Far From You

By Lisa Schroeder

Lost and alone down the rabbit hole.
Alice thought she knew
what solitude was:
Her mother—gone
Her father—remarried with a newborn
daughter.
Now...
trapped
in the icy embrace
of a deadly snowstorm
Alice faces the true meaning of loneliness.
But hope
may not be as far away
as she thinks....


This book was interesting. I didn’t open it up until I got home from the library, only to discover that it was written in a poetry form. I read it fairly fast, but the story was a tender one about a girl who was coming to terms with her father’s new wife and baby. In a freak accident driving with her stepmother, she learns what’s important and how angels are always watching out for us. Caution: There is some strong language.

Stargirl

By Jerry Spinelli

"She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: "She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl."


Stargirl is one of those rare novels that speaks to the individual in all of us. The person who notices strange things and revels in it, the person who acts without fear, the person who doesn’t let the ‘crowd’ tell you who you are. Stargirl was one of the best reads I’ve had in a long time. I really wish I’d read it in high school. It’s told from the point of view of Leo, a boy who sees the spectacular in a girl who isn’t afraid to be herself. Leo represents so many people who conform to society’s expectations only to let the truly special slip through his fingers. It’s a coming of age novel that will warm your heart and help you be a little braver about being yourself with no limits.

Fablehaven 5 Keys to the Demon Prison

By Brandon Mull

Since ancient times, the great demon prison Zzyzx has protected the world from the most dangerous servants of darkness, including Gorgrog, the Demon King. After centuries of plotting, the Sphinx is on the verge of recovering the five artifacts necessary to open the legendary prison. Facing the potential of a world-ending calamity, all friends of light must unite in a final effort to thwart the Sphinx's designs and find a safe home for the five artifacts. To this end, Kendra, Seth, and the Knights of the Dawn will venture far beyond the walls of Fablehaven to strange and exotic magical preserves across the globe, where the end of every quest becomes the beginning of another. In this explosive series finale, allegiances will be confirmed and secrets revealed as the forces of light and darkness collide in a desperate struggle to control the keys to the demon prison.

Sad day. Fablehaven is officially over. Sniff sniff. This series finale was awesome though, enough to make me read it twice. Mr. Mull has made a series that I’ll definitely read again and again. This book takes off at light speed right from the get-go. It actually left me going…huh? What just happened? Who died?! It’s action packed and fun as always. Seth goes on a quest for a super-awesome sword, and Kendra meets a new Ally that might just turn out to be more than she expects. Lots of surprises in the end, and for those of you who need a little bit of romance in your books won’t be disappointed. It was awesome. The only thing that would make it better is if there were just oh say….50 more of them.

P.S. I skipped reviewing 2 and 3, even though I read them again too, because they have already been reviewed and can be found in last years books.

Fablehave Rise of the Evening Star

By Brandon Mull

At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists-a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper—to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear? Find out in book two of this best-selling children’s fantasy series.


This is the book that made me love Fablehaven. Suddenly the book that I thought wasn’t all that great became wicked awesome. Maybe this is because of Seth’s huge role in it, and the nature of the story. It clips along at a great rate with action, intrigue, and a betrayal. As Kendra and Seth get drawn more and more into the fantastic world where myths exist they realize it isn’t all magic; a lot of it is scary and incredibly dangerous. Like Oolock the glutton, who has his sights set on Seth…as dinner. Kendra starts learning exactly what powers the fairy queen bestowed her with, and we are introduced to new characters rich and wonderful.

Fablehaven

By Brandon Mull

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge alled Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite….
Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker o Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.


Well, I have to say that when I first read this book I wasn’t all that impressed. It just didn’t resonate with me very much. It took a lot of cajoling to get me to read the second book. But most people absolutely love this book. And this being my second time around reading it, I have to say I don’t know why I didn’t like it the first time around. It is loads of fun with lots of imagination and storytelling magic. And it only gets better! If you want a good fantasy series this is an excellent one that I guarantee you’ll love.

Gregor the Overlander

By Suzanne Collins

Giant rats, cochroaches, and Bats…oh my! Gregor, an 11 year old kid from New York is sucked down a vent in their apartment building’s laundry room after he tries to grab his little sister Boots from falling herself. Much like Alice in Wonderland who fell down the rabbit hole, Gregor and 2-year-old boots find themselves in a land far from wonderful. In fact, it’s on the brink of war. They meet Queen Luxa, a pale, violet-eyed 12 year old with lots of courage and an arrogant streak. All Gregor wants to do is go home, but when he tries to escape and is attacked by giant Rats, things change. Suddenly the people are all deeming him the ‘warrior’- a person named so in a prophecy written by the founder of the underland. And what’s more…Gregor knows his long-lost father is somewhere down here too, and he can’t just leave without him.

Bwah! I love it when I find a series that is wicked awesome. Gregor the Overlander is completely thrilling. When Gregor falls to the Underland, a place founded hundreds of years ago when America was first colonized, he finds a people at war with the Rats. Rats that are 12 feet tall and bloodthirsty. These people fly around on giant bats, and his sister becomes the princess of the giant cockroaches that nobody likes! Suzanne Collins, author of the fantastic Hunger Games trilogy, writes the adventures of Gregor and Boots in a realistic and never-endingly entertaining way. Awesome first book in this 5-part series.

Ella Enchanted

By Gail Carson Levine

When Ella was a baby she was visited by the well-meaning fairy Lucinda and given a ‘gift’. The gift was obedience-which turned out to be the curse of Ella’s life. Imagine having to do everything anyone told you whether you want to or not. When Ella’s mother suddenly dies she is left with a father who doesn’t care. But who does she meet other than Prince Charmonte himself? They become fast friends and correspondents as Ella’s life is flipped upside down by her father’s marriage to one of the most terrible women imaginable and her two dimwitted daughters.
When Ella starts having feelings for Char she realizes with a jolt of terror that she was the greatest liability to him. If someone told her to hurt him…she would be forced to do it. Join Ella in her quest to break the curse, an adventure full of laughs, Ogres, Princes, and two very awful stepsisters.

Ella Enchanted is the most awesome Cinderella-like story out there. The characters are downright wonderful and/or horrible, and their story sucks you in from page one. Ella is an enchanting young woman whom you can’t help but like, and you end up falling for Char right along with her. This is a spectacularly creative take on the famous fairy tale and will leave you laughing at Ella’s antics and Char’s humor. If you haven’t read it, please do, it will leave you smiling.