The Witches of Sea-Dragon Bay, by Sandra Forrester (Barron’s, 2003)

Teenage witch Beatrice Bailey is back once again in this, her third exploit. This time, she and her friends are directed to help free the town of Sea-Dragon Bay from the evil clutches of rogue wizard Dally Rumpe, whose power … Continue reading

The Witches of Friar’s Lantern, by Sandra Forrester (Barron’s, 2003)

Beatrice Bailey, star of The Everyday Witch, returns for her second adventure in this continuing series of a girl called to test her talents by breaking an ancient curse. For Beatrice, the difference between being an Everyday Witch of low … Continue reading

The Everyday Witch, by Sandra Forrester (Barron’s, 2002)

Beatrice Bailey isn’t much of a witch. Save for her weather spells, every magical thing she attempts goes haywire. As far as that goes, she’s not too worried. She’s accepted that in a few days, on her twelfth birthday, she’ll … Continue reading

Sorcerers of the Nightwing, by Geoffrey Huntington (ReganBooks, 2002)

In the wake of Harry Potter’s phenomenal success, we’re seeing a fair number of books aimed at capturing that same interest, many of them tweaked a little to offer a slightly different experience. Sorcerers of the Nightwing, which bills itself … Continue reading

Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray (Delacorte Press, 2005)

In the sequel to A Great And Terrible Beauty, life for Gemma Doyle and her friends goes on. Circe’s monster has been destroyed, the magic of the Realms has been released from the crystals which bound it, and Pippa lies … Continue reading

Quadehar the Sorcerer, by Eric L’Homme (Scholastic, 2003)

Somewhere beyond the Real World, but before you reach the unpredictable, magical, Uncertain World, lies the Lost Isle, a place forever trapped in the middle, bearing many of the trappings of the Real World, yet threatened by bizarre, shadowy dangers. … Continue reading

Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, by James M. Ward (Tor, 2005)

At sixteen, Halcyon Blithe came into his powers relatively late, especially for a family renowned for turning out powerful wizards. However, as the seventh son of a seventh son, he definitely has a lot more magical potential than wizards twice … Continue reading

The Magickers and The Magickers #2: The Curse of Arkady, by Emily Drake (DAW, 2001/2002)

Eleven-year-old Jason Adrian’s world is thrown into disarray when a chance injury renders him incapable of attending soccer camp like he’d planned. Looks like it’s Grandmother McIntyre’s home for him, this summer! Anything’s better than spending time with the family … Continue reading

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling, (Scholastic Books, 2003)

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

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2005)

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