Sorcery for Beginners

Magic is nearly lost from the world, but there are a few sorcerers left to defend the ancient gifts.  They are on the lookout for those with potential, young people who can train in the magical arts. 

Owen doesn't really see himself as a person with potential.  He spends most of his time playing video games and going through the motions of life.  It's only gotten worse since his mother left to study orangutans on the other side of the world, and he and his father move to Las Vegas.

He's on the run from some particularly nasty bullies when he stumbles across an impossible looking bookstore.  There he meets Euphemia Whitmore who tells him he has potential and convinces him to purchase a book called Sorcery for Beginners.  Owen doesn't really believe in magic, but if a spell could turn back time and keep his family together, it's worth a shot. 

Owen goes to a group of magic cosplayers from his school for help, and they find some success, but they are also attacked by bullies.  To save himself, Owen uses magic against them.  This sets of a chain of events that makes him and his friends targets of a Las Vegas millionaire with connections to organized crime and the greatest anti-magic secret society in the world. 

Their challenge is to protect the book, magic, and themselves from these powerful enemies.  That's asking a lot from a kid who's never even tried to be good at anything before. 

Matt Harry's series opener is a fun magical adventure with a modern setting.  The illustrations add verisimilitude to the story.  Hand this to Harry Potter fans! Recommended!

Path to the Stars

Young Sylvia loves her family, but she always felt like life was out of her parents' control.  From broken down cars to problems with their home, Sylvia felt there had to be a better way to deal with life, to take control rather than just letting things happen.

When she discovers Girl Scouts, she finds her solution.  These girls don't just wish.  They don't just let things happen.  They make goals and plans.  They make things happen.

Being a Girl Scout gives Sylvia the courage she needs to take control, to learn anything she wants to learn even if it isn't a subject for girls.  That strength helps her get scholarships for college, become an engineer, and achieve her dream of attending Stanford University.

Sylvia Acevedo credits much of her success as an engineer and rocket scientist for NASA to the influence of Girl Scouts when she was younger.  She is now the CEO of Girl Scouts.  This memoir is an inspiring story of a girl who overcame every obstacle in her path to achieve her goals.  Highly recommended.

One True Way

Allie isn't happy about her family situation after her parents' divorce.  She isn't sure she'll be able to make friends in her new town, but she meets Sam on her first day.  Sam is outgoing, friends with everyone, and makes everything fun.  Everyone in school seems to like and trust her, and Allie feels special to have become friends with her so quickly.

Allie used to work on the school newspaper, and Sam is the girl to make it happen.  It only takes a single introduction for Allie to get a tryout, and thanks to her writing skills and ability to take criticism, she's in. 

Sam also helps Allie overcome some of the fears she's struggled with since her brother's death.  Allie never thought she would be brave enough to ride a horse, but with Sam's encouragement, she just might.

It doesn't take long for Allie to realize she feels more than friendship for Sam, but the girls feel like they have to hide their feelings from everyone, especially Sam's religious family.  However, they are lucky enough to have the friendship of a Methodist minister who doesn't condemn them.

Shannon Hitchcock's book belongs in middle school libraries, but it's a pretty simplistic storyline with simplistic prose.  I do recommend it, but I can't help but compare it to Ivy Aberdeen, which is so much more literary.  That said, it's good to have more than one book on the topic.

Front Desk

Mia's parents have been struggling to make ends meet since they immigrated from China to America.  When they get the chance to run a small motel where they can live rent-free, it seems like a dream come true!

But Mr. Yao, the owner, keeps changing their contract, and it always benefits him.  His son, Jason, is Mia's age, and he's just as bad as his father.  Still, Mia loves working at the front desk after school while her parents are busy cleaning the rooms.  It gives her confidence and a sense of importance.

The permanent residents of the motel become like a family to Mia, and she is outraged when one of them is accused of committing a crime.  Mia knows he didn't do it, and she sets out to prove it.

As bad as things seem sometimes, Mia knows they could be worse.  Her parents sometimes hide Chinese immigrants in an empty motel room, and Mia hears their horror stories.

Mia loves the power of words, but her mother is convinced she'll never be successful since English is her second language.  She thinks Mia should stick to math.  Can Mia prove to her mother and herself that words can make all the difference?

I love Kelly Yang's book so much!  There are moments of humor followed by moments of outrage.  Readers will sympathize with Mia as she tries to fit in with her American classmates and feel her confusion about race relations in 1980's California.  I read this book in one sitting--could not put it down.  Highly recommended!

The Grand Escape

This is the true story of a group of British pilots determined to break out of a German POW camp called Holzminden.  Neal Bascomb briefly sketches out the backstories of individual players and previous foiled escape attempts. 

By the time they are all at Holzminden together, conditions are treacherous, and the prisoners are ruled by the ruthless commandant Niemeyer. 

Once we got to the actual escape itself, the story is engaging, but I really struggled to get into this one.  There are so many players involved, and some of them get full backstories and then drop out of the narrative.  I think there is definitely an audience for this.  It just isn't me. 

The Hotel Between

Cameron and Cassia Kuhn have never known their parents.  Each twin has a necklace with a gold coin from one of their parents, but that's pretty much it.  Their mother is dead, and their father left them with their grandmother when they were babies and never returned.  Cassia thinks he's the villain, but Cameron isn't so sure.

Cameron is a worrier, and he thinks if he could find his dad, life would be better for his aging grandmother and for Cassia who has spina bifida.  There would be someone else there to share the load.

On the way home from school one day, he sees a golden sign in a strip mall, "The Hotel Between."  This is the beginning of an epic adventure that may be a little too intense for Cameron the worrier, but he can't deny how amazing this place is.

The hotel is a magical building with rooms and connections all over the world.  He can go from Russia to California to Australia in one day! Plus, the hotel promises a way to find his father and put his family on a more stable footing.

But who can Cameron trust?  It seems like everyone has an agenda, and no one is really on his side.

Sean Easley's fantasy adventure is fun and interesting.  Would be world travelers will love the premise, and the mystery of Cameron's father will keep readers turning pages.  Recommended!