Magic in the '50s

It's impossible to pick one genre description for The Apothecary by Maile Meloy.  The story includes bits of historical fiction, adventure, mystery, and even fantasy, which makes for an interesting (but sometimes confusing) read.  The time is 1952, and Janie and her family have just moved from the U.S. to London.  Janie becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary (a British term for pharmacist).  After Benjamin's father is apparently kidnapped, the two friends are not only left with a 700-year-old book of magic potions. but they learn that Mr. Burrows is actually part of an international group of scientists that are trying to contain the destructive power of a bomb being developed by the Soviets.  They also contend with a mysterious garden, a teacher who may be a double agent, and Pip, a friendly and mischievous pickpocket.  If you prefer a logical and consistent plot, you may want to pass this one up, but if you enjoy adventure, check it out.

The Most Powerful Magic in the World...got lost

Story elements frequently (and cleverly) overlap in Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.  Liesl, locked in the attic by her rotten stepmother, is surprised to be visited by Po, a ghost, and Bundle, Po's ghost-pet.  Po and Bundle are from the Other Side, where ghosts hang out until they go Beyond.  Po has a message from Liesl's recently deceased father - he wants Liesl to bury his ashes under a particular willow tree.  Liesl escapes from the attic and is trying to grant her father's wish, but...there's a bit of a mix-up involving two similar boxes, one containing the ashes and the other containing the Most Powerful Magic in the World, recently prepared for the evil Lady Premier.  A lot will seem familiar in a fairy-tale kind of way - an evil stepmother; an orphan; a big, likable, bumbling servant -  but there's a lot of creativity, too, and a gentleness in the way the story deals with Liesl loss and healing.  Soft, black and white illustrations add a nice touch.

Teeny tiny adventure

I'm ready to go back to the Art Institute of Chicago before after reading The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.  Ruthie and Jack are on a field trip to the Art Institute when they see the exhibit called the Thorne Rooms - 68 miniature rooms that show different times in U.S. and European history.  They discover a magical key that can shrink them down to a height of five inches, just the right size for exploring the rooms.  They're surprised to find out that they aren't the first people to do this, and they're even more shocked to discover that they can actually enter the periods of time that the rooms represent.  Details of the rooms are fascinating, and it's fun to read how Ruthie and Jack solve problems that come up when they're so small.  Fans of Chasing Vermeer or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will appreciate this teeny tiny adventure.

A cat, a blue jay, and a red-eyed tree frog

An odd combination of animals, but they're the amusing main characters in The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.  Aldwyn, a scrappy alley cat, is on the run after stealing some fish, and he ducks into a store that's filled with animals.  A pet store?  Not quite - these are magical animals that are sold as "familiars" to wizards-in-training.  Before Aldwyn knows it, he's scooped up by Jack and heading for quite a bit of adventure.  Jack's two fellow apprentices have familiars of their own, of course: Skylar, an uppity blue jay, and Gilbert, a very funny (and clueless) tree frog.  When the three magicians are kidnapped, it's up to their familiars to save them....except that Aldwyn hasn't exactly told the others that he has no magical ability whatsoever.  Lots of action and plenty of humor - I wasn't surprised to learn that movie options have already been picked up.

The secret to everlasting life?

Hold on to your hats and get ready for nonstop action when you read The Alchemyst by Michael Scott.  Sophie and Josh are 15-year-old twins living in modern day San Franscisco, but once they start helping to recover a stolen book called the Codex (not a biggie...it only contains the secret to immortality!), their world is filled with a 14th-century alchemist (Nicholas Flamel), various gods, magic, and myth.  The twins learn that not only do they have magical powers that were predicted in the ancient Codex, but it may be up to them to save the world from the evil Elder Race.  It's a hard book to put down, since the end of almost every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger, and at the end of the book...aauugh!  What happens now?  You'll have to pick up the next book in the series, The Magician, to find out.  

What special ability do YOU have?

I don't know why it took me two or three times to get into Savvy by Ingrid Law, but once I did, it was a pretty cool journey.  Mibs Beaumont is about to turn thirteen, and in her family, that means she'll get her a "savvy" - a very special, very unusual ability.  (One of her brothers, for example, can whip up hurricanes, and another can create electricity.)  But just when Mibs is discovering her new talent, her father is injured in a car accident, and she becomes desperate to get to the hospital where he's staying.  Soon she's a stowaway on a the bus of a Bible salesman, trying to head to Salina, Kansas, with her two brothers, the local preacher's two kids, and big-hearted Lill.  The story alternates between being funny, sweet, and touching, and will keep you interested until the last page.  Another great Caudill nominee!

Absolutely magical

So if a grown-up tells you not to do something, what do you do? If you're like Seth in Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, you figure nothing bad will happen, and wow - will you be wrong. Seth and his sister Kendra are taken to live with their grandparents, whom they hardly know, while their parents go on a trip. The kids eventually learn that their grandparents' estate is actually a sanctuary for magical creatures, such as fairies, satyrs, and imps. Seth has a hard time obeying his grandfather (his grandmother is mysteriously "away"); as a result of his actions, he not only meets some dangerous creatures, but unleashes them as well, and a big good vs. evil battle is underway. I loved the language the kids used - they really, truly sound like siblings - and the action kept me turning the pages. Another terrific Rebecca Caudill nominee!

A book for book lovers

Since school is out, I thought I'd tackle a longer book, and this one was definitely worth the effort. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is a wonderful story, but it's especially enjoyable if the reader loves not just books, but the whole reading experience. The main character is Meggie; she loves to read, and her father Mo is a book-binder. A mysterious stranger named Dustfinger appears; first, he gives Mo a warning, but then he betrays Mo and takes him to the village of the incredibly evil Capricorn. Meggie learns that nine years ago, while Mo was reading out loud to Meggie's mother, he read some characters out of a book and brought them to life, while sending Meggie's mother into the same book. Capricorn, one of these characters, now wants Mo to read someone (or is it something?) else out of the book...the terrifying "Shadow." Each chapter begins with a quote from another book that gives an idea of what to expect. These were great, but my favorite quote was from Inkheart itself. Meggie learns that she may have the same gift as her father, and she was getting ready to read aloud something of great importance: "Every letter, she thought, every single letter matters! Let the words echo, ring out, whisper and rustle and roll like thunder."