The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Alex and Conner, twins, have had a recent death in their family. It’s hit them pretty hard, and, as they’ve come to realize, life moves on. When they receive a mysterious gift from their grandmother, Alex and Conner begin a journey through the perils of fairytale land, and come to question the good, the evil, and even their own existence. Join them in this journey as you turn each page in a mesmerized gaze.

            What can I say about The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell? It’s a fantastic fairytale, with compelling characters, morals galore, and a bit of danger around every corner. This book takes little to no time to read with its easy wording and if you have a determined mind. (This book also reminds me a bit of how the very first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was written.) I was first compelled to read this book sorely based on the fact that Chris Colfer wrote it. (Don’t look at me like that! He’s a Golden Globe winner!) Chris Colfer rose to the occasion—his book is a jewel! It even has a sequel: The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns. Enjoy your reading! (May I suggest reading with a young one? It is a fairytale, after all.)

~Hollindra

Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow Randall spent the first sixteen years of her life as a normal teenager. Then one rainy night, as she’s driving her intoxicated parents home, she gets in a crash. Both of her parents are killed in the crash and Willow must leave her current life to go live with her older brother, David, as a result.

Willow feels like a burden to her older brother, his wife, and their young child and with the guilt of her parent’s death pressing on her she turns to cutting to deal with it. Willow feels more alone than ever in her new life and school. Then she meets Guy, someone who she can open up a little to and share her feelings.

The book Willow opens up a more somber and darker side of life that isn’t all that beautiful. It will remind the reader how easily pain can slip into our lives and could potentially ruin us. Willow is a rather average sized book that contains 329 pages.

~Deviyana

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Raven’s Gate has very few parts of comedy but for what it lacks in comedy it makes up for in horror. I like it because it reels you in by the first page. You will not stop reading it, trust me. It all starts by a boy who is lost trying to survive he gets into trouble and learns the he has powers like no one he seen has. Later he will learn that the world is in danger of total annihilation but he cannot save it alone, so he has to search to find the others with powers

 to stop earth’s destruction.