The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson September 12, 2011
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Fantasy, Magic Fiction , 2comments
If you like magic, adventure, and cats, this is the perfect fantasy book for you. Aldwyn is an ordinary alley cat. He is chosen by a wizard-in-training named Jack to be the boy’s familiar, a magical animal companion. Uh-oh! Magical? Just when Aldwyn thinks life is going to be easy, Jack and two other wizards-in-training are captured by the evil queen of Vastia. Aldwyn and familiars Skylar and Gilbert must save them, no matter how dangerous their mission. How will Aldwyn survive this adventure if he’s truly an ordinary alley cat? You have to read this book to find out!
~Mrs. Carlson~
Scumble by Ingrid Law April 5, 2011
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Friendship Fiction, Magic Fiction , add a comment
Scumble is a companion novel to the Newbery Honor winner Savvy. I liked both books, but I think I liked Savvy more. A savvy is a special power. In this book, Ledger Kale’s savvy arrives on his 13th birthday, and it’s quite destructive. Ledger spends the summer at his uncle’s ranch in Wyoming learning how to scumble, or harness, his savvy so that it becomes a positive power. While Ledger is scumbling, he has to deal with 13-year-old Sarah Jane Cabot, who seems to be nothing but a trouble-maker. Ledger uncovers secrets about Sarah Jane and her mother while dealing with Sarah Jane’s mean father. This 400 page fantasy book is filled with adventure and humor.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling April 14, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Magic Fiction , 3comments
It’s Harry’s second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even before he leaves to go on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, a House Elf is in his bedroom and dropping cake on Harry’s mean uncle’s guest. When the House Elf tells Harry that Hogwarts is too dangerous for him to go back, Harry is shocked! Harry feels out of sorts at his uncle’s and aunt’s house without his new friends, Ron and Hermione, and his broom and wand locked up in a cupboard. The weird thing is he starts to think that being a wizard was just a dream because his friends haven’t written to him. Not only that, but Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia have put bars on his window and locked his door because of the incident with the House Elf.
Harry gets a wonderful surprise when Ron and a few of his brothers come and rescue him with the one and only Flying Car! When they get to Ron’s house, the Burrow, he learns about the life of a wizard. The Weasleys teach him how to use Floo Powder to get to Diagon Alley. (Floo Powder isn’t all that great, so I wouldn’t advise for small children to do it.) Once Harry’s got all his books and met the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Lockhart, no one can stop Harry from going to Hogwarts now.
Unfortunately, the House Elf was right. Weird things are starting to happen, and Ginny Weasley, Ron’s sister, is caught in the middle of it. It’s up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. They are on the case! They have help from other people. Moaning Myrtle helps a lot, and even the sinister Draco Malfoy helps. They find clues like an old diary and the trail of spiders, but will they save Ginny before it’s too late? Read this adventurous book to find out.
~Jenna, Fifth Grader~
The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo February 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Magic Fiction , 3comments
In this book, ten year old Peter visits a fortuneteller to find out if his sister is still alive. The fortuneteller advises the boy that an elephant will lead him to her. Amazingly, a magician decides to perform his most marvelous trick, resulting in an elephant crashing through the ceiling of the opera house. An interesting series of events involving some odd characters occur after the elephant appears. Will the elephant really lead Peter to his sister?
I liked this book, but I found it to be unusual. Even though it is a sweet story at times, it is also a dark story at times. Some of the characters I did not like, and some I thought were very strange. I wasn’t sure how all the events and characters fit together, but it all made sense by the end.
If you’d like to know more about this book and hear a webcast by Kate DiCamillo, visit The Magician’s Elephant web site at http://www.themagicianselephant.com.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling January 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Magic Fiction , 3comments
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an exciting sequel to the magical five books before and a prequel to the one exploding book after. This book reveals all the secrets of You-Know-Who. (Maybe.) One gigantic secret is ….. come here, I’ll tell you. Shhhhhpppp! Can you believe it?! After all this time that was how he lived after the night when he killed Lily and James Potter. Not only did they get something important, but they also lost someone important. I hope you decide to read this wonderful, adventurous story.
~Jenna, Fifth Grader~
The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain October 14, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Magic Fiction , add a commentWhen I read the first page or two, I did not think I was going to like this 
book because it seemed sort of creepy. However, it turned out that I really liked this fantasy book. It’s about four people who live in Coven Tree. They each buy a magic card for fifty cents from a funny little man named Thaddeus Blinn. Each one can use his or her card to make one wish. Just one wish! Three of them make a wish, and strange events follow. Thankfully, the man with the fourth card comes to their rescue. They learned to “be careful what you wish for.” If you like magic combined with humor, try this book.
~Mrs. Carlson~