The Land of Stories #3: A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer

Alex remained in the fairy world, learning magic from her grandmother. Mother Goose informs her brother, Conner, that there may be a huge army from the human world, stuck in a portal, waiting to attack the kingdoms. While checking it out, Conner is sucked back into the fairy world, along with the army and two innocent humans. The invading general frees criminals from the prison, and a masked man says he can find a dragon, insuring their victory. Alex becomes the new leader of the fairies when her grandmother weakens, and she must unite all of the kingdoms, including the elves, trolls, and goblins. Even then, the invading army will outnumber them two to one.

This book had more action than the previous episode. There were some unexpected twists to the plot; Queen Red lost her kingdom to Little Bo Peep, and Alex and Conner found special friends. Despite the cutesy character names, the story is not a simple children's story. The threat of a dragon created a looming problem throughout the book, and the masked man added an element of mystery. Alex's new title as acting Fairy Godmother made the conflicts a little more complicated. In the resolution, the identity of the masked man came as a huge surprise.

Michael Vey #1: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

This book was recommended by one of my students, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Michael is an ordinary ninth grade student except for the fact that he can fire off an electric charge like an eel, only with more power. He finds out that one of his classmates, the prettiest girl in school, also has a power based on electricity, but they discover something that is even stranger. Their birthdays are one day apart,and they were born in the same hospital. Michael's genius friend, Ostin, uncovers that the hospital was doing research at that time with a high-powered electric MRI-type invention, and only seventeen babies lived past the age of two DAYS! The scientists are trying to collect all of the children to create a super-race, and they've kidnapped Michael's mother as bait to catch him. The big problem is that most of the other electric children are using their powers to help the scientists. Nichelle is a particularly nasty one.

I like plots about kids with special powers, and this plot had the kids using similar powers against each other. I like that the author gave Michael an unexpected advantage to offset the fact that he was badly outnumbered. Be prepared for the sequel. I wonder if Nichelle will return.

The Magic Thief #2: Lost by Sarah Prineas

Beware the Shadows! Something is killing people in Wellmet during the night, turning them to stone. There is nothing natural about it. Since Conn lost his stone in the last book, it exploded while defeating the Underlord, he is no longer able to cast spells. He learned that Wellmet's magic is a living thing, and he was able to use the stone to talk to it. Conn is forced to leave, so he heads to the neighboring town of Desh, which may be the source of the deadly shadows. He's not totally sure what's going on, but he is certain the wizard in Desh is behind all of the trouble. And the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his quest becomes.

If you liked the first book, The Magic Thief, you'll like this book too. Once again, Conn finds himself mostly working alone, but I like his character's determination to not give up. He seems to do things to make his friends crazy with him (blowing up a whole house), but he never lets them down in the end. The author was clever to have the black birds and lizards act as spies for the magic in their cities. A big battle is brewing between the predator magic and the magic in Wellmet.

The Magic Thief #3: Found by Sarah Prineas

Conn has been exiled from Wellston, but he's still secretly helping Nevery prepare for the attack of a destructive magic. Two problems...the others wizards don't believe an attack is coming, and Conn doesn't have a locus stone to perform any spells. With Nevery's help, a trail is blazed, literally, across the country leading to a new stone for Conn. However, the town leaders sentence Conn to death if he ever returns, so he sets out alone in search of his locus stone. It's a long journey and takes much longer than he expects. Time is ticking away, but he's willing to risk his life to save Wellston from Arhionvar, the predator magic. There are dragons in Conn's future, and a small one really complicates  his plans. The secret behind magic will be revealed.

The addition of dragons freshened the series for me. The little one became an amusing character, and I assume it will have an even bigger role in book four. The explanation of the origin of magic was unexpected, but it helped to resolve the big conflict. I still like the relationship between Nevery and Conn. Nevery cares about him like a son, but Conn has trouble doing what he's told and makes Nevery nuts. Something surprising happens to Conn in the resolution, and I'm anxious to see how the author handles it.

The Magic Thief #4: Home by Sarah Prineas

Despite all of the problems he's created in the first three books, Duchess Rowan names him her ducal magister, the most powerful wizard in Wellmet. He doesn't want the job, and the other wizards don't want the boy either, except for Nevery, his master. Conn senses something bad is brewing with the city's magic, and the wizards' locus stones are being stolen. Of course, Conn is blamed for all the problems and must go into hiding. He returns to the streets as a gutterrat, trying to get information, but he must keep his eye out for thugs trying to kidnap him. However, he is not aware that a terrible evil has returned to Wellmet.

This book is the conclusion of the series, and fans of the other books must read this one too. You must read the previous three books to fully understand the events. The author was able to keep me guessing. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but then she provided clues that made it seem impossible. Conn and his dragon, who had swallowed his locus stone, form a close bond and need each other to survive. Conn knows he's no longer a gutterrat, and he's not  a ducal magister, and he spends most of the book trying to figure out his role on the world. This book brings the series to a satisfying conclusion.

Magisterium #1: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Call's father wants him to do his worst, so he won't be chosen to attend the school for mages. His father says he doesn't trust the teachers at the Magisterium, but Call starts to wonder if there's something different about himself. Despite getting negative scores on the tests, he is chosen as an apprentice to Master Rufus along with the top two scorers. The apprentices learn to control the elements of the world, and Call starts to show some magical talent. The students are told stories about the Enemy, a mage who turned dark and killed Call's mother. He controls chaos elementals and the Chaos-ridden, mages consumed by the elements. The Magisterium is always looking for a Makar, a mage who is able to control the chaos, to lead them against the Enemy. One Makar is among the new group of apprentices, but another apprentice holds a powerful secret of evil.

I'm excited about this new series. It has similarities to Hogwarts, and the plot focuses on three main characters, two boys and one girl. Call's character has always had trouble getting along with others, and a little bit of that continues even after he develops some actual friendships. His sarcastic comments can be funny, but they sometimes create tension. Call is mischievous and doesn't always listen to his teachers and friends. This behavior creates adventure in the plot and keeps things interesting. The dynamics of two characters' relationships will create conflict in future books, and the Enemy's army will be a constant threat.

The Land of Stories #2: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer

Alex and Conner find a new way back into the Land of Stories, a world full of fairy tale characters and creatures. The evil Enchantress has returned, and she kidnaps their mother from the real world. The Enchantress wants to take over all the kingdoms, and her power is greater than all the other fairies. She captures the soul of the Fairy Godmother, the twins' grandmother, and it seems like there's no way to stop the Enchantress. Connor reads a story about the Wand of Wonderment that will make the holder invincible, but there's a problem. To make the wand, they must collect the most prized possessions of the six most hated people in the world, including the Enchantress.

You should read the first book in the series before reading this one. The personalities of many fairy tale characters.are unexpected. Red Riding Hood is a mean princess, Goldilocks is a fierce warrior, and they both like Jack and the Beanstalk. The spells are clever; the Enchantress makes thorn bushes grow all over the castles, and she's collected the souls of people who have hurt her feelings. I most liked the author's twisting of elements in familiar fairy tales. I knew what to expect, but then the author made them different.