Gifts from Gwyn's eccentric grandmother, on his tenth birthday, open up a whole new world to him, as he discovers magical powers that help him heal the breach with his father, that has existed ever since his sister's mysterious disappearance four years earlier. Now, his grandmother wants to determine if he's truly inherited his Welsh ancestors' magic powers. Book one in the Magician Trilogy.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0439846757

ISBN-13: 9780439846752

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Nita ducks into the library to escape from classmates, who torment her. While there, the book, So You Want to be a Wizard, catches her hand. She thinks it's a joke, but takes the book home, and recites the Oath to become a wizard. Immediately, she can talk to trees. She meets Kit, also a novice wizard. While trying to create a spell to keep themselves safe from the school bullies, they accidentally call up Fred, a white hole, who produces jets, and gold bricks, and other things every time he hiccups, and then complains that his gnaester hurts. Their first mission is to save the universe from the Starsnuffer. This involves truly frightening adventures, in which killer cars roam in packs, like wolves. Almost everything is against them, and nothing is as it seems. This is the first book in the Young Wizards series.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0152049401

ISBN-13: 9780152049409

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Max is an apprentice for a great sorcerer, Sticklewick. With all his heart, Max wants to be a great sorcerer. But how is he ever going to learn any magic spells if all he is permitted to do is clean the workshop. Then one day, while Sticklewick is out shopping for dragons' eggs, Max sees his chance to try out some magic on his own. It seems that magic spells AREN'T as simple as he thought. Will Max ever get to learn how to be a great sorcerer?

Similar authors: Russell Punter

Similar books: Stories of Fairytale Castles by Anna Lester; Stories of Unicorns by Rosie Dickins; Stories of Mermaids by Russell Punter; Stories of Gnomes & Goblins by Christopher Rawson; The Monkey King by Rosie Dickins

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 7/8/2009

ISBN-10: 0794515894

ISBN-13: 9780794515898

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This book is a stunning reinterpretation of the classic Norse tale 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'. The youngest of a large family, the Lass is blessed with the mystical ability to speak to animals. Because of her ability, she does not fear the giant polar bear who asks her to accompany him to his palace for one year. In return, he will grant her family the means to have a better life. The Lass agrees, much to the displeasure of her eldest brother, whose own adventure in the frozen north is something of a mystery. At the ice palace, the Lass is attended on by all manner of creatures. They are all equally surprised to find that she can speak to them. Yet, when she tries to befriend them, they tend to disappear forever. In addition to the company of the bear and the servants, a mysterious man accompanies the Lass to bed each night. In spite of the peculiarities of her situation, the Lass comes to enjoy her new home. When the Lass' father falls ill, the bear allows her to go home for a time with the agreement that she will return with him to his palace. Upon hearing about the night visitor, the Lass' mother convinces her to take a candle with her to see the visitor's face. In spite of her intention not to use it, curiosity gets the best of the Lass and she lights the candle. The beautiful prince that sleeps beside her wakes to tell her that he was also the polar bear, under a spell, and that since she could not wait a year to see him, he must now wed the troll queen. The prince disappears and the Lass is left determined to right the wrong she did by saving him from the troll queen's palace that lies East of the sun and West of the moon. Her encounters in the ice palace are just the beginning of an entire world of magic and adventure that she braves to rescue her enchanted prince.

Similar books: East o' the Sun & West o' the Moon by Gillian Barlow, The Princess and the White Bear King by Tanya Robyn Batt, East by Edith Pattou,

Reviewed by: mlp

Date read: 6/2/2011

ISBN-10: 1599901099

ISBN-13: 9781599901091

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When Miu Miu turns fifteen, she learns the truth about her father's violent death and discovers that she must avenge his murder before she can marry the man to whom she is betrothed. Based on a story told to the author by a former prisoner during China's Cultural Revolution.

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 2/12/2010

ISBN-10: 0061447587

ISBN-13: 9780061447587

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