The Other Side of Magic, Keyholders 2
by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones
Illustrated by Adam Stower
In this second book in the keyholder series, Penny and Luke are officially keyholder
apprentices—along with their arch-enemy, Natalie. And Natalie is none too happy about it. Although
she's already the most gifted of the group at the job, she finds it messy and is sorely disappointed in
her magical helper, a rat named Buttercup. She wants a dragon or a unicorn like Luke and Penny have. But
things are getting scary in Morgantown as bigger and badder magical creatures are slipping through. Will
they be able to protect the real world from the Queen of the Boggarts?
This book has plenty of conflict to keep kids caught up in the story. First, Natalie is giving
everyone a pain. Then, Penny and Luke have to deal with the fact that she's better at magic than they
are. And finally, they face real danger when a host of hobgoblins break through the hedge, determined to
kidnap the young keyholders. So, the plot packs plenty of thrills, but overall, I felt the development
dragged a bit. At the end of the book, we're not really particularly further into the keyholder plot than
we were at the close of book one—we've just gotten to battle a few more creepies and gotten a double
dose of annoying Natalie. The kids are faced with the chore they need to accomplish, but other than
recognizing it, they don't seem to progress much. Still, there's plenty happening, even if it doesn't
all seem particularly purposeful to advancing the series. |
The Book |
Starscape, A Tom Doherty Associates Book |
April 28, 2009 |
Paperback, reviewed as ARC |
0765359839 /978-0765359834 |
Children’s Fantasy / Ages 4 - 8 |
More at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Jan Fields |
Reviewed 2009 |
NOTE: Reviewer Jan
Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of
stories and articles for the children's magazine market. |
|