Keeper of the Lost Cities Collection Books 1-3: Keeper of the Lost Cities; Exile; Everblaze

I wasn't expecting to enjoy these novels. In fact, I heard about them when a former student, now in grade 7, began gushing about them at recess. Unlike the saccharine sappiness of many teen novels, these strike a balance between angst, loyalty, responsibility, ignorance, and the desire to do what's right.The strong female protagonist is a hit with my grades 5 and 6 English students. The fact that she often gets things wrong, Like Harry Potter, is a big selling point because kids this age often struggle to act on imperfect information and take much criticism from adults and peers for not having their “act together” even though none of us likely did at the same age. In that sense, the books are quite refreshing.The mystery of the adventure is clever without being abstruse. The first book is well-paced and avoids the calamity of Deus-Ex-Machina which often befalls many young adult novels. The third book, moreover, shows that the author has been carefully planning her plot because elements build nicely that continue to logically unfold even into books 4 and 5. This consistency of plot and characters will make this series a hit with readers because, in essence, the story is not one or two self-contained novels, but a whole adventure waiting to be experienced.There are a few elements in the writing which annoyed me, for example, the description of humans being riddled with toxins that must be cleansed with elixirs. The frequent appearance of the appeal to Nature fallacy can be discussed and challenged by older students who study English, logic, or science. Since the books are works of fantasy and are very accessible to young readers, this is a minor point.I would highly recommend this series for ages 11 and up.

I cannot say enough good things about this series. Once I begin reading I seriously cannot put it down. This author has created the most magnificent world with characters you cannot help but love. The mystery is so intreging, just when you think you have figured things out, you are surprised to find the story go in a different direction. It is amazing!!! I cannot recommend this enough.

These might be battling with Harry Potter for precedence on the book shelf. Both my daughters love them. We have pre-ordered the next one coming out.The general vibe is Hogwarts with elves, but it is truly its own story.These were read by my 10/11 yr old and 12/13 yr old and both loved them.

My almost-11 year old daughter loves this series and is anxiously awaiting the next instalment. It's another kid-discovers-she's-special-and-ends-up-in-a-magical-sort-of-world kind of story, but very well done. A little cheesy at times, but you know with pre-teen lit, you will always get good (mostly) clean fun and a happy ending. The characters are well developed and multifaceted, and the plot is complex enough to keep readers guessing - and we're still guessing because the series is not yet over. Sophie, much like Harry, is generally well behaved but a bit of a rule breaker when it comes to protecting her friends and saving the world. And as in Harry Potter, friendship rules, and there is the usual mix of dangerous adventure, magic, betrayals, and only-teenagers-can-solve-the-world's-problems-cuz-the-adults-are-mostly-clueless-about-what's-really-going-on. As I said, good, clean fun.

Wonderful descriptions, and an amazing storyline combine to make a action-packed thriller/mystery/fantasy that I could not stop reading (literally!😄). Great attitude and the characters are so great you can feel what they do easily. Crazy amounts of creativity in all the abilities (I couldn't list all the abilities, but I have to say my favorite is Mesmer. Grady rocks!), and also stuff like verminions, elves, her idea of dwarves, and Iggy. It's my all-time favorite book series! Personally, I like Everblaze the best. But seriously? Read it!!!!! I recommend this to…EVERYONE! 👍👍👍😀😀😀📚