Kids Books - Magic

Gulliver's Travels gives an account of an Englishman (Gulliver, of course) who goes on voyages but is very unlucky. He meets (famously) Liliputians, the small people; Brobdinagians (the big people); Laputans and Balinarbians; and Hounyhnms, the virtuous talking horses. Through these travels, Jonathan Swift, the Irish writer of satire, weaves in criticisms of the world during the 18th century, criticizing the following: Whigs, Hanoverians, people from the Netherlands, and Europeans. It is interesting to read all the brilliant sarcastic ways things are allegorized in this book. The sheer absurdity of some events was diverting too. For example, LIliput battles its rival, Blefuscu based solely on the "correct" method of cracking eggs, and Gulliver urinates on the place in a noble attempt to put out a fire, and is promptly sentenced to blinding and slow starvation. Of course, you will have to read the book to realize all of its brilliance. But as this book does not have dialogue, only long monologues without even quotation marks, and because the sentences are long, and semicolons put in at strange places, this is not so quick to read. This, I know, will detract from the reading experience of some. But if you are prepared, you should read these pages and bask in its deep glory, irony, and wit. I especially recommend it to people who like reading classics or are prepared to think while they are reading. Lastly, I recommend that you read it with some footnotes to understand political references, such as the Sterling Edition, which also has good printing and large font.

I have always loved the Harry Potter book series. It is not only full of magic, adventure, joy, creativity, and Voldemort, it is a timeless classic that everyone knows the story too. When I heard that they were creating a picture book version to it, I was blown away and had to get my hands on it. The book has the same plot and words as the original, except now add color and art to the long list of traits I mentioned in the beginning. In case you don't know the plot to the book this is a simple breakdown of what happens; Harry Potter is not a normal boy whose parents died when he was a baby. He has weird talents that are unexplained like how he has a lightning scar, can talk to snakes and can make random things happen just by thinking about it. He lives with his awful Aunt, Uncle, and cousin who gives him the Cinderella treatment and always are rude to him. For heaven's sake, they made him sleep under the stairs. One day, Harry Potter gets a letter addressed to him with his exact location(under the stairs and everything), but the Dursleys won't let him open it after they see a red crest seal on it. They toss it into the garbage. As the days pass hundreds of letters are being sent and owls are appearing at his door, but still, the Uncle is taking all of them and not allowing Harry to see any of them. To avoid any more letters reaching them, Uncle Dursley decides to send all of them to a shabby house on a small island in the middle of the sea. This day happens to be Harry's 11th birthday. All of a sudden, a giant knock hits the door and they all startle themselves awake. It turns out to be a giant named Hagrid who explains to Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After that, he leaves his family, goes school supply shopping with Hagrid, and takes a train to the school. When he gets there he meets a lot of new people and makes best friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely who are in the same house as himself. He also learns what truly happened to his parents and it turns out to be a villain named Voldemort. He killed them and tried to kill Harry too, but his mother sacrificed herself instead and made a bond that destroyed Voldemort. After that day, Harry Potter gained the title of The Boy who Lived. People think that Voldemort is still out there resting so he can come back for revenge. And like all foreshadowing is, the fact turns out to be true. But we don't know that yet. They start hearing noises coming from around the top floor of the school so Harry and the gang go there to check it out. They see a giant 3 headed dog whose name is Fluffy. After this day, they have Hermione do some research and figure out that the dog is guarding a magical stone called the Sorceror's Stone which can give someone youth and that the owner of the dog is Hagrid. Their only lead is the suspicious Potions teacher, Severus Snape who somehow is always seen at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing. During this time, they got more information, saved Hermione from a troll, and met a few ghosts. Back to the present. Now that they had figured out that the owner of the dog was Hagrid, they all go to HAgrid's hut and trick him into giving them valuable information. Then they venture back into the attic with Fluffy and play soft music that makes him fall asleep for as long as they need to get past him. Then they go through the little latch underneath Fluffy and find a mysterious room in which there are puzzles they have to solve in order to get to the stone before Voldemort does. They solve a key riddle, plays chess with themselves being hit if they fail, and finally come into the room in which they find the stone. In the room, Harry Potter comes face to face with Mr. Qiurell the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who is actually a reincarnated version of Voldemort. So he and Voldemort have an epic face-off . . . .

I read this book, and I really liked it. It is a book about a girl that may or may not have been called Cassandra, (that is the name used in the book) and a boy that may or may not be called Max-Ernest (that is his name in the book.) The book is about how Cassandra and Max-Ernest find a story about a man called Pietro's life. They come to a point in the story where Pietro and his brother are separated by a lady that matches the exact description of a lady they had seen only a few days ago. Just a little later on, a boy in their class is kidnapped, by the lady, who drives away in a limousine that says "The Midnight Sun Sensorium & Spa" Cassie looks The Midnight Sun up, and goes there as a Skelton sister, who in the book one of the famous make up producers Called the Skelton Sisters (they are actually sisters.) When she gets there, she meets a butler called Owen. He shows her to her room, and she goes to sleep. The next morning, he brings in a drink, with bits of gold inside. After, she has a mud bath, also with gold bits. At dinner, Max-Ernest comes in, and Cassandra accidentally spills a glass of wine on the lady's gloves. She turns out to be really old. When a large group of people have a meeting in the pyramid building, Cassandra and Max-Ernest start a fire, and save the boy. They get away with Owen, who turns out to be a spy. When they get home, everyone is happy. Except for the principal, who thinks Cassie and Max-Ernest kidnapped the boy.

With a great plot and creepy supernatural stories, this fantasy/horror story was delightfully engaging. The characters include the following: Emrys, who has just moved to the notoriously haunted city of New Rotterdam; Hazel, Emrys's longtime friend, and unexplained phenomenon enthusiast; Serena, Hazel's friend. In the book's beginning, Emry and Hazel return to their apartment in the middle of a thunderstorm. Soon, a mysterious whistler is heard: Emrys, Serena, and Hazel decide to snoop around their mysterious neighbor's mysterious apartment (where they hear the Whistler going in). What they find astonishes them: destruction, and in the midst of it, a talking book containing the consciousness of the apartment's former owner, Mr. Van Stavern. He tells them that they are to be members of a secret order. Their mission is clear–protect New Rotterdam and the world from paranormal forces by containing powerful cursed relics. But a dilemma is caused when Serena, the skeptic, decides to forget about it. Their first task begins as a red hourglass starts appearing all over New Rotterdam, and people start disappearing. With only 2 members, will the team be able to survive the deadly relic and the organization that is putting them in public spaces? First of all, the book had very relatable themes such as climate change and friendship. The characters, such as Emrys, were all fleshed out and relatable too. The Wiki entries after every chapter were interesting and in my opinion, made the book a lot better. But I felt that one of the big flaws of the book was that the Wandering Hour, which is what the book is focused on (it's in the title even), could have been a lot scarier and stranger, like the other Wiki entries in the book. Finally, the dialogue feels natural and there are even some funny parts, which lighten up the grim tale of disappearing juveniles. About the scariness level, it's pretty mild, but there is talk of humans disappearing and dying, so I would recommend this book to middle grades and above. Also, if you like unexplained things such as cryptids, this would be an interesting book (the book goes by pretty quickly, so it's good for light reading).

Are you wondering about what book you should read next? Do you think that there are no more books left for you to read in your local library? I strongly recommend that you read the Percy Jackson series. This one’s my favorite, and it could be yours, too! If you need a book to read and can’t find one, or even if you are almost bored with no books, look on! To begin with, one of the main reasons this book series is atop many others is because it is fiction. Many readers enjoy nonfiction because you can explore the real side of the world. However, you could get many other ideas to write your own stories from fiction. Percy Jackson is also mythological, because some Greek gods have main roles in the series. If you are interested in mythology, don’t turn this opportunity down! This book series is also a classic. It’s up there with Harry Potter and The 39 Clues, you know! Second, If you love watching PG-13 movies such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, this book series also has lots of action, as well as an everlasting adventure! You’ll never regret reading this book after hearing how many are in the Percy Jackson series itself! The Lightning Thief The Sea of Monsters The Titan’s Curse The Battle of the Labyrinth The Last Olympian One last reason I want to give for you to read the Percy Jackson series is because the author, Rick Riordan, has a great reputation. Along with the 5 Percy Jackson books, He has made 3 books from the Kane Chronicles, 5 more books from the Heroes of Olympus series (which also features some of the main characters from Percy Jackson), and 2 miniature collisions of the Kane Chronicles and Percy Jackson, each around 40 pages long. Rick also wrote the first book in The 39 Clues series, The Maze of Bones. All of Rick’s books have great ratings from sites like Goodreads.com and Barnesandnoble.com. To sum it up, Percy Jackson is a great book series to read due to its genre, its author, and the information provided in a total of 1,726 thrilling pages! And if you don’t like reading, it’s a lot less pages to worry about than something like Harry Potter, which is almost double! That if you need a book to read, turn down the mythology aisle and pick up a Percy Jackson book today!

Rick Riordan kicks off his new book series with his first book of The Gods of Asgard Series! Magnus Chase, a homeless teenager who became when his mother Natalie died, soon discovers his other parent; his father is the god Frey! He also learns that his two best friends, Hearthstone and Blitzen are an elf (Hearth), and a dwarf (Blitz). As his world gets turns upside down, his Uncle Randolph suddenly appears, saying that there family had attracted the gods for many generations. He wants Magnus to find the sword that he has lost his family for while searching. While on a bridge to fetch the sword from the Boston Harbor, a fire giant attacks, killing Magnus right after Magnus finds Sumbrander, the sword (aka Jack). Samirah, a Valkyrie, takes him to Valhalla, the land of deceased heroes, where he is told he wasn't meant to die, but cannot go back to the living because he has already seen Valhalla. As the story continues, Magnus and his friends are put on quest to stop Fenris Wolf from breaking his chains and starting Ragnarok. Riordan uses humor to smooth out all of parts that might be scary for some readers making it the perfect read! I rate this book 5 stars because it is the perfect blend of funny, scary, and , of course, mythology!

I rate this book a 5/5 because it has a VERY INTERESTING plot, amazing characters, and it's even a bit funny as well! And the theme is awesome as well, I mean, greek mythology? SO cool! I definitely recommend this book to all ages (except like, preschoolers or kindergarteners of course)!! But there is one flaw.... When you start reading it, you'll want to read more and more and more! XD! So, that is why you must read percy jackson immediately!!! And guess what, if you finish this series, there's even the other series: Percy jackson and the heroes of olympus!!! And others as well that all relate to greek mythology! Like The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and Trials of Apollo!

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" After a bloody war, twelve districts rose from the ashes of what was formerly known as North America, lead by a glorious Capitol. As revenge for the districts' betrayal in the war, the Capitol requires one young man and woman from each district to participate in an annual televised fight to the death, commonly known as the 'Hunger Games.' And when Primrose Everdeen, an innocent twelve-year-old from District 12 gets selected to participate in the Hunger Games, her sister, Katniss, is shell-shocked - and in a life-changing decision, volunteers to take her place. Her fellow tribute from her district is announced as one Peeta Mellark, who helped Katniss and her family in their time of need.. and there will only be one survivor. In order to survive, they are presented to the frivolous citizens of the Capitol as "star-crossed lovers", and must play the part to stay alive.. together. Prepare for an action-filled adventure of betrayals, poisonous berries, unexpected allies, bloody deaths, wildfires, heartbreak, and maybe even true love..? I highly recommend this book - please give it a try! This book fit right in the "dystopia" label, honestly - even though I completely fell for this book my first time reading it, I grew a little more critical the next few times around.. I felt like the "star-crossed lovers" cliché didn't exactly "fit" Katniss and Peeta - I felt like Katniss would be better off with her sister, Prim, even in the absolutely terrible conditions of District 12 - that would have been a "happy ending" for her. Instead, Katniss is stuck in a confusing love triangle between basically useless Peeta and her long-time friend, Gale, and I feel like even though the bloody Hunger Games is supposed to be the "main" storyline of the series, the whole overwhelming romance thing just pushes everything else aside. Aside from the cheesy "romance" side of this series, I absolutely loved some parts of the book - the sacrifice Katniss made for Prim felt so.. so heartbreaking, but I was absolutely devastated when a specific friend of Katniss died in her arms.. The emotional aspect of such an event was so well captured in this book, how heartbreaking it would be to lose your family or friends.. I could not stop sobbing. This outshone the "romance" storyline for me, and now, I am happy to say that I believe that Suzanne Collins wrote an absolutely breathtaking novel.. thank you.

I really think you should read The Everafter War in The sisters Grimm, actually I recommend reading all The sisters Grimm series book! Here are some things that are in The Sisters Grimm : Romance, Tragedy, Mystery, and fairy tale. But sometimes they twist fairy tales. And here is some information about Everafters if you don't know already: Everafters are basically people/fairy/ animals that are in fairy tales. Most everafters don't like The Grimm family because the Grimm family put a magical barrier in Fairyport Landing, so no everafters can leave the town Fairyport Landing. Everafters are usually around 460 years old, Everafters can choose when they want to stop and start growing so they won't look as old as they really are. I have read all the sisters grimm books many many time. In fact I have read this sisters grimm book 14 times, I read them over and over because you will never get bored of The Sisters Grimm!

If you like dragons or fantasy I do recommend this book. Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret is a must-read but I suggest reading the series in order if you haven’t already. I believe the author used this book to give more information about the Nightwings and Rainwings who both were not very involved in the war. This one had me hooked because of how much suspense there is leading to the climax. It felt like a movie, especially at the end. As Starflight was in the NightWing fortress, I was surprised he was able to survive with countless problems especially as Morrowseer was there. One of the most enthralling parts in the book was when Starflight discovered a helpful instrument while he was exploring the fortress with Fatespeaker. The discovery had been very useful while he was on the island. I wondered whether he would share his discovery or keep it hidden but ultimately he did what was best for the RainWings and the other dragonets. Near the ending of the book I was in complete shock when I heard the truth about the dragonet prophecy! It was like a snake had jumped out of the grass! Morrowseer explained the intentions behind dragonet prophecy and which tribe it would benefit. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!