The best middle grade books about magic and delving into wondrous worlds

I was fascinated with how Rick created characters based on the Greek mythology of the Olympian Gods—making them come to life for the reader.

I loved the descriptions of the different scenes/landscapes and how mythical monsters such as Medusa come after Percy when he and his friends are sent on a quest by his father to find the lightning bolt. This well-paced story quickly drew me in and had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

This is an awesome book that readers aged 8 and up will love (because, honestly, it's one for the adults, too!).

I loved this story! The world is darker than I expected but tactfully done. I found myself shivering with the descriptions of the fangs and getting angry at them, right along with the characters, when they did awful things—which was always.

I loved the forest, full of freshly created dangerous creatures I’d not read about before. I was tickled to read about the treehouse, and the treetop walk within this forest as it reminded me of some elements in my own story.

I found myself hoping Janner, a 12-year-old boy, would uncover the truth about his family and respected his determination to do so. I was often anxious about his younger sister's pet dog as I'm not fond of seeing pets harmed.

An excellent start to the series.

I loved this story as Eric weaves an enchanting tale that is unique and captivating. The world drew me in with its various realms, some of which are hidden. I loved the magical mix of potions, spells, talking animals, powerful wizards, and dynamic, witty, and brave sisters. 

Could you imagine a world where writing and books have been forbidden? I was happy to learn about a hidden library within the Pennymore’s home and my mind lit up whenever Parker entered this library with flying books, papers, quills, and more.

It was such a fun read and I highly recommend this book for young readers aged 8 to 12.

I love a good mystery set in a fantasy world, and this book was certainly that.

I appreciated the concept of the shadow world with its shadow creatures called umbra. The umbra (Latin for "shadow") is the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body—and I love how Janelle plays on this concept with the umbra shadow animals—wild creatures on the Nightmare Plains.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Mia and her younger brother, why they are "the ones" who can free the "Reaper King," and why their parents have organized for an umbra tamer to protect them.

I enjoyed how this story explores the idea of genetics, visually represented by one twin, Anders, transforming into an ice wolf while his sibling, Rayna, morphs into a scorch dragon.

I find it’s easy to misunderstand things if you don’t explore beyond the surface, so the theme of things being deceptive on the surface, requiring deeper investigation to uncover the truth, was interesting to me. I loved that I was slightly surprised with the ending, something that rarely happens because I often can predict where a story will go, even the twists.

I think this story will capture the hearts of young readers aged 8 to 12.