The Wizards of Once

Xar is the 13-year-old son of the wizard ruler, and he has a problem.  His magic hasn't come in yet.  But he has a plan!  He leads his followers into the Badwoods at night in the hopes of trapping a witch and stealing its power for himself.  Easy-peasy!

Except...witches are extinct, and even if they weren't, you wouldn't want to meet one because they are the evilest creatures to ever walk the earth.

Wish is the 13-year-old daughter of the warrior queen, and she has a problem.  Wizards have sworn to rid the land of all magic, but wish has an enchanted pet, a spoon to be specific, and it's gone missing.  Wish and her bodyguard, Bodkin, set out into the Badwoods at night to find her spoon, but soon they are running from something unidentifiable and terrifying.

This is where our two heroes crash into each other in the forest.  They should be enemies, but it doesn't take long before they form a type of camaraderie, and when one of the smallest of their group is mortally wounded, they form a plan to save him.  This plan is incredibly dangerous for Xar and his magical companions because it involves sneaking into the warrior fort, the very home of the enemy!

But things are worse than any of them can imagine because the witches are back, and they want something they can only get from our little band of friends.

Cressida Cowell's new series opener is a delightful fantasy adventure perfect for upper elementary and middle school readers.  I highly recommend the audiobook which is divinely read by David Tennant!  Fans of funny fantasy and Cowell's previous series, How to Train Your Dragon, will eat this up! Also, I'm left to wonder if the Queen Sychorax in this book will bear any resemblance to the one in The Tempest.  It's a different spelling, but this book also has an Ariel...I guess I'll have to wait and see!