​By guest contributor FalconX, age 12

The Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, an ancient scroll with mysterious powers, is coveted by many. A thousand years ago, magical and unspeakable things happened. A new age is dawning. And now, many different forces, both good and bad, are after the scroll and the power it can give whoever holds it in their hands.

Yumeko was raised by monks in the Silent Winds temple. As a half kitsune, half human, she has natural instincts to be tricky like the fox she shares DNA with. Her skills with illusion and mischief constantly exasperate the monks. She has trained her whole life to pretend that she is human. But one day, her peaceful isolated world in the mountains comes to a fiery, violent end.

Kage Tatsumi is a trained and dangerous samurai, fighting demons day and night for the unseen masters of the Shadow Clan. He always puts duty first, no matter what it costs him. When he receives orders from the very top of his Clan to retrieve the scroll, it means endangering his life for this crucial mission.

Yumeko is carrying the temple's most prized possession as she flees the burning site. A piece of the scroll. When Tatsumi and Yumeko meet by chance, a skeptical alliance is formed. Tatsumi doesn't know of Yumeko's secrets. Yumeko is unaware of Tatusumi's true nature and mission.

​In this thrilling tale of demons and deception, Julie Kagawa weaves together a brilliant and heart-pounding fantasy adventure novel. It will have you turning page after page deep into the night. I liked how it embodied a part of ancient Japan in its complicated web of legends and monsters. It gave it a slightly historical edge, so the story wasn't completely fanciful. I would recommend this to middle-grade readers who have a thirst for demon-slaying and secrets. You won't want to put this book down as you follow the pair on their journey, gaining allies and enemies. This is the first book in a series, so be prepared for the cliff-hanger and plot twist at the end.

By Super Kitty

As one of the Nameless, Coin has one goal in life: to survive. In the city of Seriden, citizens are divided into three distinct classes (one royal, one working-class, and the Nameless), and the Nameless are at the bottom of the hierarchy, often living on the streets and stealing to support themselves. They aren’t even granted official names, instead choosing words which they think fit them. Coin is unusually talented at cons and pickpocketing, and like many Nameless, she uses her talents to get by.

When the old king of Seriden dies and his heir doesn’t immediately come forward, the city goes into an uproar. At first, Coin isn’t concerned—after all, since they’re not official citizens, a Nameless could never inherit the throne. That’s when she discovers the black crown tattoo that has appeared on her arm. The tattoo passed down to each ruler of Seriden.

It’s impossible, but before she knows it, Coin has been pulled into the complicated political world of the Royals, calling her past and identity as Nameless into question. She has six weeks before the Assassin’s Festival, where she will be expected to pass the tattoo to someone deemed more suitable for the role of queen. But danger is closing in around Seriden—Nameless are disappearing, Royals are feuding, and an enemy is closer anyone expects. And Coin might be the only person able to stop it.  

All eyes are on Coin as she navigates the six weeks leading to the Assassin’s Festival—the impossible, rising, Nameless queen.

Action-packed, original, and highly entertaining, Nameless Queen kept me guessing until the final page. Coin is a brilliant protagonist—a skilled fighter, quick thinker, and loyal friend, always full of clever quips—and the quirky cast of supporting characters balance her excellently. I also enjoyed the vivid worldbuilding and culture, and how although the story was often dark, it’s also—thanks to Coin’s hilarious sense of humor—really funny. Overall, I would highly recommend Nameless Queen to fantasy lovers ages 12 and up.

By Piranha T.

For generations, Aileen’s ancestors have been the Wise Women of Skarr. She’s always expected she’ll become one too, and follow in the footsteps of her Aunt Beck, but instead, she fails her initiation. And before she has a chance to try again, she and Aunt Beck are summoned by Skarr’s king to embark on a dangerous mission.

For years, a barrier has stood between the three Islands of Chaldea and the neighboring island of Logra, blocking trade and travel alike. But there is a rumor that, if the barrier can be breached by someone from each island, it will be broken.

Aileen and Aunt Beck set off through the Islands of Chaldea to attempt just that. Along the way, they are joined by, among others, a mysterious cat with strange powers, a reluctant Prince of Skarr, and a determined inventor who believes there is indeed a way to cross the barrier. But something much darker is brewing in the Islands and Logra alike. Will Aileen be able to uncover the barrier’s secrets—and understand her own powers—in time?

I first read The Islands of Chaldea several years ago, and when I reread it, I discovered it is every bit as good as I remembered. Aileen is a capable, smart, and brave heroine, and the other characters are amusing and unique. The Islands of Chaldea is the kind of high fantasy novel I love, with whimsical magic and multilayered settings. I’d highly recommend The Islands of Chaldea to fantasy lovers ages nine and up.

​Note: Diana Wynne Jones is the author of many acclaimed fantasy novels, including Howl’s Moving Castle, which I also recommend if you enjoy this book.

By Super Kitty

The turnaway girls live in a cloister outside of the city Blightsend, under the watchful eye of Mother Nine, where they learn how to make gold, or shimmer, out of the music Masters play outside the walls. They learn to do as they’re told. They learn to be silent. Only girls are allowed to make shimmer, silently creating treasures for the Master who chooses them. And only boys are permitted to be Masters, the makers of music who live free, outside the cloister.

Twelve-year-old Delphernia has been raised in the cloister, but she’s never been like the other turnaway girls. She can’t make shimmer, and she can sing pure magic. She’s always asking questions. She knows from Mother Nine’s countless tales what happens to girls with singing throats—they get swallowed by the sea. But she can never bring herself to be completely silent.

When Delphernia is chosen by a Master to leave the cloister, it seems that her dreams have come true. And sure enough, she meets friends and allies, including a girl who makes forbidden music and a boy who carves birds out of stone. But there are also shadows in the city, from the Custodian of Blightsend, who wears silence like a cloak, to the Childer-Queen, who knows far too many of Delphernia’s secrets. Delphernia has been taught to stay quiet and submissive, but since she left the cloister, she’s learned to hope, to trust, and a spark of courage has begun to grow within her. In order to save her friends—and her city—change will have to come. And Delphernia is no stranger to speaking up when no one else will.

After all, secrets can’t fight cruelty. And silence can’t bring freedom.

​Luminous and absorbing, The Turnaway Girls explores the silence which girls are often taught to keep, and the courage and importance of those who speak out anyway. Although it’s written in prose, it’s written so beautifully that it sometimes reads more like poetry. I loved Delphernia’s development over the course of the story, and her growing confidence and courage. The other characters are wonderful as well, making the cast irresistible. The story is fairly straightforward, but intricately detailed, and will enchant older readers as well as younger ones—I would highly recommend it to readers ages nine and up.

Note: Check out our interview with Hayley Chewins, author of The Turnaway Girls, here! 

By Piranha T.

For twelve-year-old Milo Pine, winter vacation is a time to relax. His adoptive parents run Greenglass House, a smuggler’s inn, but no one ever stays there during the winter. But then guests begin appearing at the front door, and before long, Greenglass House is full of mysterious lodgers, all of whom seem to have their own reason for being there. And none of whom seem the least bit ordinary.

A perplexing map. A potential thief. Missing belongings. As the snow piles up outside and the mysteries deepen, Milo teams up with the cook’s daughter, Meddy, to uncover the secrets of the strange guests, the stories they tell, and the one thing they all seem to have in common: Greenglass House itself.

Greenglass House was a brilliant mystery with complex characters and multilayered histories. Milo and Meddy were awesome protagonists, and the puzzles they were solving kept me turning the pages until the very end. The entire cast was exceptionally quirky and enigmatic, in a way which reminded me of Nooks and Crannies, The Mysterious Benedict Society, or The Westing Game. Additionally, this mystery was unusual because it had hints of magic while still being set in this world, a combination I only remember reading in Knightly and Son, and was extremely well-done. I would highly recommend Greenglass House to lovers of brilliant plot twists and unusual characters ages ten and up.

Note: If you like Greenglass House, Kate Milford has written several sequels and companion books, many of which I’ve read and loved! 

By Piranha T.

Eleven-year-old Trinket’s father was a teller and a bard. He would tell stories for a living, traveling the countryside, but he would always return to Trinket and her mother, and their house by the sea. But for five years, he hasn’t returned. And Trinket is determined to find him.

With the help of Thomas the Pig Boy and a map which her father left when he disappeared, Trinket travels across the countryside, finding the seven stories she needs to become a true bard herself. She tangles with Gypsies and a seer girl, helps rescue a child stolen by selkies, aids a skilled young dancer bargain with faeries, and has many other adventures besides. But as her search turns up no trace of her father, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever find a trace of him—until she hears a story which changes everything she believed.

​The Seven Tales of Trinket was a fairytale-like tale of a girl searching for her father intertwined with Gaelic folklore. Shelley Moore Thomas creates a vivid world of magic in the stories Trinket finds, from faeries to banshees to selkies and more, very much in the flavor of the Celtic myths much of the story was drawn from. I loved the stories and adventures Trinket had, which were vivid and multilayered, all standing easily alone but intertwined into her adventure in different ways. I would recommend this to readers nine and up, especially those who love folklore or The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, or anyone who loves a lyrical, enchanting stories of family, quests and adventure.

By Super Kitty
 
Seventh-grader Isabelle Perez and her older brother Julian love spending hours together, playing maracas or working on her wind-harnessing project for the school science fair. Sure, Julian (who has an extreme type of epilepsy) might not be able to do all the things which other kids can, but he’s still the best brother ever. When one morning Julian has an enormous seizure and is rushed to the hospital, Isabelle is afraid that he’ll never be the same.

The night that Julian comes back from the hospital, he and Isabelle are transported to Las Brisas, a magical place where Julian doesn’t have epilepsy. Every night after that, the two of them go to Las Brisas, where Julian can talk, run, swim, and more. As Isabelle gets to know him in a whole new way, she begins to truly understand his struggles at home—and his incredible hope, determination, and love for her and her parents.  

Back in the real world, Julian is slowly adjusting to his new seizure medicine, and seems more and more distant. Isabelle’s parents are struggling to figure out what’s best for him, and Isabelle wonders if things will ever go back to the way they used to be. In the midst of seemingly endless worries, Isabelle will need all of the courage which Julian gives her to find her voice—and help Julian discover his, too.

I had gotten multiple recommendations to read What the Wind Can Tell You, and I’m really glad I did. Isabelle’s journey explores what it’s like to have a disability, the struggles of growing up, and what it means to be a family. Isabelle and Julian are both strong protagonists and relatable siblings, and I loved their relationship. The story is relatively simple, yet beautifully told, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed it—it’s an excellent pick for book groups and discussions, or for any readers ages 9+ looking for an inspiring, moving, lyrical story.

Note: Click here to read our interview with Sarah Marie A. Jette, author of What the Wind Can Tell You​! 

By Piranha T.

Long ago, the founders, aquatic beings with blue-green scales and powerful magic, raised stone from the sea and sang the City of Islands into being. But when the founders disappeared, the most powerful of their song-spells vanished with them. Now, although many of the songs are still remembered, the most ancient and complex have been lost to time.

Mara has always dreamed of mastering spell-songs and learning to become a mage. But after the death of not just her parents, but also of the mage Bindy, who took her in after they died, that dream seems unlikely. Instead, the Lady of the Tides employs her to dive in the ocean around the City of Islands to find artifacts from the time of the founders. She rarely discovers anything of interest, but her earnings are enough to keep her from the streets.

One day, Mara discovers a deposit of bones on the ocean floor which seem to be left over from the time of the founders and sing with spell-song. And when she shows them to the Lady of the Tides, it seems that they can be traced back to one person—the same mage who killed Bindy two years before.

As Mara delves deeper into secrets which someone powerful has done quite a lot to hide, she finds herself caught up in something much bigger than just the mysterious bones. And she might be the only one who knows enough to stop the mastermind behind it before it’s too late.

City of Islands was an engrossing book. Kali Wallace expertly wielded the details of the world and the spell-songs, creating a setting which felt absolutely real, and an unusual type of magic which is now one of my favorites. Mara was a heroine with her own desires and personality, and the plot surprised me at every turn, two things I always love in a story. The whole book felt completely unique, to the point that when I tried to come up with a similar book, I couldn’t! I would highly recommend City of Islands to lovers of multilayered worlds and complex plots ages ten and up.

A note from Piranha T: If you like City of Islands, check out our interview with the author here! 

By Piranha T.

The weather in Alorria is perfect. There is no such season as winter. Every day is sunny and temperate, and it rains only when the farmers request it. Everything is kept this way by storm beasts, bound to their human guardians, who together work the weather and make it perfect for all the land.

Twelve-year-old Mina has been waiting for the day when her storm beast will hatch. She cares for her egg every day, letting the unborn creature absorb her personality through the shell of the egg as all storm beasts do, so when it is born, beast and guardian will be perfectly matched in temperament.

But when Mina’s beast hatches, everyone believes there must have been a mistake. A fiery, unpredictable lightning beast is the last creature anyone would associate with quiet, timid Mina. But Mina and her lightning beast, Pixit, are sure there’s no mistake. They only have to show everyone else that it’s true.

Mina and Pixit are enrolled at Mytris Lightning School, where she learns how to become a storm guardian. But as she learns more about her country and about its history, she realizes Alorria’s flawless weather comes with a cost. And the more she discovers, the more she is determined to make her voice heard.

​Spark is an exciting, fast-paced fantasy with an intriguing world full of mysterious creatures and deep secrets. Mina is a sympathetic heroine learning her place in the world, and attempting to change a way of life which has been in place for generations. I would highly recommend this well-developed, unique fantasy to readers ages ten and up.

By Piranha T. 

Ever since her father died and she was left in the care of her stepmother’s tyranny, Liesl has been locked in the attic of a house which was once her home, no longer allowed to leave. Lonely and heartbroken from her father’s death, Liesl draws pictures to pass the time. And one day, a ghost called Po sees them and appears in the shadows of her bedroom. He tells her tales of another, even darker world, the only world he can still clearly remember. They become fast friends, and before long, Liesl begins to plan how to escape her attic and return her father’s ashes to the place where they belong.

Meanwhile, Will, the apprentice of a powerful, unpredictable alchemist, is sent to bring the most powerful magic in the world to the Lady Premiere. But his task doesn’t go quite according to plan. The Lady Premiere obtains something decidedly less remarkable, and the magic falls into the unknowing hands of Liesl and Po.

Liesl and Po is a book which is simultaneously deep and young, the poignant story of a girl searching for friendship and a relief from her father’s death, a story in some ways simple and in others not simple at all. I would recommend this book for readers ages nine and up, but although I read this for the first time several years ago, it’s one of my enduring favorites because of the simple yet rich beauty of the story, the characters, and the prose.
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Lauren Oliver has an enticing writing style which pulled me in and characters who I truly love. There is a nice balance of magic and adventure, and mystery as well. (And the cover is one of my favorites—it depicts the book beautifully!) I would highly recommend Liesl and Po to readers ages nine and up.

By Piranha T.

The first time fifteen-year-old Maya Hammond sees the man who didn’t smile, she’s on a train on the way to visit her grandparents in Maine, and he’s carefully watching another woman—a woman who looks afraid. Maya has always had intuition no one else does, and when she sees the woman, she knows she must help her. When she walks past, the woman slips a mysterious book into Maya’s bag—and the next time she looks, both the man and the woman have disappeared.

Maya soon discovers that the book is known as the Book of Everything. It can give advice, spirt people through time and space, but most important of all, it tells the truth. The Book of Cinnial, sent long ago to battle the Book of Everything, spreads lies and discord wherever it can. So far, the Book of Everything usually triumphs—but if it falls into the hands of the opposing group, the world would fall apart.

Maya meets Andy, a boy from the 1970s, when the Book of Everything sends her back in time. Then she and Andy are thrown into another world, known as Ilyria, where two dukes are battling for rule, an ancient and magical forest is in danger, and nefarious forces are attempting to make a stand. There, Maya will uncover secrets and gain new powers—but will it be enough to save not one, but two Books of Everything?

Maya and the Book of Everything was an excellent fantasy. Laurie Graves wrote a well-rounded plot which kept surprising me with twists I never would have anticipated. Maya was a clever and interesting heroine who I absolutely loved. The themes on books and reading were also fun, reminding me (although slightly younger than this book) of Finding Serendipity. I would highly recommend Maya and the Book of Everything to lovers of fantasy and complex plots ages twelve and up.

A note from Piranha T: Click here to check out our interview with Laurie Graves! 

By Piranha T.

Coriander Hobie lives a perfect life, with a loving father and a beautiful mother, a life she believes will never change. But then a pair of silver shoes slip her into another world, and although she stays there for a very short time, it changes her life forever. Only a few days later, her mother mysteriously dies, leaving Coriander and her father to navigate the political turmoil of seventeenth-century London. And then her father disappears too, leaving Coriander with her stepmother, who despises her.

Yet her stepmother isn’t the only person who Coriander learns to fear. For when she enters that other world again, she discovers someone else searching for her—someone who truly wants her dead.

I, Coriander was a beautifully written, engrossing read with a plot which just keeps getting better. Although set in a historical time frame, I, Coriander is fantasy, and I’d recommend it to fans of either genre; Coriander’s voice feels very authentic to the seventeenth century, but it still has the feel of a fantasy novel. It’s one of those books which pulls you in and weaves a spell of magic around you, written like a fairytale, but the plot and characters are much deeper than in more old-fashioned books. I would highly recommend I, Coriander to readers ages eleven and up.
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Note: The audiobook, read by Juliet Stevenson, is amazing—if you like to listen to audiobooks, I would recommend this one! I also listened to one of Sally Gardner’s other books, The Red Necklace, a historical fantasy for slightly older readers, which I would recommend if you love I, Coriander. ​

By Piranha T.

Fourteen-year-old Genna has never before broken one of the most fundamental laws of her people: never to leave her house at night, and never to go into the forest after dusk. The forest, which borders her small village, is inhabited by nightlings, mysterious creatures with legendary powers. The two realms are kept at peace only by an ancient treaty, giving humans reign over day, and nightlings rule by night.

But then Genna and her brother Dan break the pact and journey into the forest at night, thinking that only there lies the hope of saving their mother from the brink of death. Instead, they uncover something more dire than they could have imagined. A nightling slave tells them of a dangerous agreement the village’s leader has made with the nightling leader, Letrin—a scheme which, if fulfilled, could cost much more than Genna’s mother’s life.

When Genna is brought before Letrin herself, she strikes a deal with him whose terms even she doesn’t fully understand. She must set off with her brother along dark Moonroads to bring back what Letrin has requested, and uncover the truth about the nightlings, truths which will overturn the parts of her world she has always taken for granted.

The Ruby Key was an interesting, well-written fantasy with a lush and well-developed world of danger, mystery, and power. It took me a little longer than normal to get into this book, mostly because of the layers of the world I was trying to understand, but once I did, I was hooked. Genna is an excellent, relatable character with strong motivations and a likable personality. And the world is like a character in and of itself, with multilayered history and magical creatures of dangerous power, the kind of world fans of Blackbringer will love.

This book is on the older end of the middle-grade age range, so I would recommend it to readers ages eleven and up; parts of it might honestly be scary for younger readers. However, for fantasy fans of that age who like strong plots and complex worlds, I would highly recommend The Ruby Key.

By Piranha T.

Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is a fierce faerie hunter in a world where the past is all but forgotten. Of all her kindred, she’s the only one defending the legacy of the faeries who ended the Demon Wars twenty-five thousand years ago—including Magpie’s hero, Bellatrix, the champion of the king of the Djinn. For humans have begun to unleash the demons from their bottle prisons, and Magpie is intent on hunting them down.

But when the ancient Blackbringer is released into the world, Magpie knows that she’s onto much more than a normal demon—and that if she can’t catch it, the consequences will be much more dire. She tracks it into the enchanted forest of Dreamdark, a place of dangerous magic and immense power. But as she uncovers more secrets and learns the true nature of the creature she’s hunting, she begins to wonder if there is any hope of keeping the world from unraveling completely—and catching the Blackbringer in time.

Blackbringer is an amazing book. Laini Taylor spins a complex tale which surprised me at every turn, with an intricate, magnificent plot which never seems to slow down. Magpie is a brilliant character who I absolutely love, and her quest is full of nonstop action and long-covered secrets. Not only that, but the world feels completely real and engrossing, in a way which few worlds are. This is a book for fans of the complexity of Seraphina, The Ruby Key, and Shadow and Bone.

Although there wasn’t much violence and no romance, I recommend this book for ages ten and up; there were some things which could be frightening to younger readers, and the plot was complex at a level you usually only get in young adult, to a point which might actually be hard to follow! But older readers may enjoy this book even more than younger ones, simply because of the brilliant multilayered plot. For kids 11+ who love fantasy, brilliant plots, and well-developed worlds, I would highly recommend Blackbringer.

By Piranha T.

Collun likes gardening much more than fighting, and is quite content to stay in his village for his whole life. But it seems the world has other ideas for him. When his sister, Nessa, disappears, he has no choice than to set off, away from the life he’s always led.

But as he travels, he learns more is amiss in Eirren than simply his sister’s disappearance. Legendary monsters are returning all over the land, and a great lord has disappeared. However, Collun is not alone. Along the way, he is joined by a mysterious wizard, a fierce young archer, and an ambitious bard. But will he be able to surmount the final danger and save his sister?
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Hero’s Song is a fantasy quest for lovers of mythology. Edith Pattou draws from Irish myths and legends to create a medieval landscape of monsters, danger, and magic. This is a book for lovers of Over Sea, Under Stone, and The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. I would recommend Hero’s Song to readers ages eleven and up.