Book Reviews By & For Kids

Lost in a Book - by Jennifer Donnelly (2017)

5/24/2017

By contributing writer: Radical Reader, 9, MA

This book is based off of the new movie, Beauty and the Beast.
It is about Belle finding a magical book in the Beast's library. Everything in the book seems so different from the drafty castle! So she decides to keep revisiting the book. Little does she know she is about to be trapped in the story forever!

I liked this book because it was such a sweet story with a ton of adventure. I'd recommend this book to any looking for an amazing fantasy story and to ages 8 and up because it can get a little scary and intense.

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A Most Magical Girl - by Karen Foxlee (2016)

5/8/2017

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By Piranha T.

Annabel Grey is a girl in England learning how to become a proper young lady. But when her mother does some traveling, Annabel is sent to live with two aunts, who own a magic shop. Soon enough, Annabel discovers that her family is not as ordinary as she has always assumed and that both her mother, her aunts, and herself have unusual magical powers. Before long, she learns that the evil Mr. Angel and his fiendish machine are raising an army of shadow creatures—and only she can stop them. Annabel is thrown into an urgent quest to find the Morever Wand, the only thing that can stop Mr. Angel from putting an end to all good magic—forever. With the help of a strange girl, an ancient map, a finicky broomstick, and her own magical powers, can she stop Mr. Angel in time?

A Most Magical Girl was a very good book. There was excellent character development—for example, at the beginning, Annabel didn’t believe in magic—and it was quite exciting. However, my one criticism is that it ended with a cliffhanger – paving the way, I hope, to a sequel. I would highly recommend A Most Magical Girl to readers ages 11 and up.

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Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage (2005)

5/4/2017

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By Super Kitty

One midwinter’s day, Silas Heap finds a violet-eyed newborn baby in the snow. Although he already has seven sons (the youngest being only hours old), he takes her home with him. But when he arrives, the midwife has proclaimed his newborn son Septimus, the seventh son of a seventh son, dead, and has swept him away.

The Heaps bring up Jenna (as they name the baby) as their own, and though they have their suspicions about her true family, they are only confirmed on Jenna’s tenth birthday, when ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand appears and tells them the truth about Jenna, the day she was born, and the evil forces that now threaten the castle and all inside. They escape to the Marram Marshes, but they can only evade the rising sinister forces for so long.

I thoroughly enjoyed all seven books in the Septimus Heap series, having, in fact, read them all multiple times. Although they are quite lengthy (Fyre, the final book in the series, is 702 pages) they are quick-paced, engrossing, and amusing. Another thing I liked was that despite the main characters aging from ten to fourteen during the series, they stayed true to themselves. I would not, however, recommend it to anyone below nine, as there are some nefarious characters and malicious schemes. I would highly recommend the Septimus Heap series (and companion trilogy, TodHunter Moon) to any reader who likes fantasy, adventure, and (eventual) happy endings.

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The Case of the Missing Moonstone (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, book one) by Jordan Stratford (2015)

5/3/2017

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By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Eleven-year-old Ada Byron is feeling bereft at the prospect of a tutor after her beloved governess gets married. After all, she’s a genius—what could he possibly teach her? She is not cheered, either, by the fact that a strange girl is coming to study with her: Mary Godwin, an intelligent and adventurous fourteen-year-old eager to make friends with Ada. And, despite a rocky start, friends they become. Soon, they have founded a detective agency and are on a case—gathering clues, developing suspects, making discoveries, and, in the process, getting into Newgate prison, riding an omnibus (roof!), and sailing high over London in a craft of their own making. One thing is for sure: nothing will get between these detectives and the apprehension of the criminals!

When I first picked up The Case of the Missing Moonstone, I thought it was going to be similar to other mysteries I had read. However, it was quite amusing, and the main characters (as well as some of the supporting cast) were based on real historical figures—the main characters were based on Ada Byron (daughter of Lord Byron) and Mary Shelly (author of Frankenstein). At the end, there is an author’s note which says which people were real, which was really interesting. And although the historical aspect was fascinating, it did not get in the way of the story. Even if you are not usually drawn to historical books (Piranha T. is typically not), it is still a really cool story in and of itself. It would probably be best for ages 8+. It is the first in The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series, and there are currently two sequels out. If you are looking for a humorous, fun, and historical mystery with spunky female characters, The Case of the Missing Moonstone is the book for you!

Note: although many of the characters in The Case of the Missing Moonstone were based on real people, the story was entirely invented.

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Lost in a Book - by Jennifer Donnelly (2017)

A Most Magical Girl - by Karen Foxlee (2016)

Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage (2005)

The Case of the Missing Moonstone (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, book one) by Jordan Stratford (2015)

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