The Last

The Last

 by Katherine Applegate



The Last is book #1 in the Endling Series by Katherine Applegate.  

It is the story of Byx, the baby of her pack, and a member of the nearly extinct dairne species. Dairnes are dog-like creatures that have magical abilities and are able to glide when they spread their arms and expand their wings.

Byx returns home to find that her family has been hunted and killed, leaving her to be possibly the only one left of her kind. She is the Endling. Byx sets out quickly to avoid being hunted herself and to find somewhere safe to stay. 

Along the way, Byx meets up with new creatures of human and animal form and, for reasons of their own, join Byx in her quest to safety and to find other dairnes. This motley crew begins their journey as strangers, but as time goes on they become a kind of family, looking out for each other. 

They discover a secret plot in their kingdom of Nedarra that threatens every creature in their world. Will they be able to take on those that plot against them and save their kingdom?

The characters are magical, the setting is mystical and the story is adventurous. It is an exciting read with a good message about society and the need to respect each other. I can't wait for the next installment in the series!

Wildwood

Wildwood 

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy

Prue McKeel is a 12 year old girl from, Portland, a small town across the ravine from Wildwood, known to her townspeople as the Impassable Wilderness, due to its inhabitability, dangerous creatures and overall wildness. One Saturday morning Prue is playing with her baby brother, Mac, at the playground, when he is suddenly and inexplicably carried off by a murder of crows into Wildwood. Prue follows him as far as she can, but quickly realizes she has lost Mac to the crows. 
 
Formulating a plan, Prue gathers supplies and goes into Wildwood with Curtis, a classmate, to rescue Mac. Once they enter the woods, they meet the animals and people that live in the different neighbourhoods of the woods.  Prue and Curtis become separated and they discover that not everyone is as they appear. In these woods lies good and evil and a history that has divided the woods, causing wars and political upheaval that is unresolved. 

As outsiders, Curtis and Prue each become involved with different factions - the Mystics, the Coyotes, the Bandits, and the Dowager Governess to name a few, as they struggle to learn the whereabouts of Mac and enlist the help of people and animals they meet to rescue him. 

Wildwood is the first in the trilogy of  the Wildwood Chronicles and sets the stage for other adventures involving Prue and Curtis. This volume can be a bit daunting at 541 pages and it uses a lot of uncommon vocabulary, but this only adds to its descriptive writing and its fantastical setting.

This book, intended for middle graders, is worth the journey into Wildwood, it does not move quickly, but there is a lot going on that is all explained and nothing is taken for granted.

The Goldfish Boy

the goldfish boy

       
The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

Matthew Corbin is 12 years old and lives in a quiet cul-de-sac with his parents. Matthew has stopped going to school because he suffers from severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). He continually cleans his room and washes his hands so much that the skin is raw. 

Matthew spends his days in his room, or in the room across the hall, known as the office. From each of these rooms, he can see the whole street, front and back, and spends his time watching the comings and goings of his neighbours and making notes about them in his notebook. 

One day Teddy, the toddler next door, goes missing and it looks like Matthew was the last person to see him before he disappeared. As the investigation develops, Matthew and his friends Melody and Jake work together to do some detective work of their own with Matthew observing and Melody and Jake doing the legwork on the outside. 

Will Teddy return home safely and  will Matthew and his friends be able to solve the mystery in time?  This is a well written story with a good mystery and a good honest look at OCD. With Matthew narrating, we feel what he feels and get a good understanding of the difficulties he faces daily and the strength he needs to step outside his comfort zone to solve the mystery of Teddy's disappearance.

The Magic Misfits

The Magic Misfits

    by Neil Patrick Harris  


The Magic Misfits is a fun, quirky middle grade book by actor Neil Patrick Harris. It begins with Carter, a young boy who lives with his Uncle Sly, a street con artist who forces Carter, a young magician, to assist him with his pick-pocketing. Having had enough of his uncle's dishonest ways,Carter takes a chance and runs away on a train leaving town. 

Not sure where he is headed, Carter leaves the train when he sees a sea of circus tents in a little town of Mineral Wells. Heading to the circus, where he can hide amongst the crowd, Carter encounters B.B. Bosso and his unruly, band of crooked con artists. 

Meeting Dante Vernon, a local illusionist, leads Carter to his first real family and a group of magic misfits who quickly become his friends. Using each of their magical skills, this diverse group of pals; Leila, Ridley, Theo, Olly, Izzy and Carter unite to thwart the villainous exploits of Bosso and his thugs.

This is a fun read that is more than the story of Carter and his magical friends. Each chapter includes magic tricks the reader can try at home, secrets and codes to crack. The book speaks to you in Neil Patrick Harris' inimitable chatter and is sure to delight his fans and those new to his writing.