Part of what makes great fantasy is a great setting, i.e. an original other world that feels real even though it's so different from the world we inhabit. I found this book totally lacking in that department. Nita and Kit (whose names and personalities are too similar--I kept getting them mixed up as I read) start in the real world as normal kids. They meet when they realize they're both aspiring wizards and then they go looking for Nita's lost pen and end up in this horrible, dark alternate universe where they are chased by monstrous living helicopters and cars.

Here's my biggest problem: The story got so deep so fast. The kids have only been wizards for a few weeks and suddenly they're totally alone and fighting for their lives to find the most important book in the universe? I'm barely getting to know the world Duane has created and we're already at what feels like the climax! It's like someone asking to marry you on the second date. And this date is not making you laugh. In fact, he's a little hard to follow and seems to be speaking a different language that he doesn't bother explaining to you. You are getting bored and tuning him out for whole paragraphs, but there's something about him that reminds you of an old boyfriend you still think of fondly (maybe his name was Harry? Or Charles Wallace?) and so you cut him some slack.

But let's face it: he is not what you want. It's time to move on. ( )

This was a cute read for younger folks.

I found some parts to be quite confusing, some of it speaking as if we were all aware of what they were talking about when, in fact, it was fiction and we had no basis for understanding it. The children were exceptionally smart and intuitive for 12 year olds, which was a tad hard to buy into. There were several parts that were left unresolved, like the ending wasn't the ending. I realize this is a series, but it is a nice idea to have endings in each book anyway.

Yet ... this was thrilling to read, kept me on the edge of my seat, and I stayed up past my bedtime to finish it. ( )

Great book for those who are getting more into reading and love a good magic adventure story! I would say middle school reading level is appropriate. This book has a very good story line and is pretty descriptive. ( )

Great for any 9-13 year old. Had a blast in middle school with this series ( )

To start, let's get one thing straight. I loved Fred. He was just so inexplicably real and unpredictable.

I waffled over the rating. I liked the new-ness of this book. It wasn't copying anything. It ran purely on its own steam and it moved. Oh boy, did it move. It defied the cliche. No namby-pamby relationship woes in this book, thank you very much!

My one peeve with the novel was that sometimes it didn't make sense. In the middle, I felt like I had been tossed into a mixer and that I couldn't find up or down. There were lots of bangs, flashes, and villains that I didn't remember. The fact that I spaced it out over a couple of weeks was probably detrimental.

That being said, it has enormous potential. The second book is definitely making my to-read list (the fact that it is a series is another point in its favor. I CRAVE a good series). And I liked the thoughtful ending. ( )