The Guardians Series

Summary: Of course you know the Guardians. You’ve known them since before you can remember: Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost. But...where did they come from? And what nefarious evil-doer forced to band together to protect the children of the world?

Thoughts: So, this series came out after the movie Rise of the Guardians that it's connected to. I put off reading these books for years because it looked like another scheme to milk the franchise and that usually produces underdeveloped stories meant to sell, not engage. Eventually, though, I caved on a rainy day and rented the first book from the library. Currently, my only regret is that I didn't just buy it outright. These books are amazingly well written, beautifully illustrated, and full of riveting plot and fascinating characters. This series is written with the beautiful, dreamy quality of fairytales and classics. I cannot recommend them enough, they are the type of books you read a million times and grow old with. This is one story broken up into a series so the books are meant to be read in order to fully enjoy them. 

Content: Magic and some frightening scenes. Otherwise, good for all ages!

Bed-Knob and Broomstick

Summary: When prim and proper Miss Price from next door falls off her broomstick, Carey, Charles and Paul discover that she's actually a witch. In order to keep them quiet, Miss Price gives the three children a gift - an enchanted bedknob that will whisk them off anywhere they want, for as long as they keep her secret. And so their adventures begin...

Thoughts: This is a classic story who's movie may be more well known than the book. Though I did grow up on the film, I only had the chance to read the book recently and it was adorable! Good writing, funny story, and endearing characters! Right up there with E. Nesbit!

Content: Magic and witches but otherwise good for all ages! 

Breadcrumbs

Summary: Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Thoughts: The Snow Queen is one of my favorite fairytales and I'm constantly looking for retellings, similar to Alice in Wonderland. One retelling that came highly recommended was this book. Honestly, it was hard to get into the story in the beginning as it started off pretty slowly. Once it finally picked up though, it was a pretty good story and a fascinating retelling, really capturing the fairytale feel of the original story. I definitely recommend it!

Content: Some creepy scenes and magic. Otherwise, clean for all ages. 

The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance

Summary: Murder, mystery, and adventure aren’t your typical birthday presents . . .
But for Theo, anything that breaks up his ordinary routine is the perfect gift.
A mysterious “illness” and Theo’s guardians force him into a life indoors, where gloves must be worn and daily medical treatments are the norm. When Theo discovers a suspicious package on his birthday, one person from the past will unlock the secret behind Theo’s “illness” and change his life forever.
Thoughts: There's not a lot I can say about this book without giving away plot. Suffice to say we really enjoyed this book! Great mystery, good writing, and engaging characters make this a must-read!

Content: Some mild language and creepy moments. Otherwise good for most ages!

The Iron Trial

Summary: Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

Thoughts: despite falling into a fairly common section of middle-grade literature with wanna-be's for Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, this book actually stands on its own feet pretty well. An interesting plot and good writing barely make this story stand out, what does put it in the spotlight is the curious cast of characters. The main three, especially, are fun to follow in this book but hold a lot of potential for the rest of the series. All in all, a good book that leaves you curious to see where it goes next.

Content: Magic, mild violence, and a few mildly creepy scenes put this book on the older side of middle-grade books, thus, generally ok for most ages. 

Hannah Coulter

Summary: Hannah, the now-elderly narrator, recounts the love she has for the land and for her community. She remembers each of her two husbands, and all places and community connections threatened by twentieth-century technologies. At risk is the whole culture of family farming, hope redeemed when her wayward and once lost grandson, Virgil, returns to his rural home place to work the farm. 

Thoughts: Hannah Coulter is the bittersweet tale of a life gone by. We see Hannah's childhood and early adult life during war times and how the world recovered afterward from the loss and damage left behind. We see a quiet tale of times changing and how the land and people change with it, moving on and coming full circle at the same time. A moving book that is well written, with the background of life itself more of a focus than the specific people. The cast is still well developed and enjoyable, almost guaranteed to make readers cry.

Content: War, adult relationships, and other hard topics plus writing style make this a good read for adults. 

A Glory of Unicorns

Summary: An award-winning author compiles twelve stories from popular fantasy writers to demonstrate the importance of magic in everyday life and show how unicorns are a prime source of this power.

Thoughts: So rarely do we see any modern stories depicting unicorns without wings or sparkly rainbows. I love this book because of its compilation of vastly different stories, and poems, that all depict accurately interesting unicorns. 

Ok, rant over. Really though, this book is great. There's a little something here for every fantasy fan and we highly recommend it!

Content: Some mild violence and language in some of the stories and magic in just about everything. Still good for most ages!