Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

I came across this book at our school library, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Jaden moves to Placid Meadows to live with her father and attend the Eye of Tomorrow school. The school trains some of best minds in America to become future scientists. Jaden is interested in learning to control the weather, since tornadoes and hurricanes are out of control on Earth. Her father is a leader in weather research, and he runs the school and science lab located nearby. For some reason, the daily tornadoes never enter Placid Meadows, and Jaden starts to wonder why. She does some research and has suspicions that lead her to question her father's work. She refuses to believe the truth until it's almost too late.

The plot has an interesting conflict, although some readers may be turned off by the weather talk. It's interesting to wonder about controlling the weather, which I'm sure is being studied by real scientists today. The conflicts between characters create a variety of tense moments as Jaden tries to sort through her loyalties. She develops some close friendships, but she's also trying to understand and love a father she rarely sees. The author did a wonderful job of creating suspense during the climax. She kept adding more and more obstacles as Jaden tried to stop three tornadoes from destoying Placid Meadows.

Elemental by Antony John

I found this book on the new releases shelf at my public library, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Thomas  lives with The Guardians and their children on Hatteras Island, just off the Atlantic coast. The Guardians and their children are Elementals, able to control different parts of nature. Some control water, some the air, and some the earth. However, Thomas is kind of an outcast, because he doesn't seem to have any Elemental powers. The children are sent to Roanoke Island for protection against an oncoming storm, but they start to uncover some secrets about an abandoned town on the island. They realize the adult Elementals have been keeping secrets from them, and they are shocked to find pirates have kidnapped their parents. However, the pirates really want to get their hands on Thomas and his younger brother. Apparently, they hold the key to The Solution. Is the problem the plague that wiped out the population, or is there something even bigger going on?

The plot started off slowly for me, but it became more interesting once the children started to find strange things around Skeleton Town, on Roanoke Island. The children did't realize that the setting for this book was only a couple of miles from North America. A plague killed all of the people on the mainland, but Hatteras Island and Roanoke Island offered protection from the illness. It was fun to see characters' secrets revealed as they tried to discover the truths to their parents' lies. The pirates created action and suspense. A secret about Dash, leader of the pirates, is realized on the last page of the book. I assume there is a sequel to this book.

Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper

This book is the final episode in the Dark is Rising series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. All of the main characters from the previous books join forces in the decisive battle between the Light and Dark. Will must venture into an alternate world with Bran, who turns out to be the son of King Arthur, in order to acquire a silver sword hidden in a tree. The Light and Dark are unable to use their powers in this world, and Merryman is not available to help Will. Simon, Jane, and Barney also encounter the Dark forces in the modern world, but everyone comes together for the climax. The side in possession of the sword will hold a huge advantage in the final battle.

This plot is harder to follow, much like book two, because much of the setting and events are hard to imagine. The battles aren't always fought with swords and shields, as the forces uses magic to do their fighting. This series is definitely for advanced readers who enjoy fantasy worlds.

Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

This book is the third in The Dark is Rising series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. This book unites the main characters from the first two books as the setting returns to Trewissick. The Light must collect five objects to defeat the Dark, and two of them have already been found, the six magical Signs and the Golden Grail. However, the Dark steals the Grail, and the two sides are in a race to find the lead tube lost on the rocky shores of the ocean. Inside the tube are instructions on how to unlock the secret powers of the Grail. Greenwitch is a gift to the ocean goddess, created each year by the villagers, but it comes to life and finds the tube first. However, it will not give up the tube to the Dark or the Light. The Walker, an agent for the Dark, hopes to use Barney to help summon and control Greenwitch. The third object found within the lead tube holds a huge advantage for the Light or the Dark.

This plot was much easier to follow than book two. Simon, Jane, and Barney have no magical powers, so the events involving them were pretty straightforward. The author created some nice suspense between the two sides, and Greenwitch created an interesting complication to the problem. A seemingly innocent moment early in the plot became the key to resolving the conflict.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

This book is the second in The Dark is Rising series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Other than Great Uncle Merriman, this book has none of the characters from book one. Will Stanton celebrates his eleventh birthday and notices things are very different; he is the seventh son of a seventh son. The animals seem to shy away from him, and he senses different things. Will discovers that he is actually one of the Old Ones mentioned in the first book, and one of the most powerful. He becomes more powerful as he collects each of the six magical circles, and the Dark fights to stop him before he learns to harness the powers. The Dark becomes more aggressive as Will collects more of the Signs, and the entire population of England may suffer as it becomes their battleground.

The first forty pages of the book were confusing since Will and myself did not know what was happening. Merriman's character shows up and explains things. It took imagination to follow the plot, so some readers may not enjoy that. The events occurred during different time periods, and characters were sometimes frozen in time as the magical characters interacted. The first book in the series can stand by itself, but I think you're committed to reading all five books in the series if you read this one.

The High King by Lloyd Alexander

This book is the final episode in The Chronicles of Prydain series, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Arawn Death-Lord has decided it's time to attack the rest of Prydain and rule over the entire kingdom. The plot opens with Arawn stealing Dyrnwyn from Prince Gwydion, because he knows that the sword's powers are the only thing that can stop him. Taran is sent to enlist the help of the Commots, common people, he met in the previous book, while Gwydion and others amass armies to help the Princes of Don defend Prydain. One powerful friend decides to command his troops to fight against them instead. Taran is assigned an important task, to delay the Cauldron-Born before they can return to Annuvin. Cauldron-Born cannout be killed, and the armies of Prydain will surely be defeated if Taran fails his mission.

This book is full of the action that some of the previous books lacked. The war started in chapter one and lasted until the last chapter. Taran and the others always seemed to be fighting impossible odds but always seemed to come out ahead. I like plots where small details forgotten, characters or objects, reappear to help the protagonists solve their problems. The last chapter had a very noble finish to the entire series.

You must read the books in the series in order, so use the search box in the top-left corner of the screen to find them. The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, and Taran Wanderer are the first four books.

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander

This book is the fourth in The Chronicles of Prydain, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Taran hopes to marry Princess Eilonwy one day, so he sets out to discover information about the parents he never knew. His travels take him back to the three witches at the Marshes of Morva, and they tell him that the Mirror of Llunet might be able to reveal the information he seeks. He encounters an evil wizard, Morda, and a vicious marauder, Dorath, along the way, and he must fight for his life. Taran becomes discouraged with things he discovers, so he decides to apprentice with a blacksmith, a weaver, and a potter. They teach him their crafts, but they teach him much more about life.

This book has an interesting variety of characters. The antagonists and friendly folk Taran meets create different opportunities for Taran to learn. In the end, Taran learns that we are more than the blood in our veins. He returns to Caer Dallben a new, more knowledgeable, man.

You must read the books in the series in order, so use the search box in the top-left corner of the screen to find them. The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, and The Castle of Llyr are the first three books.