The Winter King by Christine Cohen: A tyrannical god, a desperate girl
The snowy town of Hrimsby is a harsh place, ruled by a harsh god: the Winter King. Cora Nikolsen sets out to free her family from the...
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William Stark
- Mar 26
- 5 min
The Door on Half-Bald Hill by Helena Sorensen: A haunting reworking of Irish folklore
In the small village of Blackthorn, there is a curse on the land—crops fail, animals die. All have failed to lift it. So Idris, the young...
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William Stark
- Jun 25, 2021
- 6 min
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin: Novel with two stories
Brangwain Spurge, a historian elf, has been sent (by giant crossbow) across the Bonecruel Mountains to the supposedly barbaric goblins...
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William Stark
- Dec 7, 2020
- 4 min
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin: Chinese folktales and a missing moon
Rendi, a runaway boy with an unknown history, is stranded in the tiny Village of Clear Sky. However, as he begins unraveling the mystery...
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William Stark
- Aug 22, 2020
- 4 min
The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal: British steampunk mystery
Thirteen year-old Jack Buckles has a strange ability: he can find things. Simply by touching stone or metal, he can experience...
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William Stark
- Aug 22, 2020
- 4 min
The Fourth Ruby by James Hannibal: Genghis Khan and teleporting thieves
Jack Buckles’ newly discovered tracker abilities which allow him to see the past are strangely absent, and others view him as dangerous...
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William Stark
- Aug 22, 2020
- 4 min
The Clockwork Dragon by James Hannibal: Telepathy, trials, and dragons (clockwork and otherwise)
With the looming threat of trial as a shunned “Section Thirteen” tracker in the British Ministry of Trackers, Jack Buckles is in danger...
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William Stark
- Jun 14, 2020
- 4 min
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Old movies, mysterious machines
Hugo Cabret, the young son of a clockmaker, lives alone in the walls of a train station after his father’s death and...
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William Stark
- Jun 8, 2020
- 5 min
The Griffin’s Feather by Cornelia Funke: Fantastic creatures and a globe-trotting quest
The silver dragon Firedrake and his young rider Ben must help locate a rare griffin feather to save the last known Pegasus eggs...
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William Stark
- May 27, 2020
- 5 min
Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier: Adventure, magic, and mysterious books
When the young bookbinder Sophie Quire receives the mysterious “Book of Who” from an unknown stranger, it sets off a chain of events that...
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William Stark
- May 22, 2020
- 4 min
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier: Whimsical adventure
In this fun take on the classic quest-story, Jonathan Auxier tells the story of Peter Nimble, a poor blind thief boy who gains magical...
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William Stark
- Mar 23, 2020
- 3 min
The Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford: Thieves and smugglers
When a group of carolers known as “the Waits” arrive at Greenglass House and people start being mysteriously attacked, it’s up to Milo to...
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William Stark
- Mar 16, 2020
- 5 min
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier: Children’s gothic story
Two Irish siblings travel to find work at a strange, crumbling English manor house. However, the house's inhabitants begin acting strangely
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William Stark
- Mar 9, 2020
- 3 min
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson: Adventure, peril, and toothy cows
This story, which incorporates both quirky humor and excellent lessons about family and loyalty, tells the story of Igiby siblings as they..
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William Stark
- Mar 9, 2020
- 4 min
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson: Quirky fantasy quest-story
In a similar vein to the first book in the Wingfeather Saga, this book chronicles the risky escapades of the Igiby family as they flee...
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William Stark
- Mar 9, 2020
- 5 min
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson: Mysteries and monsters
Having traversed the Dark Sea of Darkness, Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Wingfeather must deal with the new trials of life in...
101 views0 comments
William Stark
- Mar 9, 2020
- 5 min
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson: Redemption and sacrifice
The Warden and the Wolf King brings a satisfying conclusion to the series' conflict and exemplifies the themes of loyalty and sacrifice...
155 views0 comments
William Stark
- Feb 1, 2020
- 3 min
Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans: A trail of mechanical clues
Protagonist Stuart Horten moves to a new town in England, but promptly becomes entangled in a mysterious series of clues left for him by...
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William Stark
- Feb 1, 2020
- 4 min
Horten’s Incredible Illusions by Lissa Evans: A very strange adventure
After discovering a valuable cache of his magician great-uncle’s old stage magic apparatus Stuart Horten must now protect...
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William Stark
- Jan 20, 2020
- 5 min
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: Ancient British magic
In the year 1806, England is trapped in a costly war with Napoleon, and the last practicing magicians vanished from England hundreds of...
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