"Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary" by Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series has been inspiring kids for years now, and is about to come to an end next month with book five is released. However, between now and then, you can turn your attention to the first four books, including the Whitney finalist Fablehaven IV: Secret of the Dragon Sanctuary.

Here's the blurb:

Brace yourself for a shocking secret.

Two hidden artifacts have been found. Three more remain unrecovered. More preserves face destruction as the Society of the Evening Star relentlessly pursues new talismans. Reading in Patton’s Journal of Secrets, Kendra learns the location of the key to a vault housing one of the artifacts. In order to retrieve it, the Knights of the Dawn must enter a death trap — a dragon sanctuary called Wyrmroost. The mission cannot proceed without stealing a sacred object zealously guarded by the centaurs. Anybody seen Seth?

Brandon's website is fun and filled with great information, games and video clips. It also contains extra materials for parents and teachers to help you teach your kids while they enjoy reading his books.

Also up for the title of Best Youth Fiction in this year's Whitney's is Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball, My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison, Bright Blue Miracle by Becca Wilhite, and The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. I'll get to the last three next week.

"FarWorld book 2: Land Keep" by J Scott Savage

If you aren't familiar with J Scott Savage's first FarWorld book, WaterKeep you'll want to check it out first. The basic story is that we have two teens, both from alternate 'worlds' that essentially use the same space. Farworld is a magical place where everyone has magical abilities. That is, everyone except Kyja, who has none. Marcus, here in our reality, however, has found he does have certain abilities, despite the fact that he is consigned to a wheelchair and lives in an orphanage. When FarWorld is threatened, Marcus is pulled back there to help get the Elementals to help fix things. There are four sets of Elementals. In this book, they try to find the Land Elementals. The blurb follows.

Four mythical Elementals— Water, Land, Air, and Fire— have the power to save two worlds, Earth and Farworld, from a common enemy: the Dark Circle. In book one, Water Keep, a portal has been opened between the two worlds, allowing Marcus, from Earth, and Kyja, from Farworld, to combine their unique gifts and begin their epic quest to find the Elementals.

In book two, Land Keep, Marcus and Kyja travel with Cascade, a Water Elemental, toward Land Keep, the home of the powerful and wise Land Elementals. However, their journey may end before it even begins. Land Keep is empty, deserted for at least a thousand years, and the rumor is that the creatures who once controlled all land magic are extinct. Marcus and Kyja's only hope seems to lie in finding the Augur Well, a legendary Oracle protected by subtle traps and mind-bending trials. To succeed in their quest, Marcus and Kyja must also avoid the Keepers of the Balance, an order dedicated to redistributing magic to the rich and powerful. And they must travel far underground, where Cascade is unable to follow and where they will be unable to leap to the safety of Earth.

As the Dark Circle closes around them, Marcus and Kyja are faced with the temptation of what they desire most. Sacrifices must be made, and not everyone will survive unscathed.

The FarWorld books are considered middle-grade books, but appeal to much older readers as well (including yours truly). They are now available at DeseretBook.com, and should be seen in some stores already, with many more to come.

There's just something about dragons

Kids from middle grade on up to young adult are flocking to fantasy these days--and who can blame them? With Harry Potter drawing reluctant readers to the book shelves, more publishers have stepped up and provided them with yet more reason to hang out. The Dragon Codex series is a great example. Though the entire series is 'authored' by R.D. Henham, R.D. has received a lot of help from various scribes along the way. One of these 'helpers' is Rebecca Shelley, who wrote the Red Dragon Codex, and Brass Dragon Codex--books designed for middle-grade readers with plenty of adventure but without some of the more mature themes in some fantasy books geared toward teens.

R.D. Henham is a scribe in the great library of Palanthas. In the course of transcribing stories of legendary dragons, the author felt a gap existed in the story of the everydragon: ordinary dragons who end up doing extraordinary things. With the help of fellow scribes, R.D. had filled that gap with the Dragon Codices.

The blurb for Red Dragon Codex:

Mudd lives a peaceful life in his small town, tinkering with the mill and any mechanical devices that he can find. But his peaceful life soon changes when, out of nowhere, a red dragon attacks, burning the town and kidnapping Shemnara, the village seer. Only one clue is left behind--a cryptic note telling Mudd, "Seek the silver dragon."

And for Brass Dragon Codex:

Never start a conversation with a brass dragon--it might never end! In another volume of the companion series to A Practical Guide to Dragons, orphaned baby brass dragon Kyani ventures out into the desert to find something to eat, and finds a gnome named Hector instead. Hector is not so sure he wants a chatty, hungry brass dragon following his every move. But several groups ready to go to blows over the marvelous invention Hector guards with his life, he may need the help that only a fun-loving brass dragon can provide.


An Amazon reviewer had this to say: Red Dragon Codex is a great fantasy story that includes not just dragons, but all kinds of magical creatures. The best part is that it is written specifically for middle grade readers. Girls and boys alike will love that the plot moves along quickly, and the story is full of action, thought and bravery. I grew to love Mudd, Hiera, Kirak, Greenthumb, and Iroden. I highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately, the publisher decided to stop this series before the entire series was published, but the good news is there are seven fun, clean titles you can search out at your local library (for your child or yourself), or buy for your personal library at home.