By: Sage Blackwood
Jinx's life has a tragic beginning - losing both parents and living with stepparents who only see him as an extra mouth to feed. Finally, Jinx's stepfather takes him out into the Urwald,
the forest filled with horrible, frightening creatures. Jinx is rescued by Simon, a wizard. At first, Jinx just does chores for Simon. But, he has a warm home and good food. Soon, Simon is teaching Jinx magic and eventually Simon puts a spell on Jinx - one that Jinx desperately wants reversed.
Mrs. Senechal says:
Filled with good and evil and characters to love and hate, I think you will really like the book, Jinx! The author kept me turning pages by constantly changing which characters to trust. The detailed descriptions helped me picture this magical setting. The author is not afraid to use challenging vocabulary - I learned a few great new words, too!
By: Brandon Mull
Visiting a new candy shop after the first day of school, Nate, Trevor, Summer, and Pigeon
get much more than expected. The shop owner, Mrs. White, begins to ask them to do tasks for her, and she rewards them with her special candy. This candy is not only incredibly delicious, it is magic! The four friends think this is wonderful until Mrs. White begins to ask them to break in to places and steal things. As they consider backing out, they find that magic candy is a lot more then they had imagined!
Mrs. Senechal says:
This was a great start to my summer reading! The story really drew me in, and, just like the main characters, I had trouble knowing who to trust. The author includes many twists and turns in the plot which kept me wanting to read. This is the first book in the series, so it will be fun to see what happens next. The author has also created an app and card game to go along with the series.
By: Sherwood Smith
Lilah, niece of the King, has noticed the anger of the townspeople, but her father tells her
they are peasants and she should ignore them. Instead, Lilah dresses like a peasant boy, sneaks out, and makes friends with the kids in town. While she loves her new friends, she also finds out that they hate her family! Before too long, Lilah has become a spy for the revolutionaries, but she is too bold and gets caught. However, Lilah finds an ally in her brother, and together they make plans to make things right in the kingdom.
Mrs. Senechal says:
Even though the book's title includes the word "princess" there are plenty of boy characters and lots of action and adventure - this is a book boys and girls will like. The author weaves medieval settings and characters with a bit of magic to keep the story really fun. I also liked how the author had characters with many different perspectives on how to solve the problems - just like problem-solving in real life - there often are many possible solutions. When I read the author's note at the end, I found it especially cool that the author began writing this story when she was 8!
