From best-selling German author Cornelia Funke comes this extraordinary, thoughtful story about the magic of books and the power of an author’s imagination. Meggie lives alone with her bookbinding (and book doctoring) father, Mo, who’s instilled in her the same … Continue reading
When five sixteen-year-old orphans are placed in a bizarre room unlike any other, they discover the true depravities of the mind and soul. Unable to get comfortable in this vast room of unending, unceasing staircases, hungry and ill at ease, … Continue reading
Once upon a time, when gods still strode the Earth and magic still manifested in unexpected ways, when the city of Troy stood in all its glory and the city-states of Greece dominated the world as they knew it, no … Continue reading
Inexplicably, the improbably-named Hercules Amsterdam is only three inches tall, a condition which has plagued him for all of his nine years, providing his family with much consternation. He himself is fairly happy with this state of being, though he … Continue reading
For her birthday, Giannine Bellisario (Janine) receives a gift certificate to the popular Rasmussen Gaming Center, a virtual reality arcade offering the very best in role-playing simulations. After some thought, she chooses Heir Apparent, a complicated game in which the … Continue reading
Harry Potter is back for the fifth installment in the best-selling phenomenon that’s swept the world, and this is his biggest, most dangerous adventure yet. Not only are all the old characters – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Draco, … Continue reading
As Harry’s 6th year at Hogwarts approaches, a secret war amongst the wizards and witches of the world continues to rage on, with the reborn Lord Voldemort’s Death-Eaters inflicting a slow, ghastly toll upon those who would stop them. The … Continue reading
Cassie Brittman’s always been there for family, especially when it comes to keeping her flighty mother grounded in the real world. But when her grandfather, a famous painter whose mind has seen better days, ends up in the hospital, dying, … Continue reading
The third and final look at retold fairy tales again turns its attention to geese, with Goose Girl. In this particular version, Anidori-Kiladra, Crown Princess of the small kingdom of Kildenree, is born with a peculiar, magical gift, to understand … Continue reading
It just so happens I stumbled across a small cache of retold fairy tales in time for this edition of my column. First up is Goose Chase, which ties together stock elements from a number of stories, including the orphaned … Continue reading
