Tag Archives: fantasy

Central Park Ghost

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Written by Ellen Potter and illustrated by Sara Cristofori

Cordelia and Isaac receive a message via carrier pigeon from their friend, Fenton (a rat), asking for their help in Central Park Zoo. A mysterious creature is scaring the animals. This time, the sea lions saw the scary creature with glowing white eyes and the with pointy ears and a bushy tail. Cordelia offers to catch it. They meet Viola, the Central Park Zoo groundskeeper , and tell her all about it. She solves part of the mystery by telling them that the sea lions must have seen a coyote, the same one that has been spotted all around Central Park. She also shares that it is lonely, because it doesn’t have a pack. Cordelia and Isaac vow to help. They want to question other animals and decide to enlist Fenton’s help asking the dogs in Central Park if they know anything. After all, Fenton know s how to speak dog language. Princess Cha-Cha leads them to the coyote’s den after Fenton helps her dodge her owner by being chased by other dogs. They locate the coyote, named Ghost, and decide that the best way to help him find his pack is to take him to Viola. How to do that? Dress him up in Princess Cha-Cha’s spaghetti and meatball outfit and join a parade with dogs and baseball players. All goes well until the dogs realize that Ghost is a coyote and things get a dicey. Cordelia asks the dogs (through Fenton) to help Ghost find his pack – first, by protecting him from an approaching dog catcher. The dogs rally round Ghost and chase the dog catcher away and the parade resumes. Cordelia, Isaac, Fenton and Ghost finally make their way to Viola, who promises to help Ghost and plans to take him to a wildlife rehabilitation center where he can get the help he needs.

Cordelia, Isaac and Fenton end the day in the tree house in Central Park for a sleepover. Shakespeare, the squirrel, tucks them in and Cordelia thinks about her next adventures, knowing that wherever they take her, she’ll always come home to Central Park and the Squirrel that raised her.

This sweet story is the third in a series, Squirlish, about an intriguing young girl that lives in Central Park, knows squirrel language and helps her animal friends whenever they ask. This is a great book for younger readers that are moving into chapter books that are a little longer. Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the story and chapters are short. Kids will love that Cordelia is not only a friend to animals, she can also speak to some of them! How cool is that? Add this to your library. It won’t stay on the shelves very long. Highly recommended.

Worst Broommate Ever!

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written by Wanda Coven; illustrated by Anna Abramskaya

Heidi Heckelbeck is off to boarding school for witches as she enters middle school and things are a bit tougher than she thought they would be. She has to leave her best friends from elementary school and her family. But, her witch mom tells her that this school is going to be so good for her as she learns how to use her skills and connect with other kids like her. Unfortunately, her roommate is not so fun – it’s mean Melanie Maplethorpe from elementary school! Heidi can’t believe she’s a witch, too! And, they are supposed to hide their magical skills from the non-witch students and only use their talents at their secret classes with the other witches.

Fans of the early chapter books about the same character will enjoy growing with Heidi as she moves on to middle school. Reluctant readers will enjoy the book with its well-spaced text and accompanying black and white illustrations. Recommended.

Happy Spark Day!

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by Shane Richardson & Sarah Marino

It’s a special day in Ember City! Young dragons will learn what their “Spark” (special power) is at the Spark Day Ceremony. Among them are Li, Runa and Drake, who are three best friends. At the Ceremony, they see the beautiful disco ball that was created by dragons on the very first Spark Day. During the party after receiving their Sparks, Drake and another dragon, Fizz, get into a bit of tussle and break the special disco ball, ending the Spark Day festivities. Each of the young dragons tries to fix the broken disco ball with disastrous results. Suddenly, Drake remembers something that the mayor said, “Our Sparks shine their brightest when we use them to help one another”. They follow this advice and not only fix the broken disco ball but make it more special, alight with rainbow colors. They had learned a valuable lesson and saved Spark Day!

Brightly colored cartoon-like illustrations in a graphic novel/early chapter book style make this a nice introduction to the genre for young readers. It is not text-heavy and there is a lot of white space on the pages, which makes it even more accessible. The story moves along and the dragons are fun and a little silly. Kids will love it!

The Revenge of Magic

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by James Riley

Monsters! Magic! Mystery!

While on a trip to the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., Forsythe Fitzgerald, known to his family and friends as Fort, watches as his father is snatched and pulled underground by a long clawed monster hand. Desperate to rescue his father, he is stopped by a voice in his head telling him to run. Six months later, a depressed Fort is invited to attend a special school to help him overcome the mysterious loss of his father. The school is out in the middle of no where, looks like an army camp and is heavily guarded by armed soldiers. Fort meets other students and instructors and learns that the school is not an ordinary one but one in which to learn magic to defend against the beings that control the monster hands that took his father. He also learns that several different types of magic books have been unearthed and only people no older than Fort can learn and work magic. Fort wants to learn “destructive” magic to get revenge for the taking of his father. Instead he is assigned to learn “healing” magic and has only three days to learn three spells to catch up with the other students or be sent home!  The other students took months to learn just one spell and adults can’t learn any, so how can he possibly learn three in three days? He gets help from an unexpected source…the voice he heard in his head so many months before. This mysterious voice enables Fort not only to learn his three spells but also to master several advanced ones as well. His sudden possession of arcane spells earns him the begrudging respect and the animosity of some of  the more accomplished students as somehow their skills are transferred into Fort. With the help of his new allies, he begins to search for the source of this strange voice despite foot dragging by some of them. Eventually his friends and he uncover the source not only of his mysterious voice but also to whom the books of magic originally belonged and why they want them back. Without revealing any spoilers, Fort discovers the true magic power of healing and that cooperation with others is the real strength of leadership. Does he rescue his father and thwart the aliens controlling the monster hands? Well, those answers and other adventures are in the sequels to The Revenge Of Magic. You’ll just have to read those to find out.

-guest reviewer, Bill Pfender

Barb and the Ghost Blade

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by Dan Abdo & Jason Linwood Patterson

This is Book #2 of the Barb the Last Berzerker series and we rejoin Barb, her pal Yeti and various other sidekicks as they continue their quest to save Bailiwick from the evil Witch Head. Barb is a Berzerker, an elite fighter, like her mother and fellow warriors. Her goal is to keep the magical Ghost Blade away from Witch Head, so that he doesn’t destroy Bailiwick. Barb manages to survive a trip to a monster village and rescue her fellow Berzerkers that had fallen under the Witch Head’s spell. Unfortunately, Barb is captured and the story “ends” with her being carried into the Witch Head’s lair. To Be Continued in Book #3.

Fantasy and humor are combined in this brightly drawn graphic novel. The quest is solid and the humor is on the side of ‘potty’ with farts and ‘full moons’. This book and the others in the series might appeal to those students that giggle over that type of humor. It’s unfortunate that the story feels so incomplete without Books #1 and #3. The purchase is a commitment and I’m not sure it’s worth it.

Princess Unlimited by Jacob Sager Weinstein

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In a major swerve away from your typical “princess” stories, Princess Susan is the heroine of the day. This young princess has very caring parents, who spend all the royal gold on sparkles and frilly dresses for her. Unfortunately, that means that their knights are woefully unprepared to fight the dragon that comes to town and destroys everything. All they have are hedgehogs, mops and other inadequate armaments. Princess Susan takes on a job as a scullery maid in the castle to earn gold for swords and stuff. But, there’s no gold to pay her, just lemons. So, she and her new friend, Eleanor (a real scullery maid), start a lemonade business. They get lots of gold, only to have the king and queen buy MORE frilly dresses and sparkles. Ever the problem-solver, Princess Susan takes Eleanor to take on the dragon themselves with some sparkles and a contract. All ends well, with the dragon joining their new business, providing dragon breath heat to a few thousand customers. Her parents are so thrilled that they get her some business cards.

Princess Susan is a spunky, bright royal, who doesn’t have a problem rolling up her frilly sleeves and getting to work. Her sidekicks, Eleanor and Max (her faithful pup) do a great job of keeping up with her and end up with their own business cards (so does the dragon). It’s nice to see a princess story where the princess saves the day. And, it’s even nicer to see her parents encourage her ingenuity and business acumen.

The story flows nicely and the accompanying illustrations are vibrant and move the story along. This book is a wonderful addition to school libraries, where young readers clamor for the newest “princess” books. It might just make them think outside the box just like Princess Susan did!

Map of Flames by Lisa McMann

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Meet five children, Birdie, Brix, Tenner, Seven, and Cabot, all born to supernatural criminals and all with supernatural powers of their own. Raised by Birdie & Brix’s dad, because the other parents have mysteriously disappeared, the death of their father has the five children leaving their isolated hideout and entering the outside world in search of their mother. Armed with a map with clues to her whereabouts, the five children navigate life in this new, unfamiliar world so unlike the isolated one they lived in until now. Sometimes comical, our young heroes taste pizza for the first time, discover “magical” elevators, and scream in surprise as they have their first experience with flush toilets! This fantasy is the first book in the Forgotten Five series, with the second and final book, “The Invisible Spy” coming out November 8, 2022.

Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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In this sequel to “Anya and the Dragon,” thirteen-year old Anya is determined to bring her father home from war. She enlists her friend Ivan and the dragon Hakon to help in this fantastical story of adventure and magic. The book keeps a face pace, encountering elves, monsters, and a dangerous underground city. When they meet magical Lena, she turns Hakon into a human which both helps and hurts their quest. The book left me wondering if there will be a third book in the series.

The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell

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The Circus Rose is a queer re-telling of Snow White and Rose Red fairy tales told in the alternating perspective of twin teen sisters, Ivory and Rose. Ivory writes in prose; Rose writes in verse. The girls have been raised in the circus by their single mother, the ringmaster of a circus. The girls each have separate fathers but were born within two minutes of each other. Rosie and Ivory have spent their lives in the circus, and have been traveling on tour for years. When they finally return to Port End, the town that is the closest place to home, something has changed: there are flyers all over posted by the Brethren, a fundamentalist religious order. Brethren preachers are seen throughout the community, including in front of the circus ticket booth. When the circus presents its big homecoming show, disaster strikes. From that moment on, the themes darken, circus staff disappear, and despair builds. Ivory is left to salvage the circus with the help of her transgender Faerie sweetheart, Tam.

Faeries have historically been persecuted by the Brethren and this complicates the plot even further. (This novel is a fantasy set in an unknown time period and undetermined location. It is a time before electric lights as gaslights were used in the circus. People travel by ship, wagon, and airship reminiscent of the steampunk Finishing School series by Gail Carriger).

As Ivory and Tam frantically try to track down the missing circus members, including Ivory and Rose’s mother and Rose herself, the battle becomes pitches against the religious extremists. The ending of the novel is reminiscent of thrilling, other-world scenes found in various books in the Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children series.

For those who enjoyed author Betsy Cornwell’s 2015 steampunk version of Cinderella, Mechanica, those who like Steampunk or Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children, The Circus Rose is an excellent choice.

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Athena & the Magic Land

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Modern day, normal Athena is on her way home from school and playing a video game along the way. She is engrossed in the game, which includes a cute digital dog named Oliver when she has a run-in with mean girl, Medusa. These people sound familiar. Not surprisingly, Athena gets swept up in a magical storm that sends her close to Mt. Olympus wearing clothes that look suspiciously Greek . A tiny goddess, Hestia, advises her to walk along the ‘Hello Brick Road’ (also familiar…) to meet Zeus, who can help her return home. Along the way, she meets up with a Medusa who looks a lot like the nasty one from home, but has snakes for hair and wants her magical sandals so badly she’ll turn Oliver to stone. Athena also helps a new friend, Persephone, who tags along hoping to ask for some magic help from Zeus, too.

We don’t find out in this book whether they make it to Mt. Olympus yet. That sets us up for future books and adventures. Black and white illustrations move the story along and unfamiliar words and characters are explained on the “Cast of characters” page and “Word List” page. There are also questions at the back for reflection. This is a simple read that will be perfect for those readers that want to move away from picture books, but aren’t quite ready for chapter books. The story line is a bit saccharine, but does introduce some mythological characters and might pique interest in further exploration.