Booklist: Cooking Up Some Magic!

There are several new books just out this spring that deal with magic by way of cooking.  It’s a delicious thought, isn’t it?  Find a recipe that you can follow to get some magical results!  It made me think about what other cookbook magic is out there…I remember reading a couple when I was a kid;  I think my favorites were Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians, by Mary Nash and a bunch of different books by Ruth Chew.  Sadly, they’re no longer in print and our library doesn’t own them. (If you’re interested though, you can find used copies online.)

So if you’re a fan of cooking shows, or you’d like to have a little magic spicing up your kitchen, try one of the books on this list.  I think you’ll find them to your taste!

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Magical Cooking!

 A booklist of some magical recipes and extraordinary cooks!

Ames, Mildred.  Is There Life on a Plastic Planet?
Hollis is miserable with her life.  She hates her name, her mother keeps bugging her to eat healthy food, her cousin Addison makes her life miserable.  Then Hollis meets Ms. Eudora, who manages a shop that sells dolls, and serves Hollis yummy éclairs while she listens to her problems. It’s Ms. Eudora who comes up with the plan…substitute one of her dolls for Hollis, and Hollis can spend her days at the shop with Ms. Eudora and her magical éclairs.  But is it all too perfect to be real..?

Bosch, Pseudonymous.  This Book is Not Good for You
Between the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the most delicious things are never good for you…and this story is particularly scrumptious! In this tooth-rotting adventure, Cass’s mom has been kidnapped by the evil dessert chef and chocolatier, Señor Hugo! The ransom…the legendary tuning fork. Can Cass and Max-Ernest find the magical instrument before it’s too late? Will they discover the evil secret ingredient to Señor Hugo’s chocolate success?  If you’re tempted, take a taste, but just remember…this book is not good for you.

Callaghan, Cindy.  Just Add Magic
Take three friends. Add an old cookbook. Combine with cute boys and a pinch of magic…and see what kind of chaos ensues! When Kelly Quinn and her two BFFs discover a dusty old cookbook while cleaning out the attic, the girls decide to try a few of the mysterious and supposedly magical recipes that are inside. To their surprise, the Keep ’Em Quiet Cobbler actually silences Kelly’s pesky little brother and the Hexberry Tart puts a curse on mean girl Charlotte. Is it possible that the recipes really are magic? Who wrote them and where did they come from? And most importantly of all, when boys get involved, what kind of trouble are the girls stirring up for themselves?

Catling, Robert.  The Chocolate Touch
John Midas loves chocolate. He thinks chocolate is better than any other food! But when John finds an odd coin, he buys a tiny piece of chocolate at an odd little shop.  It’s the most chocolaty chocolate he has ever tasted. The next morning, John discovers that everything that touches his lips turns into chocolate—rich, sweet, smooth chocolate. Toothpaste tubes squirt chocolate. Water fountains at school spout streams of chocolate. This is a dream come true! But even greedy John finds that too much of a good thing can quickly turn from a dream into a nightmare—especially when he kisses his mother and turns her into a chocolate statue. Is there anything John can do to reverse this horror?

Connor, Lexi.  The Chocolate Meltdown 
Eleven year-old Beatrix, B for short, is a witch with a quirky talent. When she spells out words, magic spells take shape!  B’s dad’s job at Enchanted Chocolates has always been a great thing — who doesn’t like free candy and special tours of a chocolate factory? But when something goes wrong with the new batch of treats, there’s nothing sweet about it! Everyone seems to be losing their magic touch — can B whip up a solution, or could this spell the E-N-D of witches?

Corbalis, Judy.  The Ice Cream Heroes
Oskar’s mother is a famous mountaineer, off on a trip to explore the Himalayas.  When he discovers that she’s forgotten her favorite ice pick, Oskar and his new friend Henrietta (a girl who wears a gorilla costume because of her job delivering gorillagrams) set off  to deliver it to her in person. Along the way they meet a tribe of abominable snowmen; are held captive in a palace made of magically flavored ice cream by the henchmen of The Controller, a demonic thief with a cohort of mad scientists; and meet the Great Khone, an ice cream maker searching for the world’s stolen ice cream supply.

Corbett, Scott.  The Great Custard Pie Panic
On a walk through the fog Nick and his dog discover a wonderful bakery that makes magical pies.  Unfortunately, the owner turns out to be his archenemy, the evil magician Dr. Merlin! (Early Chapter Book)

Corbett, Scoll.  The Lemonade Trick
A mysterious potion mixed by Kerby with his chemistry set has a beneficial effect on the neighborhood bully but also wreaks havoc at the Sunday School pageant.  Try the rest of the series too…Kerby’s chemistry set has quite a few magical recipes in it!

Dahl, Roald.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory is opening at last!  But only five lucky children will be allowed inside.  All they have to do is find the golden ticket.  And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!  As he tours the magical candy factory, what will Charlie find there?

Dahl, Roald.  George’s Marvelous Medicine
George is alone in the house with Grandma. The most horrid, grizzly old grunion of a grandma ever. She needs something stronger than her usual medicine to cure her grouchiness. A special grandma medicine, a remedy for everything. And George knows just what to put into it. Grandma’s in for the surprise of her life—and so is George, when he sees the results of his mixture! George decides that his grumpy, selfish old grandmother must be a witch and cooks up some marvelous medicine to take care of her.  (Early Chapter Book)

Dunbar, Fiona.  The Truth Cookie
Lulu Baker’s dad is getting ready to marry his new girlfriend, world-famous model Varaminta le Bone. Everyone thinks Varaminta is fabulous. Everyone, that is, except Lulu. She knows that her stepmother-to-be, not to mention her awful son Torquil, is cruel, deceitful, and just using her father. But how can she make her dad see Varaminta and Torquil for who they really are? When a magical recipe book called The Apple Star finds its way into Lulu’s hands, she finds that some very unusual ingredients and some help from her friends just might do the trick.

Graff, Lisa.  A Tangle of Knots
In a slightly magical world where everyone has a Talent, eleven-year-old Cady is an orphan with a phenomenal Talent for cake baking. But little does she know that fate has set her on a journey from the moment she was born.  And her destiny leads her to a mysterious address that houses a lost luggage emporium, an old recipe, a family of children searching for their own Talents, and a Talent Thief who will alter her life forever.  However, these encounters hold the key to Cady’s past and how she became an orphan.  If she’s lucky, fate may reunite her with her long-lost parent!

Hashimoto, Meika.  The Magic Cake Shop
Emma Burblee couldn’t be more different from her parents if she tried. She’d rather dig for treasure in a park than try the latest fashions or discuss their favorite subject: themselves. When Emma mortifies her parents, her punishment is to spend the summer with her Uncle Simon—a loathsome man with a huge appetite for food and get-rich-quick schemes.  Although Emma’s days revolve around cooking and cleaning, there is one bright spot. Her uncle’s sweet tooth means she gets to visit the town bakery, Mr. Crackle’s Cake Shop, all the time. Mr. Crackle is as charming and kind as Uncle Simon is vile. But then Emma discovers a plot by Uncle Simon; he has set his sights on ruining Mr. Crackle and the entire dessert making industry!  Can Emma stop their evil plan?

Kennemore, Tim. Circle of Doom
One day, Lizzie Sharp decides to concoct a potion to cast a spell on her family’s only neighbors, the unbearable, ancient Potwards. The very next day, Mrs. Potward breaks her hip and the couple disappear forever. It could be just a coincidence, but Lizzie is convinced of her own magical powers, and the temptation to involve both her younger brothers in her ambitious spellmaking plans is irresistible. As one potion leads to another, all three Sharp children become ridiculously entangled in a web of secrets, conspiracies, and misunderstandings.

Konigsburg, E. L.  Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
Elizabeth is an only child, new in town, and the shortest kid in her class. She’s also pretty lonely, until she meets Jennifer. Jennifer is… different. She’s read Macbeth. She never wears jeans or shorts. She never says “please” or “thank you.” And she says she is a witch. It’s not always easy being friends with a witch, but it’s never boring. At first an apprentice and then a journeyman witch, Elizabeth learns to eat raw ends and how to cast small spells. And she and Jennifer collaborate on cooking up an ointment that will enable them to fly. That’s when a marvelous toad, Hilary Ezra, enters their lives. And that’s when trouble starts to brew.

Kramer, Stacy.  Karma Bites
Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders. Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma. Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up. But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways. Ouch!

Lindsay, Norman.  The Magic Pudding
The Magic Pudding is a pie, except when it’s something else, like a steak, or a jam donut, or an apple dumpling, or whatever its owner wants it to be. And it never runs out. It’s magic!  No matter how many slices you cut, there’s always something left over.  But the Magic Pudding is also alive. It walks and it talks and it has a personality like no other. A meaner, sulkier, snider, snarlinger Pudding you’ve never met. So Bunyip Bluegum (the koala bear) finds out when he joins Barnacle Bill (the sailor) and Sam Sawnoff (the penguin bold) as members of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners .  This madcap childhood classic recounts the adventures of the three friends as they defend the pudding from thieves.

Littlewood, Kathryn.  Bliss
Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. Aunt Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, non-magical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun.  So Rose and her siblings experiment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke.  A few Love Muffins and  Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?

Littlewood, Kathryn.  A Dash of Magic
Rosemary will do anything to get back her family’s magical Cookery Booke, even challenging Aunt Lily to an international baking competition in Paris.  If Rose wins, Lily will return the Cookery Booke that she stole. If Rose loses . . . well, the consequences are too ugly to think about. But Lily isn’t playing fair—she’s using a magical ingredient to cheat. The only way for Rose to compete is for her to find magical ingredients of her own.  Together with her long-lost grandpa, his sarcastic talking cat, and a turncoat French mouse, Rose and her brothers race around Paris to find the magical ingredients that will help her outbake—and outmagic—her conniving aunt.  She has to win or the Bliss Cookery Booke will be lost to her family forever.

Loftin, Nikki.  The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy
Lorelei is bowled over by Splendid Academy—Principal Trapp encourages the students to run in the hallways, the classrooms are stocked with candy dishes, and the cafeteria serves lavish meals featuring all Lorelei’s favorite foods. But the more time she spends at school, the more suspicious she becomes. Why are her classmates growing so chubby? And why do the teachers seem so sinister?  It’s up to Lorelei and her new friend Andrew to figure out what secret this supposedly splendid school is hiding. What they discover chills their bones—and might even pick them clean!  Mix one part magic, one part mystery, and just a dash of Grimm, and you’ve got the recipe for a cozy-creepy read that kids will gobble up like candy.

Lowe, Natasha.  The Power of Poppy Pendle
Ten-year-old Poppy, born to ordinary parents, inherits her famous Great Aunt Mabel’s genes—GAM was a famous witch. In Poppy’s world, witches work for good and are much valued, with powers both coveted and praised. But Poppy does not want to be a witch—she wants to be a baker, and she is extremely good at baking. Her parents insist Poppy follow in the footsteps of her great aunt, but Poppy has plans of her own.  Part magic, part adventure, and wholly delicious, this spirited story includes more than a dozen recipes readers—and budding bakers—can try at home.

Magnin, Joyce.  Cake:  Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar
Wilma Sue seems destined to go from one foster home to the next—until she is sent to live with sisters and missionaries, Ruth and Naomi. Do they really care about Wilma Sue, or are they just looking for someone to help raise chickens and bake cakes?  As Wilma Sue adjusts to her new surroundings and helps deliver ‘special’ cakes, she realizes there’s something strange going on.  On her search  for secret ingredients, she makes a new friend, Penny.  When Penny and her mother hit a rough patch, Naomi decides to make her own version of cake—with disastrous results. Then tragedy strikes the chickens, and all fingers point to Wilma Sue—just when she was starting to believe she could at last find a permanent home with Ruth and Naomi. Will the sisters turn her out, or will she discover what it feels like to be truly loved?

McGowan, Keith.  The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children
When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as a human femur, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.  In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about who they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that dangerous secrets lurk in even the most pleasant neighborhoods.

McGowan, Keith.  The Witch’s Curse
A shadowy witch, a cursed hunter—it’s tricky business for Sol and Connie as they face off against this awful pair. The kids narrowly averted being eaten by the last witch after them, and this time it doesn’t look any better. It’s a long way through the accursed valley, they’re running out of food and water, and that lodge on the mountain side with the collection of animals inside isn’t exactly comforting. Who can save them? The All Creatures Manager? A heroic woodthrush? The Camper Lady? The Know-It-All Cube? Or will they have to save themselves? And here’s the worst of it: little do Sol and Connie know that the ancient child hunter is about to wake up—thanks to the witch’s curse.

Mull, Brandon.  The Candy Shop War
Welcome to the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe, where the confections are bit on the . . . unusual side. Rock candy that makes you weightless. Jawbreakers that make you unbreakable. Chocolate balls that make you a master of disguise.  Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon meet the grandmotherly Mrs. White, owner of the Sweet Tooth, and soon learn about the magical side effects of her candies. Then the ice cream truck driver, Mr. Stott, arrives with a few enchanted sweets of his own. The danger unfolds as the kids discover that the magical strangers have all come to town in search of a legendary treasure—one that could be used for great evil if it fell into the wrong hands. The kids, now in over their heads, must try to retrieve the treasure first. And so, the war begins . . .

Mull, Brandon.  Arcade Catastrophe
In the sequel to The Candy Shop War, Nate and his friends meet Mrs. White’s brother Mr. White, who owns Arcadeland, a local amusement center. At Arcadeland, kids can play games and earn thousands of tickets, which are redeemable for one of four kinds of stamps jets, tanks, subs, and race cars. Could it be true that these stamps allow kids to fly through the air? Or breathe underwater? Or run faster than a car? But Mr. White is hiding a secret: when all four clubs are filled, he will be able to retrieve perhaps the most powerful talisman ever. For Nate and his friends, it will take more than candy to fight and win this war!

Ryan, Margaret.  Magic Mistakes!
It’s the start of the autumn school semester and the fairies are learning a new subject—cooking! Who can make the best pudding? Airy Fairy is determined to do well in cooking class, but with Scary Fairy around to stir up trouble, things are bound to go wrong once again.  Airy Fairy might be the clumsiest, most messy little fairy in town. Her wand is bent, her wings are patched with bandages, and her magic spells have a way of going wrong. Even so, she’s a lovable little fairy whose adventures have quickly become favorites among young readers.

Parker, Richard.  M for Mischief
When they move into a new house, Andrew, Milly and Peg find a little round structure in the garden, complete with a stove inside.  The stove looks like a normal one, except for the strange “M” on the dial.  And then there’s the “Magical Cook Book” they find with the stove.  Could it really be true?  Andrew and his sisters can hardly wait to try it. Carefully, they set the stove dial to M. Then Andrew cooks an egg and eats it, following the directions.  He can see himself perfectly fine though.  But his sisters can’t.  Andrew has disappeared!  Now they have a magic stove and a whole book of spells to try.  Can they keep their stove secret and keep out of trouble?

Rylant, Cynthia.  The Van Gogh Café
At the Van Gogh Cafe, anything can happen. Clara’s dad owns the cafe, and she’s seen it all—from food that cooks by itself to poems that foretell the future. This award-winning collection of vignettes by Newbery medalist Cynthia Rylant is a treat to be relished. So bring your appetite for the unexpected, because at the Van Gogh Cafe, your order of tea and toast comes with a side of magic!  The Van Gogh Cafe, located in Flowers, Kansas, has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there.

Saunders, Kate.  The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
Welcome to the most magical house in London.   The family of eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily have inherited it, together with the mysterious shop downstairs. Long ago, the shop’s famous chocolate-makers, who also happen to be Oz and Lily’s great uncles, were clever sorcerers. Now evil villains are hunting for the secret of their greatest recipe. The terrifying powers of this magic chocolate have the ability to destroy the world.   Soon, Oz and Lily are swept into a thrilling battle, helped by an invisible cat, a talking rat, and the ghost of an elephant. It’s up to them to stop the villians and keep the magical chocolate recipe out of harm’s way. Their family and the world depends on it.

Smith, Robert Kimmel.  Chocolate Fever
Henry Green is a boy who loves chocolate. He likes it bitter, sweet, dark, light, and daily; for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks; in cakes, candy bars, milk, and every other form you can possibly imagine. Henry probably loves chocolate more than any boy in the history of the world. One day, Henry finds that strange things are happening to him. First he makes medical history with the only case of Chocolate Fever ever–Henry breaks out in brown bumps which cause a series of events ending in a hijacking and a realization about chocolate and family.

Travers, P. L.  Mary Poppins in the Kitchen
Get a unique glimpse at the famous Poppins cast as the spit-spot English nanny and the Banks children take over the kitchen for a week. With the help of familiar visitors like the Bird Woman, Admiral Boom, and Mr. and Mrs. Turvy, Mary Poppins teaches her irrepressible young charges the basics of cooking, from A to Z. And young readers can re-create the week’s menus by following the thirty different recipes. Kitchen adventures were never so much fun!

Weeks, Sarah.  Pie
When Alice’s Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.  Suddenly, the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat. Everyone wants to be the next big pie-contest winner, and it’s making them pie-crazy. It’s up to Alice and her friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: Friendship. Family. And the pleasure of donig something for the right reason.

Wrede, Particia.  Sorcery & Cecelia: Or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Cousins Kate and Cecelia have always been inseparable. But in 1817, as they approach adulthood, they are forced to spend a summer apart. As Cecelia fights boredom in her small country town, Kate visits London to mingle with English society. At the initiation of a magician into the Royal College of Wizards, Kate finds herself alone with a mysterious witch who offers her a sip from a chocolate pot. Kate refuses the drink and the witch disappears as chocolate burns through her dress. Strange forces convene to destroy a beloved wizard, and only Kate and Cecelia can stop the plot. But for two girls who have to contend with the pressures of choosing dresses and beaux for their debuts, deadly magic is only one of their concerns.

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As it turns out, magical cookery books seem to be very popular!  Most of these titles were out when I made this post.  If you’d like to place a book on hold in the Minuteman system, simply click on the title link and you’ll find yourself on that page of our catalog.  Just place a Hold Request from there!

Enjoy!  And if YOU find a mysterious magical cookbook, please bring it in and share with our staff!  Everyone here would like a turn at some cooking magic! 

::Kelly::

Booklist: Double (or Triple!) the Trouble – Fantasy stories!

Continuing our booklist on twins, triplets and other multiples…this time with a Fantasy twist!

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Double (or Triple!) the Trouble Family Stories:
Twins, Triplets, Quadruplets…

FANTASY STYLE

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman

Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth—trapped unless special powers release them. The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe—and survival might be a fantasy.

First Hero by Adam Blade

At the age of seven, Tanner’s father was killed in front of him by the evil warlord Derthsin. But his father’s death was not in vain and Derthsin was carried away to his doom by a good Beast, Firepos the Flame Bird. Now, eight years later, another evil army is wreaking havoc across Avantia. But Tanner has been training with Firepos, waiting to avenge his father’s death. There is something familiar about this new menace, who rides with a Beast of his own. The evil army is after the pieces of the Mask of Death–which allows whoever wears it to control all Beasts. Tanner sets off on a journey to stop them. Along the way, he encounters twins Gwen and Geffen, who hold the map to finding the remaining pieces. Check out #2 (Chasing Evil) and #3 (Call to War) in the series!

Doctor Illuminatus by Martin Booth

When a family moves to an old English country estate, Sebastian, the son of an alchemist, is accidentally awakened from a centuries-long sleep. The evil enemy of Sebastian’s father has also been awakened and continues to pursue his sinister plan.
Check out Part II: Soul stealer.

 

The Land of Stories: the Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales. The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

Witch Twins and the Ghost of Glenn Bly by Adele Griffin

Claire and Luna are thrilled to visit an ancient castle in Scotland with their five-star-witch grandmother, Grandy. But this is no ordinary vacation. The three witches are on a mission: to rid Glenn Bly castle of the terrifying ghost that haunts it. The situation at Glenn Bly is more complicated than the twins had imagined. There’s prickly Daphne, who lives with her grandfather in the castle and seems to be hiding something. There are the awful Shrillingbirds, the absentee landlords who now want to make Glenn Bly their permanent home. Finally, there is the ghost himself. And when Claire and Luna meet him, the real mystery begins. The twins turn ghost-busters in this fourth magically funny book in the Witch Twins series about these novice witches.

 

Otto and the Flying Twins by Charlotte Haptie

It is the spring following the events in Otto and the Flying Twins, and Otto’s world is still strangely unpredictable: the Karmidee still an underclass of ‘magicos’, his parents at odds, and the twins still unable to fly free. And the City of Trees is in the grip of something strange – with the approach of spring, when there should be warmer weather, carnivals and celebration, there is instead increasing cold, snow, bitter blizzards, a frightening upside-down world of ice. Once again, the Karmidee are blamed. But if they ever knew how to control the weather, they have long ago forgotten. Otto and Mab must help to find the answer. Otto encounters the legendary Wool Bandits, helps a miniature family with a dangerous secret and, together with new and extraordinary friends, must challenge the ancient powers of the sinister Bird Charmers. Read the next books in the series: Otto and the Bird Charmers and Otto in the Time of the Warrior.

The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

Meet John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve-year-old twins who one day discover themselves to be descended from a long line of djinn. All of a sudden, they have the power to grant wishes, travel to extraordinary places, and make people and objects disappear. Luckily, the twins are introduced to their eccentric djinn-uncle Nimrod, who will teach them how to harness their newly found power. And not a moment too soon . . . since John and Philippa are about to embark on a search to locate a monstrous pharaoh named Akhenaten and his eerie tomb. Read all seven books in the Children of the Lamp series!

Flip by David Lubar

If you could become anyone in the world, who would you be? Did you ever wish you could be anyone else but who you are? Twins Ryan and Taylor do it all the time. Now their dream is about to come true. They’ve discovered mysterious alien disks that allow they to “flip”–to become legendary heroes from the past. But who?

 

 

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill. Each year, all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination. It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate—until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation. But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle. Check out book #2: Island of Silence.

Facing the hunchback of Notre Dame by L. L. Samson

A hidden attic. A classic story. A very unexpected twist. Twin twelve-year-old bookworms Ophelia and Linus Easterday discover a hidden attic that once belonged to a mad scientist. While relaxing in the attic and enjoying her latest book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ophelia dozes off, and within moments finds herself facing a fully alive and completely bewildered Quasimodo. Ophelia and Linus team up with a clever neighbor, a hippy priest, and a college custodian, learning Quasimodo’s story while searching for some way to get him back home—if he can survive long enough in the modern world. Read the next two books in the series: Saving Moby Dick and Dueling with the Three Musketeers.

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time. Read all of the books in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series!

The Storm Makers by Jennifer E. Smith

What starts as an ordinary summer turns exciting and perilous for twins Ruby and Simon when strange occurrences begin happening on their farm — sudden gusts of wind, rainstorms, and even tornado warnings — that seem eerily timed to Simon’s emotions. Then a stranger arrives and tells the twins that Simon is a Storm Maker — part of a clandestine group of people entrusted with controlling and taming the weather — and that he is in great danger. Soon Simon and Ruby must race against the clock as they try to master Simon’s powers in time to stop a rogue Storm Maker’s treacherous — and potentially deadly — plans.

Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Jaide and Jack Shield’s lives are changing in a very, very strange way. The weather is turning against them. Magical disasters occur when they’re around. And a mysterious explosion has just destroyed their house…from the inside. Without knowing why, the twins are stolen away to live with Grandma X–a relative they’ve never, ever met. At Grandma X’s house, things are even stranger. Weather vanes point in the opposite direction of the wind. Doors appear and disappear. Cats talk. Read book 2: The Monster!

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Eff was born a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he’s supposed to possess amazing talent — and she’s supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town. Undeterred, her family moves to the frontier, where her father will be a professor of magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that separates settlers from the beasts of the wild. Read #2 (Across the Great Barrier) and #3 (The Far West) in the series!

 Booklist by Julie G!

* * *

Hmm.  In Fantasy stories, multiples always seem to be twins. There’s not a triplet or quadruplet in the bunch!  Maybe that’s a book that someone should write…

Next up: Twins, triplets and more in Science Fiction.  (I’m thinking that’s going to be doubles too.)

::Kelly::

Audio Reviews: Three (and a fifth) titles

These audio books have been waiting in my review pile for far too long!  So here are a few new audio books for your listening pleasure.  Try one of these titles (or any of our previous reviews) on your next road trip!

* * *

Fake Mustache: Or How Jodie O’Rodeo and her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind
by Tom Angleberger, Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross and Jessica Almasy
3 CDs, 3.25 Hours

Lenny Flem Jr. is a nerd.  He freely admits it.  His friend Casper Bengue is more of a con-man, so it’s hardly surprising that when Lenny finds himself in a heap of trouble, Casper is at the root of it.

Both boys live in Hairsprinkle, a rather strange little town where nothing every changes.  They still have trolleys running down the middle of main street, the Hairsprinkle Hot Dog Stand, Sven’s Fair Price Emporium, Chauncey’s Big & Tall, Short & Small store, and there’s even the Heidelberg Novelty Company on the outskirts of town.

When Casper borrows the last ten dollars he needs from Lenny to pay for a fake mustache at Sven’s–not a cheap one either, but the Heidleberg Handlebar Number Seven–Lenny isn’t really surprised.  Weirded out a bit, maybe, but not surprised. He’d spent the entire afternoon following Casper as he made a variety of odd purchases, including a pin-striped suit and the mustache.  But everything becomes clear to Lenny the next day, when he hears that the local bank has been robbed.  He knows it has to be Casper.   After all, what other criminal mastermind could pull off a heist with a gang of strolling accordion players, led by a short, well dressed man-about-town sporting a spectacular handlebar mustache?

Of course, no one believes Lenny, and soon he finds himself trying to stop his best friend from his crime spree.  Things only get worse though, when Casper has the financial backing to run for United States President. Lenny has to call in the big guns: Jodie O’Rodeo, former child star, now teen cowgirl queen, and her trained horse.

Will Lenny and Jodie succeed?  Or will Casper win?  It’s a battle of wits as these friends face off over a fake mustache and the fate of the U.S. population!

Fake Mustache is such a goofy story; all  preposterous situations and ridiculous coincidences and silly clues. That’s what makes it fun though!  The two readers split Lenny and Jodie O’Rodeo’s telling of the story, and they do a wonderful job.

The main characters in this story are all twelve years old and in middle school.  Tom Angleberger is also the author of the popular Origami Yoda series, and like those books, Fake Mustache will be popular with the fourth through eighth grade crowd.  Make sure you check out the book, even if you’re planning to listen to the CDs…the illustrations are great and add an extra level of absurdness to the story.  And you’ll definitely want to check out the mustache types on the end pages!

If you want a serious story, give Fake Mustache a pass. But if you want an absurd, over-the-top extravaganza of wackiness, go for it.  You’ll be laughing as you try to figure out what Casper is going to do next, and how Lenny’s predicament can possibly get any worse!

* * *

A Confusion of Princes
By Garth Nix, Read by Michael Goldstrom
8 CDs, 9 Hours, 44 minutes

Prince Khemri is a Prince of the Empire.  While most citizens of the Empire go about their boring lives, living out their short life-spans, Princes are taken from their parents at a very young age and placed in a temple. For the next ten years, their minds and bodies are augmented by three forces: Mektek, Bitek and Psitek.  This makes Princes stronger, faster, smarter and luckier than normal humans.  The only drawback is that once a Prince reaches maturity, he is subject to the rules that govern all other Princes–there is only one Emperor.  And the surest way to ensure your endurance is to kill, dishonor or destroy the competition.  Fortunately, when a Prince dies, his life is assessed, and if the Imperial Mind finds him or her worthy, he or she is reborn.

When Prince Khemri reaches his majority, he has to leave his temple and make his way to a protected learning place.  At one of the Academies, he will be safe from being challenged to duels and protected from major, obvious, conspiracies.  But of course, one thing about Princes is that they always believe they’re right, so being in a protected place doesn’t actually mean that Khemri is safe.  No, it just means that the rules are harder to figure out, and that the game is even more deadly.

Khemri is finally chosen for a special assignment, and is sent out on a secret mission.  In the midst of his trial period, after a deadly space battle, he finds himself rescuing a lieutenant named Raine on a disabled and drifting spaceship.  Is this another test, or is it real?  When Raine and her world challenge everything Prince Khemri has ever known about the Empire, the Imperial Mind, the Emperor and himself, will he find a way to reconcile all these different sources of information?  Or will he return to what he knows?

Although I love reading science fiction, I sometimes find it difficult to listen to.  I was a little afraid that I would have that problem with this audio recording, but was quite pleased that while it sounded futuristic, it was also exciting and current.  Michael Goldstrom, the narrator, is enjoyable.   His voice sounded both young and confident, befitting a prince. There was some infrequent but useful sound effects for Khemri’s internal psitek evaluations when he spoke with the Imperial Mind.

A Confusion of Princes is in our Teen section. Because of violence and some romantic situations, is more appropriate for upper middle school and high school readers and listeners.  Garth Nix has had quite a few series (The Seventh Tower, The Keys to the Kingdom, and the Abhorsen Trilogy) and this one should be just as popular.  Science fiction readers and listeners–teens and adult– could enjoy this together.

* * *

The Willoughbys: A Novel
Nefariously written by Lois Lowry, Narrated by Arte Johnson
3 CDs, 2 Hours and 55 Minutes

The old-fashioned Willoughby children live in a small, old-fashioned house with their old-fashioned parents.  Timothy is the eldest, is twelve.  Barnaby A and Barnaby B, the twins, are two years younger.  Jane is the youngest at six and a half.  All four children are convinced that, like Anne of Green Gables and James of the Giant Peach, they should be orphans.  After all, in old-fashioned books, all the best worthy and winsome children are orphans.  And it’s not like their parents really like them or anything, they couldn’t even manage to think of two names for the twins!  The clincher to the orphan thing is when they find a beastly baby abandoned on their doorstep. Of course, they don’t want to keep it, so they pass it on to the rich old gentleman down the road.

But when their parents depart on a sea voyage with the Reprehensible Travel Agency, they hire Nanny to watch after the children.  The letters home prove that the Willoughby parents are remarkably resistant to the dangers of floods, volcanoes and tornadoes.  However, they’re also resistant to their worthy and winsome offspring.  They put their house on the market with no intention of ever returning.

Timothy, A and B, Jane and Nanny are not very happy with this situation. They Must Do Something!  And with the help of sweets tycoon and bereaved benefactor Colonel Melanoff and his adopted ward, Baby Ruth, they may rise above their situation and prevail!

The Willoughbys is a parody of all the “great” children’s classics. It really helps to know the rags to riches, poor orphaned premise of stories like Pollyanna, The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins and Heidi to know what the Willoughbys are going through!  Every element of Old-Fashionedness is here, from villains and wealthy benefactors to long-lost heirs and abandoned babies. The Willoughbys pays playful homage to classic works of children’s literature with all the wit of current writers like Lemony Snickett.

Arte Johnson is the perfect narrator; droll, dry and understated.  He sounds like he’s surprised with every twist and turn of the plot, but he’s as matter-of-fact about these developments as the children are.

The Willoughbys is for all ages; anyone who appreciates parody and children’s literature will enjoy both the book and the audio.  It’s a fast read, and a fun listen.  There is a great glossary of old-fashioned terms in the back of the book, as well as a bibliography of classic children’s literature mentioned during the story.  This would be a fun book for a family car trip with kids in third grade through middle school.

* * *

…and the “fifth” of a book:

Seraphina
By Rachel Hartman, read by Mandy Williams with Justine Eyre
11 CDs, 13 hours, 15 minutes

Seraphina lives in a world where humans and dragons co-exist, although there are still problems between the two groups. These issues are part of Seraphina’s secret: although her father is human, her mother, who died when she was born, was a dragon.  If anyone knew, she would be put to death immediately.

Seraphina’s father has told her not to reveal her secret to anyone, and to make herself as inconspicuous and invisible as possible.  But Seraphina keeps finding herself in situations that bring her to the attention of powerful people–human and dragon.  Can she keep her secret and discover her heritage?

Why is this “a fifth”?  Although I LOVED the narrator’s voice in the audio recording of Seraphina, my daily commute is about ten minutes. And I couldn’t keep track of who people were (lots of fantasy names with different-sounding vowels) and what they were doing (which was pretty detailed and convoluted) in such short, choppy segments.  I’m sure this is a wonderful audio, but it needs to be savored in long stretches of time.  So although I only listened to the first two CDs, the book is in my list of Books To Read, because I think it’s sure to be a wonderful story.  For me, it just needs more time and visual contemplation.

Because of the situation and concepts of Seraphina’s existance, Seraphina is definitely a teen book. I would highly recommend it to fantasy and dragon fans who have the time to pour over it.

* * *

And there you have it!  Three (okay, almost four) audio books to listen to on your next trip.  And let our staff know what you think!

::Kelly::

Old Favorite: Dark Lord of Derkholm

October is my favorite month of the year.  Changing leaves, pumpkins, apples, Halloween, Halloween costumes…  When I was a kid, I usually based my Halloween costume on favorite stories and books.  I remember the year I was Dorrie quite well; it took a long time to find two pairs of different colored striped socks and a stuffed black cat for Bink!  With all the Harry Potters out there today, it’s obvious that people still find their inspiration for costumes in books.

But what if finding a costume was more serious that just once a year, for fun?  What if your life depended on it?  In Diana Wynne Jones’ Dark Lord of Derkholm, a whole world’s livelihood depends on the strength of their costumes.  And on their acting abilities.  And athough that might sound like fun, for the brothers and sisters in this tale, it really isn’t.

* * *

Mr. Chesney is the most powerful man in the world.  In several worlds, in fact.  His  business to to bring groups of Mr. Chesney’s Pilgrim Party Tours from the overdeveloped, over mechanized outer realms to a poor world where magic works.  His hold over the world started forty years ago, and involved blackmail, threats and a demon.

No one  actually likes Mr. Chesney or his Pilgrims.  For one thing, everyone has to pretend to be something they’re not if one of the Pilgrim Parties is in town.  For another, every year, people are forced to play the Dark Lord and his minions.  During that year, the wizard  must act evil, perform evil deeds, and in the end, be defeated by the Pilgrim Parties in a huge, epic battle.  Even worse, the tourists in the Pilgrim Parties don’t actually know that most of the evil henchmen and magicians are farmers, soldiers and normal wizards forced into playing the part under duress.  It’s a dangerous job, and everyone–from farmers to  soldiers to thieves, elves, and dragons– agree that Mr. Chesney must be stopped. Even though that means risking the wrath of a creature who has the power to destroy their world completely.

When Querida, the High Chancellor, and her cohorts in the High Council of Wizards’ University consult with the Oracles, the only help the Oracles can give is that the next Dark Lord must be the first person Querida sees, and the second person will be the Wizard Guide, who leads the Pilgrim Parties around the world and who is supposed to keep all the tours running smoothly.  Even though this mysterious prophecy doesn’t seem very helpful, the Council is sure that both these people will be powerful wizards, able to defeat the evil Mr. Chesney.

But the first person Querida sees is the disorganized and kind Wizard Derk; the second is his 14-year-old son Blade.  And suddenly, Derk, Blade and the whole of Derkholm, from family to servants to  merchants and townspeople are embroiled in a magical mess.  Derk has to reform the family castle into a pit of despair and doom, as well as coordinate armies, magical creatures and other magicians while trying to save his people from too much devastation.  The whole family is dragged into the act. Although no one likes the idea, they’re resigned to a year of no crops, no income, destroyed farms and sacrifices.  And then Derk is hurt in an accident with a dragon.  With his wife Mara’s help, Derk still might be able to pull off the role of the Dark Lord…but what about Blade?

Even though Blade is still a teen, his job of shepherding the Pilgrims around the world and dealing with Mr. Chesney might be even more dangerous. Especially now, when his parents can’t help him.  Luckily, his sister Shona is willing to drop out of Bard college to help him.  And their brothers and sisters: Elda, Lydda, Don, Callette, Finn and Kit have some great ideas too.  So what if they’re griffins, not humans?  But Mr. Chesney is grimly determined that magical creatures, even related ones, must be evil.  His actions toward Don, Callette and the others put them all in terrible danger.  Blade and the others might squabble, but they’re a family.  The siblings become more determined, and their goal is clear. Derk needs help, Blade is in trouble, and what Mr. Chesney doesn’t know won’t hurt him.  But the question is…will it hurt them?

As Blade goes out with the first group of Pilgrims, he’s not sure quite what to expect.  Pretty quickly, he learns that he’s in over his head. The tourists seem to have their own agenda,  it’s not so easy to pretend to be an ancient wizard, even behind a long white beard that apparently, ALL wizards wear, and it’s hard to pretend that  your wounded and kind father is an Evil Overlord of Doom.   Even worse than that though, Mr. Chesney seems to have seen through their deception.  While trying to play their roles, Blade and his brothers and sisters find themselves in danger.  Trying to defeat Mr. Chesney at the same time that they’re protecting their father and their friends from his wrath is no picnic!

Will these unusual siblings prevail?  Or will the implacable Mr. Chesney and his menacing weapon–a demon–win?  Read and find out!

* * *

I just love all of Diana Wynne Jones’ books, and Dark Lord of Derkholm is among my favorites.  If you’ve ever read any kind of fantasy novel with a dangerous quest at the heart of it, you’ll laugh as you read the descriptions of what Derk’s people have to go through to create this illusion.  You’ll never look at fantasy in quite the same way!

The siblings in this story–human and griffin–each have distinct personalities and goals.  They squabble like most brothers and sisters, in spite of the magic.  Best of all, when problems arise, they work together.  Derk and Mara are wonderful, loving parents, happy with their children and each other, and quite in over their heads with their evil taskmaster.  Mr. Chesney is a horrible enemy; cunning, controlling and commercial.

So if you like a splash of humor in your dangerous fantasy world, try Dark Lord of Derkholm.  There’s also a sequel, called The Year of the Griffin.  Both are wonderful!

::Kelly::

Old Favorites: Wren to the Rescue

Quests are always a fun topic for an adventure book. The more dangerous the adventure, the more exciting the read.  What’s not to like?  Daring heroes, impossible tasks, magical mischief, mistaken identities and more await every lucky reader.

Wren to the Rescue, by Sherwood Smith, is full of all of these elements…and more!

* * *

Wren was left at a mountain orphanage when she was just a baby.  At nine, she was transferred to Three Groves Orphanage because of overcrowding.  At Three Groves, she learns how to clean, cook, mend and do farm tasks.  Wren would rather learn how to read and write, act or go on adventures!  But Wren is stuck in life as an orphan; when she’s twelve, she’ll be hired out.  Until then though, she makes a name for herself creating stories and sticking up for other kids.  She meets another orphan, Tess, when she rescues her from some of the bigger orphanage bullies.  Three years later, Wren and Tess are still best friends, doing everything together.

So when Tess announces that she isn’t really an orphan at all, but a princess in disguise, Wren is amazed.  Tess has been under a curse and in hiding from an evil sorcerer the entire time she’s known her!  Wren is completely envious that Tess–quiet, shy Tess–is about to go to the palace to live in luxury and have grand adventures.  Tess though, would rather stay an anonymous orphan with her best friend. When she asks Wren if knowing she’s a princess changes Wren’s opinion of her, Wren tells her of course not. But she does think that their personalities are better suited to each others positions.  Fortunately, Tess isn’t angry–she knows it’s true.

Tess asks Wren to join her–not as a maid servant, but as her friend. Wren promptly agrees, and both girls are magically whisked away by Mistress Leila, one of the orphanage teachers who is actually Tess’ aunt, to the Magic School.  There, Tess meets with her parents and learns that she’s not completely out of danger.  But, reassured by the precautions the King and Queen have taken, the royal family and Wren return to the Palace.  But the curse seems to come true when, during the preparation for her 13th birthday, Tess vanishes. Kidnapped!

Wren saw the person who took Tess, and she saw the magic that was used.  But no one listens to her; they think she’s just a poor girl.  So Wren repeats the phrase she heard Mistress Leila use, waves her hand the same way, and is transported to the Magic School, where she meets a young wizard.  This wizard can’t seem to perform magic reliably, and is stunned to learn that Wren can do a difficult spell just from hearing it one time.  He also has a best friend, another boy training to be a warrior.  They’re willing to listen, so Wren tells them all she knows of Tess’s disappearance.  All three bond over their worry about Tess, and soon Wren, Tyron and Connor are defying the King and setting out on a quest to find and rescue her.

But Wren doesn’t know that both her traveling companions have secrets.  She also isn’t quite sure what to do with the magical abilities she seems to be developing; will they help or hinder in the search for Tess?

Facing evil magicians, enchanted beasts, and magical warriors led by an enchantress, Wren leads the boys over the mountains on a continuing mission to find Tess.  But when her magic backfires, will Wren be able to continue on her quest?  Only by finding Tess and confronting her evil captors will Wren find the answers to her questions.

* * *

Wren to the Rescue was written in 1990, and was followed by two other titles, Wren’s Quest and Wren’s War. The trilogy stopped with some unanswered questions, so I was happy to see that there is now a fourth book, Wren, Journeymage available online through the author’s website.

Although there are princesses and evil sorcerers, dragons (well, sort of) and potential romance aplenty, it’s refreshing to meet a heroine who starts out with no special status or powers.  She’s not a princess or a magician herself, but an ordinary girl with determination, stubbornness and  principles.  Wren is the power behind the quest, the one who organizes the other rescuers, the one who is motivated by to find her friend.  She consults with the boys, but is usually the one they turn to to make important decisions.

If you like quest stories, spunky heroines and magic, you’ll love Wren to the Rescue.  So what are you waiting for?  Read it and find out!

::Kelly::

New Favorite: The False Prince

Every so often, I come across a new book that I just love and have to share with friends who are also readers.  Sometimes, they already know about the book because other librarians and book bloggers are also talking about it. Sometimes, I seem to be the only one who loves it.   But that’s the great thing about books!  Everyone has different experiences when they read one.

The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is a new book that I read and loved.  Let’s see if I can convince you to read it too…

* * *

Sage lives by his wits on the streets of one of the major cities of Carthya.  Well, really he lives at Mrs. Turbeldy’s Orphanage for Disadvantaged Boys, but since all Mrs. Turbeldy provides is a vermin-filled bed and a bunch of hungry roommates, Sage might just as well be on the street.  Also living in the orphanage are nineteen other boys between the ages of three to fifteen; Sage is one of the oldest.  Most of the boys are kicked out of the orphanage once they turn fourteen, but Sage is kept a bit longer because he’s good at “finding” things for all the boys to eat, and at stealing little trinkets to keep Mrs. Turbeldy happy.

Caught in the market by a merchant and fleeing pursuit for theft of a roast, Sage returns to the orphanage one afternoon only to find that Mrs. Turbeldy has sold his services to a man named Bevin Conner.  Conner strikes him as untrustworthy, and Sage has no desire to be his servant. Sage resists going with the man…he’d rather be free and on his own than serve a man who won’t even tell him his trade or business.  That’s when he finds out that Conner won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Sage is clubbed over the head and dragged away.

When Sage awakens, he finds himself in the back of a wagon, with his hands and feet tied. Three other boys are with him in the wagon bed, all about his age, all with light brown hair and similar features.  In fact, they look like they could all be brothers.  Sage wants to know what is going on, but the other boys tell him they’re as much in the dark as he is. They only know that Bevin Conner is a noble, and a friend to  the King’s Court.  One of the boys had overheard that Conner wants the boys for a  service to the king.

When they stop for the night, Sage is taken out of the wagon.  He discovers that Conner and his two henchmen, Cregan and Mott, aren’t yet willing to trust him. Although he is untied, he is left chained, so he won’t attempt an escape.  After a short break for a bare-bones meal, Sage learns Conner’s plan. It seems that Conner is one of the King’s regents, and he’s plotting treason. His plan is to overthrow the king, get rid of him, and put an imposter on the throne.  King Eckbert has one son, Prince Darius, but there used to be two.  The younger son, Prince Jaron, was lost at sea four years ago when the ship he was traveling on was attacked by pirates and sunk.

Conner’s plan is to teach all the boys the skills they will need to convince the court that one of them IS Prince Jaron.  He will say that he tracked down the prince in dire circumstances and rescued him from his enemies, then install him on the throne.  The boy who is picked will become Prince Jaron and inherit the crown of Cathyan. He doesn’t say it, but the boys know that after the training is complete, the leftover, unsuccessful trainees will be a threat to the one who becomes Prince Jaron. The boys  who are not chosen will most likely be killed.  It is a deadly incentive to learn Conner’s lessons. To make the boys realize that he is serious, Conner  has Cregan kill one of the boys.  His excuse is that  Latimer was sick, and would never have recovered enough to learn the sword fighting, horseback riding or dancing he would need to play Prince Jaron.

It’s definitely a way to keep the three remaining boys on their toes and willing to learn.

Sage, Tobias and Roden enter into their training with different skills, knowledge and backgrounds. Each of them is determined to be the one selected as Prince Jaron. Sage watches his two rivals with a cautious respect. Even though they are competing for the biggest prize of all, the boys  do work together on some tasks. Sage has secrets and skills that he doesn’t share with the others though. Every lie he weaves, every devious action he takes gets him closer to being the one chosen as the false prince.

As lies and truths become muddled, Sage is caught in a trap of destiny. Can a liar and a thief become a king?  Does he even want to?

* * *

This is a great book! It’s told from Sage’s point of view, so the reader only knows what Sage chooses to tell us. And Sage keeps secrets.  There are plenty of twists and turns as Sage’s life becomes more and more complicated.  His life on the streets will stand him in good stead in this deadly game.

The False Prince is the first book in the Ascendance trilogy, and I’m already waiting for book two.  It won’t be out for awhile though, so we’ll all have to wait.   This is a book you need to read carefully, because there is a lot going on.  If you pay attention, you may figure out what’s going on before the other characters in the book do.  Because The False Prince is full of political intrigue and mystery, it’s probably best suited to readers in middle school.  A good fifth grade reader might enjoy it too though, and anyone who read and loved The Thief, by Megan Whelan Turner will probably appreciate Sage’s story.  I’m really hoping that the publisher releases it as a book on CD, because it would be a great novel to listen to on a car trip.

So give The False Prince a try, and see what you think!

::Kelly::

Three Fantasy Audio Books Reviewed

Time for a few more audio reviews!  For some reason this month, they’re all fantasy-adventure stories.  I guess I have a type.

* * *

Earwig and the Witch
by Diana Wynne Jones, Narrated by Charlotte Parry
1 CD, 1 Hour

Earwig was left on the steps of St Morwald’s Home for Children as a baby with a note pinned to her shawl:
Got the other twelve witches all chasing me.
I’ll be back for her when I’ve shook them off.
It may take years.
Her name is Earwig.

Of course, Matron didn’t believe that anyone would name a child Earwig, so she called her Erica Wigg. That never stuck though, and Earwig became…Earwig.

One of the interesting things about living in an orphanage is when people show up looking to foster children. Earwig always manages to avoid being chosen though, because she likes living at St. Morwald’s.  Where else would she be able to make everyone do whatever she wants? When potential foster parents come through, Earwig concentrates on looking unloveable. It’s always worked.

So when two strange people come in–the woman with one brown eye and one blue one in a mean face, with blue-rinsed hair and purple lipstick, wearing a brown suit with a green sweater and sky blue high-heeled boots,  the man just a tall black blur in the air–looking for a child, Earwig looks unloveable. It doesn’t work. The couple seems to see right through her concentration, and they take her. Earwig tries to refuse, but she has no grounds for an objection.  She goes to live with Bella Yaga and the Mandrake.

But the little house on Lime Street has some curious secrets. Why is it bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Where are the doors to get out?  How can Thomas the cat speak to Earwig?  And what is Bella Yaga brewing in hter kitchen?  Soon Earwig has her hands full figuring out the mysteries of her new home and practicing magic, as well as trying to make her place in the world.

The narration for Earwig and the Witch is quite charming…I love the narrator’s matter-of-fact approach to telling the story.  All the characters have distinct voices and accents.

Earwig and the Witch was the last book Diana Wynne Jones completed before her death, and it’s an intriguing story.  Somehow though, it feels like it was only the beginning of a tale that is much longer and more involved.  I just wish she’d had the chance to write more about Earwig, Thomas and all the orphans at Saint Morwald’s.  But for a quick car trip or to introduce Diana Wynne Jones to younger readers, this would be an excellent choice.  I think kids as young as five would enjoy listening to Earwig’s story, and the book is aimed at second through fourth graders.

* * *

Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy, Performed by Rupert Degas
6 CDs, 7 Hours, 30 minutes

Stephanie had always enjoyed her Uncle Gordon, even if he was a bit of a mystery. Part of that may be because he was a mystery writer, coming up with far-fetched horror plots where the hero never quite makes it through the book. But when Gordon dies and leaves the bulk of his estate to Stephanie, she’s as shocked as the rest of her family.

At the reading of the will, she meets the mysterious Skulduggery Pleasant. His only legacy from Gordon is a pithy piece of advice, but Stephanie is intrigued by his appearance. He wears a very fancy suit, gloves, a large hat, sunglasses and a scarf. There’s not a single bit of skin showing on his extremely thin frame. Stephanie and the rest of her family finds it very odd.

When Stephanie ends up alone in Gordon’s house–well, HER house now–overnight, she enjoys the time alone and the chance to read Gordon’s last manuscript.  Just after midnight, when she’s finished reading, someone starts banging on the door.  Stephanie tries to pretend she’s not there, but soon the prowler breaks into the house and attacks.  He apparently wants something that he thinks Gordon left to Stephanie–something that is hidden in the house. Something Stephanie has no idea exists.  She fights back, but Stephanie is no match for the mysteriously strong thug. She is saved by Skulduggery…who in the course of the fight reveals himself to be a living skeleton.

Stephanie is determined to learn what kind of craziness Uncle Gordon was involved in, and soon discovers that there is a whole other world which exists alongside the human world, populated by magic users, monsters and beings like Skulduggery, former humans transformed into something different by magic.  As she works alongside Skulduggery, trying to find out who is trying to kill her, she learns that she has some magic skills of her own…

The CD recording of Skulduggery Pleasant is fun to listen to.  I love the narrator’s accent, and his tone is full and rich.  I was at first taken aback by the bridges between chapters and scenes…most of them feature spooky music but there are also rattling bones, echoing footsteps, and sudden screams. (My poor dog practically jumped out of the car the first time she heard the screams on a car ride.)

The narrator’s voice is surprisingly deep, but there are so many menacing adult male characters in the story that his voice is perfect.  One thing that did throw me was that Skulduggery’s voice changed from disc to disc…on the first two CDs, he had a very deep voice with what sounded a bit like an American accent…but on the third CD, it was higher and had the same accent as most of the other characters.  It was a small flaw in an otherwise masterful recording.

Skulduggery Pleasant is both a mystery and a fantasy story.  It has two sequels–Playing with Fire and The Faceless Ones. The books do feature some magical fighting and contain some violence, so it’s probably better for older listeners.  I would recommend the books and the recordings to kids in fourth through seventh grade.

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Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog
by Ysabeau S. Wilce, Performed by Danielle Ferland
10 CDs, 11.25 Hours

Flora Fyrdraaca has problems.  She’s the only Fyrdraaca at home, which makes her the one in charge of Crackpot Hall.  As if being fourteen and preparing for her Catorcena ceremony wasn’t enough, she has to clean a house with 11,000 rooms, muck out horses stalls, care for the family dogs and watch out for Poppy, her father who lives in his Eyrie away from everyone else at the top of the house, has temper tantrums that destroy rooms and cause more work for Flora.

Even if Flora’s Mamma was home, the responsibility would still fall to Flora. Mamma, after all, is the Rock of Califa, the Commanding General of the Army of Califa, second only to the Warlord who rules the country. She is much too grand and busy to worry about the upkeep of the house. It would be different for Flora if Mamma hadn’t banished the Fyrdraacan Denizen, the magical entity who IS the house. But she did, and that’s why nothing in Crackpot Hall works. Even though there are 11,000 rooms, only a handful are actually accessible regularly.

So when Flora takes a forbidden shortcut and ends up in the Library, a room she has never before seen, she just has to explore. And when a skinny boy comes out of the gloomy stacks and introduces himself as Valefor, the family butler, Flora is amazed at how much Fyrdraaca family history he knows. But when he tells her that she can restore him to the healthy magical Denizen of Crackpot Hall by giving him a tiny taste of her will, Flora is intrigued.  The pot is sweetened when he offers to restore some of the conveniences of the house with the rebuilding of his Will.  Flora will have help cleaning, and cooking, and have fresh towels and sheets and someone to talk to while her Mamma is away and Poppy is hiding in his Eyrie.  Flora agrees, and Valefor takes some energy.

Flora thought that things would get easier with Valefor’s help, but then Mamma comes home and she has to hide his presence. Mamma leaves shortly, but not before Flora’s snooping in Mamma’s office reveals that one of her heroes, the Dainty Pirate, is about to be hung.

Flora enlists her best friend Udo to help rescue the Dainty Pirate. But can two teenagers take on the entire forces of the country (not to mention the overlords and enemies of that country) to save one pirate? Some surprising people come to their aid, and some unsuspected villains are revealed as Flora and Udo take their lives into their hands to do what they think is right.

I loved the narrator of the Flora Segunda CD.  The language in the story is quite different from most books, with a little bit or exotic flavor. The narrator’s voice is quirky, and her accent is just right for this book.  There are terms thrown around that are not what you expect to hear, and yet they sound perfectly natural.  It feels like the listener is in an entirely different world.

Flora has to deal with some difficult issues in her life–her father has PTSD and drinks, her mother is away too much, her family tree is riddled with strange characters–yet her charm and innocence and determination comes through. But because of that, I would recommend both the book and the book on CD for kids in fifth through ninth grade.

And if you like Flora Segunda, try the two sequels: Flora’s Dare and Flora’s Fury.

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So if you’re in the mood for a good fantasy book of CD for a car trip, a bedtime listen, or just to play for fun, try one of these.  They’re sure to be a hit with the right listeners.

If you need suggestions for your next book on CD, please ask one of our librarians. We’ll be happy to help you find the perfect story for your family!

::Kelly::

Old Favorite: The Magicians of Caprona

It’s been a year since my favorite author Diana Wynne Jones passed away. She wasn’t just my favorite though, there are many people all over the world who have adored her and her books.   In her honor, many blogs all over the world are having a Celebrate Diana Wynne Jones Blog Tour!  From April 12th to April 26th, bloggers from all over the world will be talking about Diana, her books and her influence on writers and readers from April 12th to April 26th.

This is a writer who deserves to be read and reread, talked about and enjoyed.  So though we’ve done other Old Favorites of her books, (see Eight Days of Luke, The Homeward Bounders,  Charmed Life and our Tribute to Diana Wynne Jones) here’s one more: The Magicians of Caprona, by Diana Wynne Jones.

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The Montanas and the Petroccis are two of the most powerful magical families in Italy. For decades, all of the best spells have come from either Casa Montana or Casa Petrocci.   The two great houses of Montana and Petrocci go back to the founding of the great state of Caprona, seven hundred years ago, but they’ve been bitter rivals for over two hundred years.  There are stories about what started the feud (different at each house, of course) but no one really knows.  If groups of Montanas and Petroccis  meet on the streets, they fight. Sometimes with stones and fists, but more often with spells. Every citizen of Caprona knows to get out of the way if two factions of the rival houses meet.

Paolo and Tonino Montana have never been to school with any Petroccis, they’ve never even met one. But their older sister Lucia tells them stories about the family’s horrible habits. Since all the Montana cousins have heard these stories since they were children, they believe it too, especially dashing cousin Rinaldo, who is almost an adult. Only Tonino’s oldest sister Rosa laughs and tells Paulo and Tonino and the younger children not to listen to the over-imaginative Lucia.

But things aren’t always wonderful, even for magical families.  Casa Montana may be magical, but poor Tonino despairs of ever being able to work magic himself; his spells just go wrong.  Paolo, who has a great instinct for spells,  is sure that he would be good at school.  Tonino had always hoped for that too, but even at school, Tonino really has to concentrate to remember anything. He’s so unhappy that Old Niccolo, his grandfather, charges the leader of the house cats, Benvenuto, to look after Tonino.  That is how Tonino becomes the liaison between the Casa Montana cats and the Casa Montana spell-workers.

When the Old Bridge of Caprona is cracked by winter floods, the Duke of Caprona orders it to be repaired. It will take both the Montana and the Petrocci familes to repair the damaged spellworks. Although each family is determined to stay to their own side of the bridge, only the combined efforts of working together will ensure that The Old Bridge’s spells will endure.  But it’s much harder to repair than anyone thought…someone, or something, is diverting the magic.  When the Montanas call on Chrestomanci, the English enchanter who regulates the use of magic in their world, he is only able to tell them that there is an evil enchanter removing the virtue of the city.  If Casa Montana and Casa Petrocci can find the words to the Angel of Caprona (which is both a hymn and a powerful spell), they may be able to save the city.  If they don’t find the spell, they won’t be able to save Caprona, and it will mean war. And in fact, Chrestomanci must leave without helping them much more, he needs to prevent the city-states of Florence, Pisa and Siena from attacking Caprona while the Montanas and Petroccis try to find the Angel of Caprona. He takes several of the older cousins and uncles with him.

Both families know different words to the hymn, but they’re not the right words. As the search goes on for the spell, Old Bridge is in danger of collapsing again. Both families return to work on the spell-work, but since most of the men are trying to prevent war, the spells are being done by the senior uncles and aunts, the women and even the older children. At Old Bridge, Tonino and Paolo meet two Petrocci sisters–Angelica and Renata.  They don’t SEEM horrible,in fact, they remind the boys of their girl cousins.  Tonino even learns that there might be someone worse at magic than he is–whenever Angelica tries a spell, it works, but never the way that she intended.

Banished from the spellworking on Old Bridge because of their unpredictable powers, Tonino and Angelica are left unprotected and vulnerable.  Both are suddenly and sneakily dragged into a spell, and only Paolo and Renata seem to understand that something has happened to them.  Benvenuto knows too, but without Tonino to explain what he’s saying, the adults won’t listen to any of them.

While Tonino and Angelica struggle to discover where they are and how to save themselves, Paolo and Renata work together to try to get a rescue mission in play. The Casa Montana and Casa Petrocci families though, seem determined not to listen.  In fact, they spend more time fighting and throwing spells at each other.  Is this all part of the evil enchanter’s plan?  Are the two biggest Spell-houses of Caprona destined to fall?  Will anyone find the Angel of Caprona?  Is the fate of Caprona resting on the shoulders of Tonino and Angelica, Paolo and Renata?

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The Magicians of Caprona came out in 1980, to much anticipation and critical acclaim.  It was the second book to feature Chrestomanci, the mysteriously vague nine-lived enchanter. The main focus of the story though, are the two feuding families.  The Montanas and the Petroccis are similar to the Capulets and the Montagues, only without the romance. Well, not the same kind of romance, anyway. Tonino and Paolo’s older sister Rosa has a secret she’s keeping, although Angelica and Renata’s older brother Marco might know more about it than any of the Montanas…

This is a great book!  Writing a description is difficult though, since all of the bits and pieces fit together so carefully that saying too much is like pointing out the way to put it together.  Most of Diana Wynne Jones’ books are like that, which is why they’re such a pleasure to re-read.  There’s always much more going on than you thought, and a second time through makes the reader realize that the clues were always right there, disguised. It’s almost a different book the second time around!

But if you like stories of magic, of brave and determined kids in danger, of brothers and sisters who are friends and who fight together, then you’ll like The Magicians of Caprona.  The world of Caprona might take a little getting used to (it’s a little like Shakespeare’s Montagues and Capulets live in Hogsmead, and their children all go to Hogwarts but must stay in different houses) but it is definitely an interesting world. (And it came first!)  The plot contains a lot of twists and turns, but I think the story would be enjoyed by kids in fifth through eight grades, and by even older readers  who know who the Montagues and the Capulets are.  Tonino makes some appearances in later books featuring Chrestomanci, so his story continues in some of Diana Wynne Jones’ later books.

So pick up The Magicians of Caprona and read it…twice!  Then let me know what you think. I’m guessing that if you’re a fan of original fantasy, you’ll love it!

::Kelly::

 

BookList: Fairy Tale Re-Tellings – Tales

And now we’ve reached the end of our Fairy Tale Booklists!  Since it was started, the library has added at least three new books that would fit into the lists, so we may be doing an update sooner than I thought!

In the meantime, read some of these interesting short story collections of  some favorite tales. Some have different views of the same tales, some have a variety of different tales, but all are fresh takes on these stories.

If there is a J at the end of the summary, the book is in the Juvenile collection, if there is a YA, it’s in the YA/Teen collection.

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Fairy Tale Retellings

Don’t want to read a whole novel? Try one of our Short Story Collections, featuring different takes on the old familiar tales…

Datlow, Ellen.  Swan Sister
Just as fairy-tale magic can transform a loved one into a swan, the contributors to this book have transformed traditional fairy tales and legends into stories that are completely original, yet still tantalizingly familiar. The stories include a Rapunzel whose most confining prison is her loneliness; a contemporary rendering of the Green Man myth; two different versions of Red Riding Hood; a tale that grew out of a Celtic folk song; Sleeping Beauty’s experience of her enchantment; two works inspired by the Arabian Nights; and more.  J

Datlow, Ellen.  Troll’s-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales
Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales–evil, no two ways about it. But the villains themselves beg to differ. In this anthology for younger readers, you’ll hear from the Giant’s wife (from Jack and the Beanstalk), Rumpelstiltskin, the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and more.  Find out why villains are so villainous, and maybe, why heroes and princesses aren’t all they appear to be.  J

Datlow, Ellen.  A Wolf at the Door: and Other Re-told Fairy Tales
Did you ever wonder what ever happened to the seven dwarfs after Snow White ditched them? What was life like for the giant above the beanstalk? Do you sometimes wish Cinderella hadn’t been so helpless and petite? Are you ready to hear the Giant’s point of view on Jack and his beanstalk? If you’ve thought about any of these questions, then this is the book for you. Readers need wonder no more. This collection of 13 fantasy short stories takes favorite folk tales on a wild spin through the imagination.  J

Maguire, Gregory.  Leaping Beauty: and other Animal Fairy Tales
Zany animals of all species run through these eight beloved—but fractured!–fairytales with alarming speed and dexterity. Who would have thought that Sleeping Beauty, that most regal of all fairy– tales, could be twisted into the story of a frog with a most unusual and promising dance career? Get ready to meet a gorilla queen and a psycho chimp, seven giant giraffes; and one very bad walrus in this funny collection.  J

Van de Velde, Vivian.  Cloaked in Red
So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species? Well, then, try your hand at answering these questions: Which character (not including Little Red herself) is the most fashion challenged? Who (not including the wolf) is the scariest? Who (not including Granny) is the most easily scared? Who is the strangest (notice we’re not “not including” anyone, because they’re all a little off.)? Who (no fair saying “the author”) has stuffing for brains? After you’re finished reading, you may never look at fairy tales in quite the same way again.  J

Van de Velde, Vivian.  The Rumplestiltskin Problem
Have you ever wondered just what was going on when that odd little man with the long name stepped up and volunteered to spin straw into gold for the miller’s daughter? If you stop and think about it, there are some very peculiar and rather hard-to-explain components to the story.  Here are six alternative versions of the old legend. A bevy of miller’s daughters confront their perilous situation in very different ways — sometimes comic, sometimes scary. Most of the time, it’s the daughter who gets off safely, but sometimes, amazingly, Rumpelstiltskin himself wins the day. And in one tale, it is the king who cleverly escapes a quite unexpected fate.  J

Van de Velde, Vivian.  Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sister Weird
Welcome to the fairy-tale world where Hansel and Gretel are horrible children who deserve to be baked and where Beauty is dismayed when her beloved Beast turns human. In the realm of the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, when the sky really does fall, Chicken Little becomes the leader of a religious movement, gets her own TV show, collects millions of dollars to build a theme park, and then makes off with the money. These tongue-in-cheek interpretations of more than a dozen favorite fairy tales will have readers in stitches.  J

Windling, Terri.  Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm
Faeries, or creatures like them, can be found in almost every culture the world over and terrifying, charming and exasperating, shifting shape from country to country, story to story, and moment to moment. In The Faery Reel, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have asked some of today’s best fantasists for short stories and poems that draw on the great wealth of world faery lore and classic faery literature, and update the old tales, or shine a bold new light on the old.  YA

Windling, Terri.  The Green Man: Tales from the Mystic Forest
An enticing collection of stories and  poems, featuring diverse takes on mythical beings associated with the protection of the natural world. Most involving a teen’s coming-of-age.  Mature themes and an often sophisticated view of the world and how one survives in it characterize many of the selections, based on old tales and on some more modern fairy tales. The mood is sometimes playful, sometimes mystical. No matter what the ambience or the plot underlying each selection, there is a real sense of how powerful nature can be in its various guises.  YA

Yolen, Jane.  The Faery Flag
Once upon a time. . . says the narrator of the first poem, and the reader is transported immediately into realms where words are as true and warming as you let them be. The fairy tales within are varied–from Beauty’s thoughts upon the occasion of her first anniversary with the Beast to a clever story about Nurse Lamb’s encounters with some familiar wolf tales, told this time from the wolves’ point of view. The tales resonate with deeply felt emotions of love, hatred, wonder…and even terror.  J

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And there you have it! Our last Fairy Tale Re-telling…until we have enough new books for an update! Don’t forget to check out our juvenile graphic novels…in the non-fiction collection, there’s a fairy tale section.

If you have any suggestions for a booklist, let us know!  Next up: Boarding School Adventures.  See you soon!

::Kelly::

Old Favorite: Dealing with Dragons

With all the fairy tale lists I’ve been doing, it seemed like a good idea to bring up a book that isn’t based on a fairy tale, but that has many elements of fairy talew written into the plot. (Hmm. That may be another booklist.  Oh dear.)   Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede is a fun, humorous adventure that feels a bit like a fairy tale, with fairy godmothers, princess-taking dragons, magic frogs, and questing princes…but it’s so much more!

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Cimorene is the youngest daughter of the King of Linderwall. Her six older sisters are each beautiful, with long golden hair and sweet dispositions, but Cimorene has jet black hair and…well, people who are trying to be polite say that she’s stong-minded. (In other words, she’s as stubborn as a brick.)  Her sisters love their lessons on deportment, dancing, embroidery, and etiquette.  Cimorene would rather learn to use a sword, cast a magic spell, speak Latin or cook cherries jubilee. Each time her parents  discover her learning something that’s not within the realms of princess behavior, they protest. “It just isn’t done!” they tell her, and stop the lessons.  Each time, Cimorene finds a new person in the castle to teach her a new skill, until she’s stopped again.

When she turns sixteen and her tutoring sessions on economics and juggling have been discovered and forbidden, Cimorene is bored again. With only etiquette and dancing lessons to look forward to, she summons her fairy godmother to help her find something interesting to do. But the fairy godmother has been talking to her parents, and instead encourages her to enjoy her heritage of being a princess. Totally disgusted, Cimorene sends her away, and tries to find another new skill or interesting topic to learn about. Causing trouble around the palace doesn’t quite work the way she planned though; Cimorene learns that her parents have arranged for her to be married to the very dull, very boring Prince Therandil…before her next birthday!

What’s a contrary princess to do?  After a confrontation with Prince Therandil and an encounter with a talking (and possibly enchanted) frog, Cimorene decides to run away.  Following the frog’s advice, she makes her way to a mysterious hut down the road, outside the walls of Linderwall.  There, she encounters…dragons.

Although several of the dragons want to eat her, Cimorene argues her case quite well, and ends up volunteering to be the princess of the dragon Kazul. The other dragon’s don’t approve, since “it’s just not done!” but neither Kazul nor Cimorene listen to them. She returns with Kazul to her cave, and sets up housekeeping.  Her duties will include organizing and cleaning Kazul’s treasure hoard, repairing those items that need repair, and cooking Kazul’s meals.

Life with Kazul is definitely more interesting than Linderwall!  By the end of her first week, Cimorene has already sorted the piles of treasure for further examination. By the end of the second week, she’s dealing with knights coming to “rescue” her. By the end of the third week, she’s met three captive princesses, had a friendly visit from a witch and dealt with some smarmy sorcerers.  And that’s just the beginning of her life with Kazul as a dragon’s princess.

When Kazul decides to run for the title of King of the Dragons, Cimorene finds herself in a whole new level of trouble. Now, she has to discourage knights, expose evil sorcerers, and learn magic to protect herself, her new friend Alianora, and even Kazul. There’s also a death curse cast on her, and a bit of match-making to do. It’s a tall order, but Cimorene has the motivation and skills to succeed!

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I just love this book! Dealing with Dragons was originally published in 1990, and was popular right from the start.  It is on my personal top ten list of books everyone (but every girl, especially) should read. Cimorene is a great heroine and fantasy character, and a wonderful alternative to all the cartoon movie princesses that seem to be everywhere.  And she’s funny!  Her dry observations of the magic creatures and situations around her will make readers smile. Cimorene is intelligent, determined and just a little bit sarcastic. Every time something new comes at her, she figures it out how to deal with it in a new and creative way. She doesn’t let anything stop her!

Kazul the dragon is also a great character in her own right, powerful and caring. The supporting female characters like Morwen the witch and Alianora, another dragon princess, are individuals with their own stories and reactions to situations. And even though I haven’t mentioned any of the male characters in this book, they run the gamut from the strong Stone Prince to the goofy but well-meaning Prince Therandil.

There are three other books in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles about Cimorene and her further adventures after Dealing with Dragons–Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons. The first two are about Cimorene, the last one about her son, Daystar.  Actually, Talking to Dragons was the first story of the four to be written, published in 1985. Although you can read it as a stand-alone, it does work best as the final book in the series.  There have been rumors about more stories set in The Enchanted Forest, but so far, nothing. If one ever comes out though, I’ll be first in line to buy it–one copy for me, two for the library!

Dealing with Dragons has been so popular in our collection that we’ve worn out at least three hardcover copies, and several paperbacks.  It’s a great read-aloud for groups and families. Some of the elements of fairy tales coming into the story make it familiar to younger readers, and Cimorene’s character makes older readers enjoy the wit and different take on those elements. We have The Enchanted Forest collection in both our juvenile and teen sections, and the story is great for readers in grades four through eight.

Try Dealing with Dragons, and see what you think. I bet you’ll be looking for the next book in the series as soon as you finish!

::Kelly::