Tag: middle grade

The Revenge of Magic

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Fort Fitzgerald just lost his dad to an attack by a mysterious, giant monster in Washington, DC. He’s overwhelmed with grief, and doesn’t know how he’s going to go on. But after a surprise visit from a mysterious school headmaster, he is invited to a new kind of boarding school run by the government… and there, he’ll learn a new set of skills that will help him protect the world from future attacks.

Thirteen years ago, a set of books were discovered that reintroduced magic into the world. Only children born after the Discovery Day are able to read the books and learn how to use the spells contained within. However, Fort soon realizes things aren’t all as they seem at his new school. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets, and Fort is determined to figure out if they know more about the attack that killed his dad than they are letting on.

This was a fun, quick read. James Riley has taken a departure from his traditional writing style (such as in his Story Thieves series), and I enjoyed this story even more than his past works. The Revenge of Magic is a solid middle-grade work that is sure to captivate readers. I’m looking forward to reading about the future escapades of Fort and his friends.

Favorite Passage:

“Have you ever looked at the spell words?” Fort asked, turning to look at Rachel, who was staring at the ceiling.
“Maybe I could make like a shield of fire,” she said, ignoring him. “That might stop a fireball. Or would it? Maybe the ball would just plow right through.”
Fort picked up the Healing book, then dropped it, letting it hit the pedestal with a bang. Rachel immediately looked at him upside down. “What did I say about hurting the books?” 
“Have you ever thought about what the spell words mean?” Fort said again. “I’m seeing the same word pop up in the first two spells. That has to mean something.”
– Chapter Twenty-Seven

What I Loved Most:

There are several different kinds of magic discussed in The Revenge of Magic, and I thought it was fun to learn about how each kind worked. Fort goes into the school hoping to specialize in Destructive magic, which he believes will be most useful in fighting the monsters that killed his dad. However, he’s put on the Healing magic track instead. There are also characters who use Clairvoyance magic and Telepathic magic. Whenever I read a book where characters are sorted into different houses/abilities/propensities/etc., I love imagining where I would excel, as well as where my close friends would be. I feel like I’d be great at Telepathic magic… but that might also just be wishful thinking.

Bonus thing that I loved: The protagonist (Fort) is a boy, but the three strongest students in the school (Jia, Rachel, and Sierra) are girls. I feel like most books tend to either feature strong boy characters or strong girl characters, and Riley has done a great job of creating strong characters of both genders.

Read this book if you like:

The early Harry Potter books, training periods (my favorite), adventure, and obviously… magic.

Book Details:

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

~ rachelbenzine ~ 2 Comments

Review:

When she is ten years old, Bronte Mettlestone finds out that her parents were killed by pirates. This doesn’t upset her that much, as she has never met them. She was raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. However, her parents left a faery-cross-stitched will that binds her to go on a journey. She must deliver presents to each one of her father’s ten other sisters (since they left Aunt Isabelle her gift of cloudberry tea when they deposited Bronte on her doorstep as a baby). So begins her voyage, though which she will eat oranges from one aunt’s orchard, ride a dragon at another’s dragon hospital, encounter water sprites and elves, accidentally start an avalanche, and perhaps rescue a Kingdom from an evil King.

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone is eight-year-old-me’s dream book, and is one of twenty-six-year-old-me’s favorite books that I’ve read in the last year. There’s adventure and fun and friendships and magic, which creates an engrossing volume that will thrill middle-grade readers. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Go get it, right now.

Favorite Passage:

“Why did you come on the journey?” Sebastian asked suddenly. “I know the faery cross-stitch would destroy Gainsleigh if you didn’t come, so is that why? Is it because you love Gainsleigh?”
“Your question shows an extreme lack on insight,” I said. “Of course I love Gainsleigh. It’s my home! I love the harbor and the Botanical Gardens and the cobblestone streets lined with gardenia trees! Not lobelia, you see. But that is beside the point. Even if I did not know a town — even if I hated it! — I would not want to be the cause of its buildings and bridges crashing down!”
After a moment, Sebastian asked his parents what an extreme lack of insight meant.
“It means you asked a daft question,” Uncle Josh told him.
– Chapter 12

What I Loved Most:

Moriarty writes with this poetic, lovely, flowery language that is a spell in and of itself. She is truly an artist, crafting a splendid world that abounds in delight and cheer. It’s not that everything in the book is all sunshine and happiness — the very premise of the book is based on a child’s parents dying. But the way that Moriarty chooses to express herself is lavish and sumptuous while also remaining accessible to younger readers.

Read this book if you like:

Adventures, magic, feeling as if you’re close friends with book characters

Book Details:

The House in Poplar Wood

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

Review:

Lee and Felix are brothers who live unusual lives. Their mother is Memory’s apprentice, and their father is Death’s apprentice. Lee helps his mother as she helps Memory, and Felix helps his father as he helps Death. An Agreement set by the two Shades (Memory and Death) binds Lee, Felix, and their parents to the work. Enter Gretchen, a girl who Lee goes to school with. She’s convinced that her classmate, Essie, didn’t die of an accidental death – instead, Gretchen thinks Death overstepped his boundaries and caused Essie to die. Gretchen, Lee, and Felix work together to figure out why and how Essie died, and they hope to break the Agreement in the process.

I got this book as an Advanced Reader’s Copy shortly before its release last fall from the publisher, Chronicle books. I started reading it on a Saturday, and finished it Sunday evening. Ormsbee has one of my favorite writing styles of all time; her series The Water and the Wild is one of my favs, and I’ll have to do a review of it soon. She paints vivid pictures with her words, but with a subtlety that draws you in. The House in Poplar Wood is not overly scary for any kids reading, but there are a couple sections closer to the end that are haunting enough that I wouldn’t recommend this for kids younger than 5th grade or so. It’s absolutely perfect for middle schoolers – and us adults who enjoy beautifully written and unique stories!

Favorite Passage:

But the memories of Love and of People — there was no rule to their labeling. They were equal parts “Remember” and “Forget”. Some precious, to be cherished. Some rotten, to be put away. And they were the only jars Lee was ever asked to relabel. Patients would return, begging to never remember former friends whose memories they once wished to preserve, while others asked to reclaim memories of love they once thought they did not want anymore.
— Chapter 6: Lee

What I Loved Most:

It seems like there aren’t many books coming out nowadays with a completely original premise. Many stories are retellings or tweaks of stories that have already been told. The House in Poplar Wood is absolutely unique. This is a world where Death and Memory aren’t just concepts, but actual beings. I was captivated after reading the Prologue, where  we first meet Lee and Felix and see the different tasks each is assigned. And as a side note, I’m a sucker for a good font, and the Hightower used in my copy of this book is to die for.

Read this book if you like:

Autumn, unusual family structures, spooky stories, mystery

Book Details: