Witch's Business, by Diana Wynne Jones

I am a great fan of Jones books.  Particularly I think The Dark a Lord of Derkholm and the Year of the Griffin are wonderful books for readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  Jones has a wonderful sense of humor and makes fantasy quite believable.In some ways I prefer her take on schools and the politics surrounding them to that of J.K. Rowling. I also appreciate the way that Jones shows in her book the ways that adolescents can break through boundaries of status and social group to achieve a shared goal.

Jones is a British author and sometimes her language and colloquialisms are a little bit challenging for American readers.  But her understanding of the interests and lives of young adolescents make any struggles worthwhile. This is a reissue of her first novel and is currently out of print, but still available through a variety of online booksellers. This is the second time that I have been able to read a first book from a popular author. (The other was Patricia Briggs.) It's fascinating to see how their craft improves over time.  I would love to be able to use the use in an author study unit with adolescents to show stronger vs. weaker writing. It would take some considerable time which, unfortunately, is not typically available in classrooms due to pressures from standardized tests and district curriculum mandates.

The Malifex, By Steve Alton 2002

I've long been a passionate reader of anything related to King Arthur and especially Merlin. This book takes the Arthurian legend into the present with new heroes and wizards. The main character, Sam, a notable gamer, turns out to be the new Arthur. With his supporting wizard, Amergin.

The plot is engaging and the characters are relatively well developed. It helps a lot to have background knowledge about the Arthurian legends, the British countryside, and things magical. Students who have read The Hobbit, and watched or reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy will feel comfortable with the necessary background knowledge. There is a second book with the same characters available The Firehills.

I had picked this up as a book I might recommend to gamers. It is a possibility, but the video gaming plot threads are minimal. Gamers who like the magical themed games or LOTR game will find the book engaging.

The book is recommended primarily for grades 5-8 and I agree with that. The readability estimates by Perma-Bound are around mid-5th grade. The main character's age is not made explicit. However, he is old enough to have a romantic interest in his companion in adventure--Charly (Charlotte).

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Trenton_Lee_Stewart

This is the second in the series. The Society is established in England and has four amazing children with unusual abilities who have to work together to save the world/day. I enjoyed the first one well enough that I'm reading the second.

It reminds me somewhat of Diane Duanne's Wizard series (So You Want to be a Wizard, etc...)