By Piranha T. 

Theodosia Throckmorton is hardly your average eleven-year-old girl. Not only is she the daughter of the Head Curator of the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London and is deemed unfortunately clever by most adults, she is also the only person who does anything to destroy the curses on the museum's artifacts when they arrive fresh from Egypt courtesy of her archaeologist mum. It's simple enough, really: with the help of her protective amulets and the advice of ancient texts, Theodosia has managed to keep the worst curses from wreaking havoc in the museum. If only her parents consented to wear gloves when touching the artifacts; it would make her job so much easier. But her parents seem to think she's peculiar rather than seeing the curses lurking around the museum at night, and Theodosia knows that if she tried to explain, they'd ship her straight off to boarding school. 

When Theodosia's mum returns from Egypt brimming with artifacts, Theodosia is prepared to spend the next few weeks rooting out the curses before they're put on display. She certainly doesn't expect a curse as vile as the one clinging to the Heart of Egypt her mum returns with--one which will leave England vulnerable to its enemies if left unchecked. 

Before Theodosia can decide what to do, though, the Heart of Egypt is stolen. And it's up to her to track it down and learn more about the Egyptian magic she's always experimented with in time to stop the curse. 

I've wanted to read Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos for years, and it didn't disappoint. Theodosia's character and narrative are absolutely perfect--upper-class, sophisticated, and with a touch of dry humor and seriousness which together make her extraordinarily endearing. The rest of the series is at the very top of my to-read list--I can't wait to read more about Theodosia, and see where LaFevers goes with the successive books! The world is also fully realized: the atmosphere of Edwardian England is skillfully evoked and blended with the Egyptian magic Theodosia discovers in the museum, which I enjoyed immensely. I laughed more than once, was surprised often, and loved the myriad characters, making this book thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos to readers ages ten and up, particularly those who enjoy quirky historical fantasy, or to anyone who regularly identifies ancient curses by moonlight. 

By Piranha T. 

Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality is the fifth and final book in the Pandava Quintet, which opened with Aru Shah and the End of Time. 

[Look out--there are spoilers below for earlier books in the series!] 

Aru Shah and her friends have lost their celestial weapons--and without them, they don't have a chance of entering the labyrinth in which the Nectar of Immortality is hidden. The Sleeper and his army are already there, though, and Aru knows she's running out of time. 

Together, Aru, Mini and Brynne--with lots of help from their friends--must trade in old favors, journey to the ends of the earth, and even perform at a rock concert to regain their weapons and stop the Sleeper in time. But what if the Pandava sisters aren't up for the task? And can Aru figure out the right thing to do in time? 

The first book in the Pandava Quintet, Aru Shah and the End of Time, was so funny, spot-on and brilliant that it made me think, there's no way the whole series can be this awesome. Having finished the final installment, Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality​, I can assure you that it is. The quirky characters, witty narrative and constantly engrossing story never flags; Aru and her friends--particularly Mini, Brynne and Aiden--manage to be both utterly hilarious and deeply relatable and understandable. Having reached the final page of the final book, I found myself wishing I could hang out with them some more! I highly recommend Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality​ (and the entire Pandava Quintet) to readers ages eight and up. 

By Piranha T.
 
For Rahul Kapoor, the beginning of seventh grade isn’t looking good. Yes, it will mean he’ll be able to see his best friend Chelsea even more regularly than he has over the summer. But he’ll also be at the mercy of bullies like Brent, who make fun of him for being Indian American. When he talks to his grandfather, Bhai, a week into the school year, he gives Rahul a piece of advice: find something, and become the best at it. Then nobody will be able to stop him.

No matter how hard Rahul tries, though, none of the activities he tries are quite right—until one of his teachers convinces him to join the Mathletes. Although he’s always dismissed its members as nerds, he begins to realize that math really can be fun. But what if he still can’t become ‘the best at it’? And even if it can, will it really help him figure out who he is?

The Best at It is an awesome, deeply relatable realistic fiction novel. Rahul is an incredibly sympathetic and real protagonist—his journey to accept all the parts of who he is really resonated with me, and I think it would with most middle schoolers, too. I highly recommend The Best at It to readers ages ten and up. 

By Piranha T. 

Mayhap Ballanstain knows she must always obey her parents' four last rules:
 
Do not leave the house.
Do not go into the grass.
Wait for us.
Sleep darkly.

Those last words from sisters Mayhap, Winnow, and Pavoinne Ballanstain have been framed on the wall of their bedroom since their parents disappeared into the strange, swaying silver grass which surrounds Straygarden Place. But Mayhap would have known better than to enter the grass even without the warning: it is thick and strange, reaching to the roof and slipping in through open windows and unattended keyholes.

Do not leave the house.

Mayhap and her sisters have never had a reason to leave Straygarden Place. The house provides for their every need: making them food, dressing them in the morning, and even giving them droomhunds so that they can sleep without the blinding white light which disturbs the dreams of any Ballanstain.
Do not go into the grass.

But when Mayhap's older sister, Winnow, does just that--and returns dramatically changed--Mayhap must learn the truth about Straygarden Place, their parents, and herself.

Wait for us.
Sleep darkly.

Having read and loved Hayley Chewins's first novel, The Turnaway Girls, I found myself with high expectations for The Sisters of Straygarden Place--and it exceeded them all. The Sisters of Straygarden Place blew me away, its immersive, expansive prose pulling me into it from the first page to an atmospheric world full of floating trees and silver grass and strange, unquenchable magic and twined with mystery. There was nowhere where this book felt slow or confusing--indeed, any time where this book was anything less than engrossing, twisting, and full of hidden magic. It brims with the strange and the unexpected, with startling revelations and brilliant imagery, but what drives it are the underlying threads of discovery and emotion which make Mayhap--indeed, all the characters--shine so brightly. They feel so real I could touch them and talk to them, and I knew and believed in every one of them by the end of this story. I highly recommend The Sisters of Straygarden Place to readers ages ten and up, particularly those who find atmosphere and characters crucial to a story as well as a plot full of the startling and beautiful.