My name is Liz, and I am a babysitter, sworn to protect innocent kids from deadly monsters. Kelly defeated the Grand Guignol last month, so the other six Boogeymen will be seeking revenge against her. She babysat baby Theo for me while I searched for the Spider Queen Serena, but I wasn't prepared for the anger I felt when I found my little brother changed into a big, blue, furry monster. Serena is biting humans to create an army of minions, so it looks like war has already been declared. She always seems to be one step ahead of us, and Mama Vee is missing too. Luckily, Kelly does a pretty good job for a newb, and the Spider Queen hasn't gotten her fangs into Theo yet. He's destined to grow up and become a great monster killer. Unfortunately, right now, monsters have a super sense of smell that can detect his stinky diapers!
I continue to be amazed at the entertainment value of this series. I never would have imagined being enamored by a worldwide group of young babysitters. I'm impressed by the adventure, action, and humor in the fast-paced plot. Kelly is the main character, and everyone can relate to her life as a middle school student. There are moments of forgetting her homework, problems with an old friendship, and complications of first love. However, most of the story focuses on the monsters' efforts to capture little Theo. You must keep reminding yourself that this diapered baby is supposed to grow up and defeat all of the monsters. In addition, his unexplained wails are actually warnings that monsters are nearby. An unusual twist to the plot is that Serena is transforming most of the minor characters into her puppets. Consequently, readers must constantly question everyone Kelly meets along the way. Are they under Serena's control. Another emotional complication pops up early in the story when Kelly fails to pass her babysitter training. How can she be a special monster hunter when she can't even pass her classes? I can highly recommend this series to you; you don't really need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one.
My name is Alex, and I am the royal librarian. At least until the queen figures out I've been lying about my identity. I never received any proper training, but everybody assumes I know what I’m doing. The queen’s given me two weeks to organize a cavernous library that's been neglected for years, but she doesn't even know the dangers found here. The books are frightened of something hidden on the shelves, volumes with strange covers that have already killed three other librarians. I've barely survived books that conjured up strangling vines, devastating earthquakes, and raging storms. Why are all the books targeting me and trying to end my life? There are so many secrets to uncover! The Lost Books, the queen’s uncle, and the Red Codex.
I randomly found this book on my library's shelf of new releases, and I'm glad I did. The story oozed with imagination, as paper was used to create different characters. The characters weren't made from paper, the sheets of paper were Alex's flying assistants. Evil books mesmerized readers into deadly situations, and the cause of this dangerous change was unclear. The young queen found the library hard to understand, and she found Alex annoying. However, she admired Alex's honesty, loyalty, and determination. The author included many subplots that were easy to follow; authors sometimes make their books confusing by describing too many problems. Alex had issues with his father, the queen was unaware of her uncle's plans, the prince felt useless, and Alex wanted to save all of the books, even the ones trying to kill him! The conflicts overlapped, and the author neatly blended them together. The thing I liked best about the book was the fact Alex was always the underdog. The queen gave him two weeks to perform an impossible task for which he was totally unprepared. He was forced to act alone, and the Red Codex was a constant mystery in his mind. Some readers may not like this book, but I highly recommend you give it a try.
My name is Casper, and my twin brother Jasper and I were literally thrown into a crowd of people when we were only six months old. Of course, it wasn't until now that we learned our real parents have been slaving away as prisoners all these years. We don't even know what they look like. Jasper and I have never been known as rule-followers (just ask our teachers), so any sensible person could have predicted we'd run away to rescue our parents. I must admit I was a little uncomfortable about being eaten by werewolves and drowning in the swamp, but the giant troll named Guthrum the Sinister came in pretty handy. I'm sorry we tricked him into burying "magic" yarn, but desperate times called for creative thinking. I'm not sure how we'll rescue our parents and mess up the count's plans for the deadly black ice, but we'll think of something.
Some readers might not enjoy the word play in the book, but I found it amusing. Younger readers will probably miss the references to old pop culture. The twins had a special bond, and their teamwork was formidable. They used language as a weapon or tool, as they confused and manipulated people they met. They managed to get past Guthrum by bribing him with yarn, and they later escaped from the same troll by using their words. Guthrum was an endearing character, since he was sincere and only wanted to do his best. I'm not sure I've ever read a book where all of the antagonists are so simple and gullible. The only one with an actual sense of evil logic was the "princess". She was a poor, needy girl who managed to become Count Wilhelm Scream's most powerful confidante using confusion and trickery. She was as ruthless as the count, as they both enjoyed inflicting pain on others. The plot jumped around to several settings, which I don't enjoy, but the imprisoned parents displayed the same magical tongues as their sons. They were able to persuade the guards into making the prison arrangements more bearable for their fellow inmates. The author left some unfinished business after the climax, but everything was resolved in the end.
My name is Kiran, and I was rescued by two princes after a rakkhosh destroyed my home. My parents always called me a princess, but Lal and Neel have taken me to a kingdom in another dimension. I'm slowly realizing my life in New Jersey wasn't real, as my twelfth birthday broke a protective spell. I've learned that my mother is actually a moon maiden and my father is the Serpent King. He wants to change me into a snake like my seven older brothers, but Lal and Neel are tasked with my protection. Neel has a right to be angry with me, but I’m getting tired of being reminded about it. Lal’s kinda dead now because of things I mistakenly said, so Neel and I must venture into the Serpent Kingdom, where my father will probably want to kill me.
The rakkhosh is a Hindu demon, and the kingdom in this book definitely has an old Indian feel to it. The princes wore turbans with shoes that curl up at the toes, and there were many references to Indian folklore. Kiran seemed to be an ordinary girl, although she sensed her own uniqueness. The true impact of her parentage wasn’t revealed until the climax. A highlight to the story was her relationship with Neel. While her first attraction was to the kind and handsome Lal, she developed a shakier realationship with Neel. She found him arrogant and annoying but slowly came to a mutual understanding. Neel was angered by his father but fully understood why Lal was the crown prince, even though it left Neel feeling invisible in his father’s eyes. The book included some humor, as one character liked to share silly bird riddles throughout the whole plot. It also shared several life lessons including the message to not judge people based on social status. Overall, this was an entertaining book to read, and I think you should give it a shot.
My name is Alice, and the fate of the world rests on my shoulders. I successfully imprisoned Geryon, but the other Readers are laying siege on me. I can't let them continue their cruelty toward magical creatures and the labyrinthine. Ending says she will help me if I take control of the Great Binding that holds a powerful prisoner. She says I must enter a labyrinth created by all the Readers that is protected by many formidable guardians. I don't know what will happen once I complete the quest, but I trust Ending and I will be able to make things right. However, Geryon and the Dragon have warned me the labyrinthine cannot be trusted, despite the fact Ending has always helped me and supported me in the past. I wasn't ready for the truths to be revealed, but I probably should have seen the signs.
You need to read the whole series; it will be worth your while! Alice's quest completed the first half of this book, but Part Two was much more interesting. The "truths" mentioned above added creative complications to the whole situation and explained all of Alice's unique abilities. She was the most admirable character due to her empathy for others and her desire to make things right. She wanted to keep her friends safe, so she needed to learn how to share dangerous tasks. All of the creatures trusted Alice and rallied around her. She owned all of her decisions, since her desire for revenge against Geryon led to disastrous consequences. Ending was a cat-like creature in charge of guarding the library. Her power was clear from the beginning, but the author included details throughout the plot that questioned her motives and true self. This created an underlying conflict that continued through the whole series. I found these books by randomly choosing the first one on-line, but I can highly recommend the series to lovers of fantasy and magic.
My name is Alice, and I must get revenge against Geryon for killing my father. I don't have the power to stop him, but Ending says I can trap my mentor by using a book called The Infinite Prison. An opportunity to travel to the land of fire-sprites arose when Geryon announced he was going to be gone for seven days. Ending says the fire-sprites may help me locate the Palace of Glass where I'll find the book I need. However, she says I'll face the most dangerous perils in existence, and I might not be able to escape. I'm learning how much other people detest Readers, but I'm not like them. It's hard to convince these people that I'm not violent and deceitful like Geryon. Ak fire-sprite named Flicker is now my guide, but I can tell he doesn't like me. It won't really matter if I don't survive my quest.
You need to read the previous books in the series first. This one was different from the others, since Alice ventured out on her own. In previous books, she needed to coordinate her efforts with other apprentices. Alice’s mission to defeat her powerful mentor created a tremendous amount of danger and suspense. This was the man who trained her and was the most feared Reader in the world. The author amped up the tension even more by imposing a time limit on Alice’s quest and having her carry a watch to insert reminders. In addition, it seemed like the climax would be facing Geryon, but the author managed to add an unexpected twist to it. Alice was an admirable character, as she tried to maintain her positive qualities. Every new character despised Readers, and Alice displayed an unusual empathy for them. Eventually, many of these characters changed their views, although it didn’t carry over to the older Readers. The plot brought up a huge issue about how Alice’s quest might affect others, and I’m sure it will continue in the sequel.
My name is Gracie, and I should have trusted my mother. I now know I shouldn't have gone to the author's book-signing, and I shouldn't have let her sign the parchment. How was I to know she’d disappear? My mom wouldn't have been captured by Queen Cassandra, and I wouldn't have had to enter a portal into the storybook land of Bondoff. My mom told me the author had me killed by the queen in the original story, but I’ve now learned that I was the actual evil character. My behavior is being pulled by the story, but there’s some way for it to be rewritten. If not, my friend Walter will die a fiery death.
This book had a creative premise with Gracie and her mother escaping from inside a story by traveling to the "real world". She had disturbing dreams about Cassandra but didn't know much about her previous life. The author added a unique twist to the plot once the setting returned to Bondoff. The characters were controlled by the words previously written in the story, except for Cassandra and Gracie. This complicated things for Gracie, since her mom didn't remember anything about events outside the story. If I could change the book, I would have given examples of the queen’s evilness to build suspense. All of the characters said she was bad, but the worst example ended up not being true. I typically like to learn about characters by their own actions and words, so I wanted to see more about the queen. The plot was easy to read and moved along swiftly. Younger middle grade readers should love it!
