Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding

In which Connie Lionheart goes to live with her eccentric aunt Evelyn, who leaves Connie all by herself most of the time. She meets to coolest guy in her new class, Col Clamworthy and learns that Col, his grandmother, Aunt Evelyn, and lots of other people are in a secret society she wants to join too. But when Connie fails the test to enter the society, she sneaks out one night and follows her mysterious aunt, and she is kidnapped by Sirens! She learns that the society is called "The Society for the Protection of Mythical Creatures" and that mythical creatures are real.

 These books are full of adventure! The book leaves you guessing about what Connie's companion is (a companion is what mythical creature you are...well a companion to. Col's companion is a pegasus named Skylark. I love Skylark!) and when you learn the answer it is very exciting! It is fun to think that all mythical creatures are real. And you are scared and angry (at least for me and my brother) at Kullervo and no, I'm not going to tell you who he is.

This is book 1 in the Companion's Quartet.

Recommended for people who like: adventure, excitement, and sirens.

The Immortal Fire by Anne Ursu

In which Charlotte is recovering from being battered by Poseidon, and watching the news reports about how Greece is having major storms, hurricanes, weird winds, and rainbows. Mr. Metos (Charlotte and Zee's old English teacher) comes and they tell him all about their ocean adventure. But when a Chimera comes, burns down the school and carries Charlotte away, Zee knows that the Gods are not happy. Mr. Metos takes them to a secret place in London to try to protect them. After saving a boy, finding The Flame, going to Olympus, having weird life-like dreams that are really tests, seeing all the Olympians and meeting the all-mighty Zeus, can they save the world and everybody on it?

My dad gave this book to me as a surprise one day. I was so excited that I almost jumped out of the car! I thought it was very exciting and thought Charlotte and Zee were very brave...again. I felt bad for Charlotte's parents, because they think the their daughter is going crazy. But I LOVED the chapter called "And Now Presenting Zeus on High Father of Gods and Men and Lots of Other Stuff Too." I like to read the Greek section of my big mythology book, so I know all these stories by heart. You might say that I'm a Greek freak. Hee hee. There is definitely a lot of adventure, drama, and suspense. I hope you like the ending of this series as much as I did.

This is in the Cronus Chronicles series.

Recommended for people who like: Goddesses incognito, adventure, and also for people who hate Philonecron (like me).

The Siren Song by Anne Ursu

In which Charlotte is "ultramegagrounded." When her parents decide to go on a historical cruise ship for the summer, Charlotte knows that her summer is sunk. And Zee has started acting strange, going out with the girls at the school, and hardly talking to Charlotte. As soon as they get on the ship things start to lighten up for Charlotte; she has her own room and is free to go wherever she wants. But when Charlotte sees the new boy at school appear and then disappear on the ship, things are not right. After everybody goes to see the singer, Charlotte learns that Poseidon is angry with her for hurting his poor grandson Philonecron! After sailing past Scylla and Charybdis, dressing as a maid on Poseidon's ship, being eaten by a very friendly giant squid named Sir Laurence, and learning that she being used, can she save her parents, Zee, and the ship?



I read this book in one day it was so exciting! When you learn what happened to poor Zee your heart will break. It's all Philonecron's fault of course. He convinced his grandfather, lord of the seas, that those wimpy mortal kids need to be punished. So Poseidon throws a party knowing that they would come of course. Because as you know Poseidon is King of the Seas, but he's also king of throwing parties. My brother and I like to call Poseidon 'Po' for short. And we like to say: "Yo Po!" whenever we see a painting of Poseidon. Sir Laurence is so adorable! I think he is one of my favorite characters.

This is in the Cronus Chronicles series.

Recommended for People who like: the seas, brave girls, and adventure.

The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu.

In which Charlotte Mielswetzski lives her life (being followed by pale-faced yellow-eyed bald men in tuxedos). She finds a kitten (or the kitten finds her..?) and names the cat Mew. Then her cousin Zee comes over from London and tells her about how all the kids back in London are getting a mysterious illness and Zee thinks he's the cause! When the kids in Charlotte's school start getting sick and start losing their shadows, they (Charlotte and Zee) go to find out why. In the middle of the night a raven comes and takes them to the mall (of all places) that takes them though a door to that leads to the Underworld. There they meet nursery-rhyming Harpies, a fruit-roll-up -loving Charon, and an evil guy named Philonecron. Can they stop this hot-shot who thinks he can take over the Underworld and save the dead?

Here's something funny: Philonecron means 'lover of death.' That makes me laugh. On the first page the author says: "Pay attention. Watch carefully, now. Look at the sidewalk, there. See that girl - the one with the bright red hair, overstuffed backpack, and aura of grumpiness? That's Charlotte Mielswetzski. (Say it with me: Meals-wet-ski. Got it? If not, say it again: Meals-wet-ski. There. You thought your name was bad?)" I liked the Harpies who sang (my favorite) "Twinkle twinkle, little man, I wonder how you'd taste with jam, Chained above the world so high, Like a lamb chop in the sky. Twinkle twinkle little man, wonder how you'd taste with jam." Ha ha ha ha!

This is book 1 in the Cronus Chronicles series.

Recommended for people who like: shadows, brave heroes and heroines, and a great story!

Children of the Lamp: The Blue Djinn of Babylon by P.B. Kerr.

In which djinn twins John and Philippa Gaunt live in New York City and try to keep warm. Philippa enters the Djinnversoctoannular Tournament, a djinn card game where everybody talks trash to each other for fun. There they meet the Blue Djinn, the top djinn who is nether bad nor good. After Philippa is kidnapped by the Blue Djinn, John, Mr. Groanin, Mr. Rakshasas (who's in his lamp), and the dogs go to get her back. They cross a desert and John meets scary ghost men, and bronze oarsman, and grass-eating kings; will he save her in time?

It is very dramatic. You can't believe the tension you go though reading this book. Iblis makes no trouble in the book....until the end. In the back of the book there are "The Official Rules of Djinnversoctoannular" (I haven't tried playing it yet). And I love Mr. Rakshasas. I like how he looks like an Indian but speaks like a Irishman. In this book he wrote a book called "The Shorter Baghdad Rules." The other "Baghdad Rules" was getting too long apparently. I love it!

This is book two in the Children of the Lamp series.

Recommended for people who like: Djinns, brave brothers, faithful dogs, and the saying "Light my Lamp!".

The Lioness and Her Knight By Gerald Morris.

In which Luneta leaves home with her cousin Ywain to go visit her mother's friend Laudine. On the way they meet a fool named Rhience and they stop at Camelot. Rhience tells them about a magical stone that is guarded by a large knight. After many adventures, never-hungry hermits, magic lessons, Luneta almost being burned at the stake, and saving women from sewing, Ywain gets the title The Knight of The Lion and the Lady.


Here's a fun fact: Luneta's parents are Lynt and Gaheris from The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf! (And Ywain's parents are Garth and Lyonesse) Lady Laudine is very pretty but...well...she is as smart as the bird that flies into a window. The author got the story from a 12th-century poem called "The Knight of the Lion" by Chretien De Troyes. In the poem there was a smart young lady who brought Ywain and Laudine together. He added Rhience and changed the lion to a lioness. There is one scene that I liked a lot (well there's really lots of scenes that I liked but this is just one) where Luneta walks into Gawain's room scaring him and Terence. It leads to a very funny conversation.

This in the Squire's Tales series.

Recommended for people who like: smart fools, adventures, magic, and evil stewards.

The Princess, The Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight by Gerald Morris.

In which Sarah, a young girl looking for the murderer who killed both her mother and her guardian, meets Sir Kai (who teaches her swordplay) and a lovely lady. When Sarah sees Kai and the lady,who turns out to be Queen Guinevere, being kidnapped she goes to get help. She tells King Arthur the bad news. The King sends Gawain, Terence, and Sarah out to go save the Queen and knight. After many adventures, persistent holy-salesmen, knights incognito, mysterious crones and cheerful faeries they get to a magical realm where wounds never heal. They meet a King with no more brains than a goldfish, and a smart princess, and then an evil knight plans to force Guinevere to marry him. Can he be stopped?


I know what you're thinking "Dung-cart knight?!" but have no fears he's only being practical. I think this was my favorite book of the series (although it's very hard because I have SOOO many favorite books). I loved Sarah who is very stubborn and spunky. It was so fun to again meet Piers, Ariel, Terence, and Gawain. The evil knight is called Sir (if you can call him Sir) Meliagant. when I read these to my brother we called in Sir Smellygant. To get into the realm of Meliagant, Sarah and the dung-cart knight (and no, I am not telling you who he is) cross a cool bridge.


This is in the Squire's Tales series.


Recommend for people who like: Spunky girls, fake holy-men, cool crones, and magic.

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris

In which Dinadan wants to be a minstrel but is bound to be a knight. One night his father sends him out. He meets a young Welsh knight named Culloch. Together they go to King Arthur's court. When they leave they meet another king and have many adventures. Dinadan leaves Culloch and goes all over England playing his magical music. He meets lots of people including a strange silent knight. After saving a lady and giving a man his throne back Dinadan becomes the most musical knight in all England.

Some of Dinadan's songs are funny and the remarks people make are even more funny. Dinadan's older brother Tristram has made a vow of silence. Never will he speak of his love (and he goes on to tell Dinadan "to speak of the gold of her flaxen hair, to tell of the blue of her eyes, to express my love for her would only harm me.") When Dinadan offers to ride in silence Tristram says "It would be to tear open my wound yet again, for every word I speak of her is as a red coal pressed to my breast, searing me to the very heart. Nay, I can not even speak my own, for to tell my own name is to speak of her, for what is Tristram but the slave of Iseult?" That Tristram talks constantly of his vow of silence is very funny!!

This is in the Squire's Tales series.

Recommended for people who like: Ballads, Tristram and Iseult's story, and laughing out loud!

Parsifal's Page by Gerald Morris

In which Piers, who wants to be a page, and Parsifal, a woodsman who wants to be a knight, meet a nice old man who knows a lot about being polite and they live three months with him. Then they continue traveling and after many adventures with Parsifal and the knight Gawain, Piers learns more about his father (who may not be who he seems. . .)

Before this book I had never heard of Parsifal (I had never heard of Gawain before these books either but never mind that). In the author's note, Morris tells you how some of the names in these stories are spelled in many different ways, and explains why he chose the spellings he did for his retelling. For example, here are a lot of ways to spell Parsifal's name, you can spell it Percival, Parzival, Parsifal, or Peredur. All of these different spellings are from different places which I think is so cool! I can't wait till you meet Ariel, a water nymph who is so fun to read about. Happy reading!

This is in the Squire's Tales series.

Recommended for people who like: red armor, magical castles, and adventure.

The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris

In which Lady Lynet lives in a castle that is under siege by the evil Red Knight who wants to marry her older sister. One night Lynet sneaks out to go get help. She meets a dwarf named Roger on the way. When she gets to King Arthur's court nobody will help her except for a kitchen knave called Beaumains. After many adventures, fights, and colorful knights, Lynet, Roger, and Beau (as they call him) get to the castle and Beau defeats the Red Knight! But her older sister won't marry Beau until he tells her what his name is. Lynet learns to be an enchantress and saves Roger who has been taken prisoner by her sister only to learn something new.

This is a very funny book to read. I loved Lynet and Roger the Dwarf. (You don't find out who Beau really is until the end of the book.) You will meet old characters like Terence, Eileen, Gawain, and Morgan Le Fay. Lynet was a new character.

This is in the Squire's Tales series.

Recommended for people who like: Strong-minded women, knights incognito, damsels in distress (although, really who does like damsels in distress? So dependent!) and happy endings.