions for their mission without considering Jack. He is fed up! In fact, he stomps off, taking with him something Annie will need to pull off her latest scheme.

It's hard to believe this is the 50th Magic Tree House story! This is a good story, but Abe Lincoln at Last is still my all-time favorite. There were fun surprises in the story, and I liked the realistic bickering between the siblings. The books in the series work in sets of four. The kids are usually looking for a series of objects or pieces of information. This is book two in this particular set. The next book, High Time for Heroes will release in January, 2014 and will feature Florence Nightingale.

3 out of 5 stars
AR Reading level of 3.7