Candy Shop War: Carnival Quest by Brandon Mull

At the close of their arcade adventure, Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon were warned about Belinda and Jonas White’s remaining magical sister, Camilla. Several months later, the Dreams and Screams International Carnival comes to town and odd things begin to happen. People go missing, carnival patrons obsessively return, and outlandish items pop up around town. However, any outside magic is blocked from the carnival’s premises. Facing a new threat, John Dart enlists the Blue Falcons again to find out if Camilla’s magic is behind the attraction. The friends uncover that the carnival is stealing patrons’ dreams and using that power to expand the attraction at an insane rate. As the carnival’s influence grows, both dreams and reality are at risk. Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon must use their past magical experiences and some new magic candy to save both the dream world and the real world before the carnival takes over both.       

After eleven years, Mull has delivered on his promise to write a final book to his Candy Shop War series. And the wait is well worth it for both new and old fans of the series. Using his incredible imagination, Mull unlocks another magical dimension where Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon use their experience, courage, and determination to face off against a new magical threat. But unlike previous adventures, some non-magical problems start to trickle into their closeknit group, like hitting puberty and vying for the friendship of their new famous classmate, YouTuber Zac Foster. They all must decipher between what is real and what is fantasy when it comes to staying friends, facing personal fears, and working together to stop the carnival’s influence. A thrilling, suspenseful, and colorful roller-coaster read sure to mesmerize and excite readers until the sweet finish. Appropriate for ages twelve and up.      

Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Island by Brandon Mull

Unknowingly kidnapped by Ronodin, Seth is taken to Phantom Island, the gateway of the Under Realm. Once there, Ronodin takes advantage of a memory-wiped Seth by developing Seth’s darker powers. Seth and Ronodin sneak inside Blackwell Keep where Seth unleashes the evil undead onto the residents. Kendra sees Seth during the chaos but barely escapes with some of her companions. With Wyrmroost fallen, Kendra and her companions go to the island sanctuary of Crescent Lagoon to help restore the island’s protective power, the Sunset Pearl. Back in the Under Realm, Seth searches for answers to his past from the prisoner Bracken. Bracken desperately explains Seth’s past and Ronodin’s true nature, but their interview is cut short.

In Mull’s third installment of his Dragonwatch series, fans will be taken on a wild ride towards tropical islands, evil underworlds, and into enchanted seas. But there is a deeper side to this story than a grand adventure of stopping dragons from ruling the world. Mull explores the emotional wars a volatile Seth is fighting inside himself. With his memories totally gone, Seth is duped by Ronodin into thinking they are brothers fighting against Kendra’s tyranny. Seth has no choice but to believe Ronodin and together they wreak havoc on Wyrmroost. As time goes by, Seth begins to see Ronodin’s true character through his lies. Seth realizes he is mentally and emotionally wounded from the verbal and emotional abuse dealt out by Ronodin and from living in the oppressive Under Realm. He doesn’t feel comfortable going back to his real friends and family until he can heal some of those wounds and atone for the evil choices he unknowingly made.

Dragonwatch: A Fablehaven Adventure by Brandon Mull

The dragons may have helped Kendra, Seth, and the fairies to thwart the demons, but their unstable alliance is cracking under pressure. With a newfound taste for power & freedom, Celebrant, the dragon king, encourages his subjects to defy their sanctuary confines so that they can return the world to the Age of Dragons. However, all dragons are magically bound inside their sanctuaries’ borders by the powers of the Dragonwatch society and by special magical artifacts. But something is making the borders of the Wyrmroost sanctuary weaken, causing Celebrant to challenge any caretaker’s authority. After close scrutiny, it is decided that Kendra and Seth’s combined powers can refortify Wyrmroost against Celebrant. However, once the siblings become the new caretakers, they still detect a magical weakness. Together, Kendra and Seth go on a treacherous mission to find a missing magical artifact that can help swing the balance of power back to their favor and keep the rebelling dragons in line.

Mull returns to the roots of his writing career by revisiting the colorful, fully-fledged world he created in Fablehaven. With Dragonwatch, Mull brings back his loveable, heroic protagonists, Kendra and Seth, as they face another life-threatening power against all magical creature sanctuaries. How would Kendra and Seth react to a new threat after all that they have been through? For Kendra, her extensive experience has made her more mature and ready to face almost any situation with confidence. For Seth, he has matured some but he still fosters an impetuous nature that can either get him into trouble or save lives. When the siblings are called as caretakers to Wyrmroost, Kendra wants to be super cautious while Seth throws caution to the wind. Only by working together do they find a powerful balance. A fun, more mature read great for old and new fans of the Fablehaven series.

Five Kingdoms: Death Weavers by Brandon Mull

Leaving Constance in the safety of Zeropolis’s Unseen, Cole and his friends enter Necronum. At holy or haunted locations within the kingdom, the spirits of the dead (known as echoes) and the souls of the living (bright echoes) can traverse between reality and the afterlife (the echolands). Following clues from an echo named Sando, Cole’s party learns that Honor and Destiny are trapped within the echolands. However, Sando deceives Cole and imprisons Mira, Jace, and Joe’s bright echoes. Sando is a henchman to Nazeem, the evil originator and leader of the shapecrafting movement. With Hunter and Dalton watching over the comatose bodies of their three friends, Cole enters the echolands to rescue the three princesses, Jace, and Joe.

In the fourth book of his Five Kingdom’s series, Mull puts his own twist on death and adds another complex world to his Outskirts foundation. But first a note to parents, teachers, and young readers. Even though “death” is in the title, no mindless, bloodied zombies or rotting corpses are present. In Mull’s interpretation, death is the departure of the soul, or echo, from the body. Once the echo leaves reality, it lives in the echolands until the pull from the Other, or higher paradise, makes them move on. As Cole journeys through the echolands, departed characters from previous books rejoin his mission to save the Pemberton sisters. In his own way, Mull shows that the dead still care for the living and do what they can from the other side. Death Weavers mimics such books as Garth Nix’s Abhorsen Chronicles and Janet Lee Carey’s Stealing Death. As an added treat, fans of Mull’s Beyonders series may see two familiar faces who aid Cole’s mission in the echolands. An unpredictable and hauntingly surreal book worth the read!

Five Kingdoms: Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull

After a rocky arrival into Zeropolis, Cole, Mira, Dalton, and Jace join the local Unseen resistance. But consistent persecutions force the Unseen to go deep for their safety. Once they meet Mira, their main objective is to find Constance. However, Constance’s star is missing. Unseen leaders convince Cole to travel alone to Junction City and contact Queen Harmony.

The third book in Mull’s Five Kingdom series places our heroes in a science-fiction kingdom where magical energy is used to establish a technologically advanced world. Yes, the group’s mission is to save another princess, but Mull proves that even if his characters go on a quest to do repeated tasks, it doesn’t mean the plot is predictable or formulaic. Mull pulls out all the stops in Crystal Keepers.  A read worth the ride. The fourth book is Death Weavers.

Five Kingdoms: Rogue Knight by Brandon Mull

Cole, Mira, Jace, and Twitch are on a mission to rescue Mira's outcast sisters, the next being Honor. As they follow the star pinpointing Honor's location in Elloweer, their magical weapons lose their power and Honor's star disappears. In desperate need of help, the group contacts the local rebellion, the Unseen, for assistance. While the group searches for Honor, news arrives of another wild, shape-crafted monster, called Morgassa, that is ravaging the land. Traveling undercover the group is ambushed by the mysterious warrior, the Rogue Knight, and Mira is kidnapped. It's up to Cole, his friends, and the Unseen to find Mira and Honor and destroy Morgassa.

Mull's thrilling second book starts off with our heroes' being stripped of their magical or shaping advantages as they enter Elloweer. In each kingdom, a person's or object's shaping abilities are lost once they enter a new kingdom. Cole's group must rely on each other, their past experiences, and several new friends to help them complete their daunting tasks. But one trial Cole faces alone is his struggle to leave Mira in search of his enslaved friends. This issue is heightened when Cole rescues his best friend, Dalton. So not only is Mull's story an original fantasy with heart-stopping adventure, but it is also a detailed description of Cole's inner turmoil. The next book, coming out in March, is called Crystal Keepers.

Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

A trip to a haunted house turns into a nightmare when Cole and his friends are kidnapped by slave-traders and taken to a world called the Outskirts. Once there, Cole comes across shaping—a magical ability used to create objects, buildings, or “living” beings. Cole is sold to a company of raiders and he makes friends with three other slaves: Mira, Jace, and Twitch. Later, Cole learns that Mira is one of five princesses hiding from their father, the High King, supreme dictator over the Five Kingdoms. Cole must decide whether to aid Mira or search for his missing friends.

Five Kingdoms is an absolutely original piece of fiction. Mull seems to have pulled ideas from people’s wildest dreams to create the world and magic of the Outskirts. But unlike dreams, Mull pulls it all into a cohesive package with a driving plot, likeable characters, and riveting storytelling. Readers will cheer on Cole as he finds the hero within himself when he and his new friends face dangers only found in nightmares. A great read for ages 10 and up.

Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull

Jason, Rachel, Galloran, and their delegation proceed with the Oracle’s prophecy: Jason and his party search for Darian the Seer while Rachel, Galloran, and their company reclaim Trensicourt and attack Felrook. As Galloran’s troops wait on Felrook’s impregnable threshold, Rachel gives in to her doubts by agreeing to become Maldor’s apprentice. Rachel hopes to destroy him, but her efforts are in vain.

Chasing the Prophecy is a spectacular ending to a masterfully written trilogy. Besides the heart-stopping action and page-turning adventure, Mull highlights how doubts affect his characters. Jason consistently doubts he’s important to the Oracle’s prophecy, even though he can see the prophecy unfolding during his mission. Rachel, on the other hand, doubts the prophecy’s authenticity but she can see she is essential to saving Lyrian through her Edomic talents. Their doubts are quenched by Darian’s prophecy, because they finally see why they were brought to Lyrian in the first place. A satisfying fantasy read for both teens and adults.

Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull

Jason must return to Lyrian. He prepares supplies—which includes Ferrin’s hand—and jumps into the hippo tank when the opportunity arrives. Once Jason is transported back to Lyrian, he becomes a hunted man. On his way to tell Galloran that the Word is a diversion, Jason enlists Aram, a half-giant, and Ferrin as protectors. Meanwhile, Rachel discovers she has a rare gift for Edomic magic. Jason and Rachel are reunited with Galloran, and a quest to gather forces to oppose Maldor begins.

Mull’s second book in the Beyonders’ trilogy is a nail-biting journey that will leave readers impressed by Mull’s attention to detail and his control of all his characters. At several points in the story, the rebel group includes nine or more people. But Mull seems to effortlessly create well-rounded, deep, and unforgettable characters. Mull’s amount of thought and background to the world of Lyrian mirrors J. R. R. Tolkien’s creation of Middlearth in The Lord of the Rings. Any fan of Tolkien’s series, will definitely enjoy this modern twist of an epic story. Chasing the Prophecy is the final book in the trilogy.

(Full review found on The Children's Book and Play Review: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/view/19131/17825)

Beyonders: A World Without Heros by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker is working at the zoo when he hears strange music coming from the hippo tank. Jason accidentally falls into the tank and is swallowed by the hippo. Instead of entering the hippo’s stomach, Jason enters a new world where the people are ruled by Maldor, a tyrannical wizard emperor. While searching for a way home, Jason opens a forbidden book that puts him on a quest to find a magical word that will destroy Maldor. Rachel, a girl from his world, joins Jason on his mission and together they gather each piece of the word.

Mull’s story is full of action, intrigue, deception, and suspense. Both Jason and Rachel are characters that many readers would relate to easily, because of their believable responses to each other and to their predicament. Compared to Mull’s previous work—the Fablehaven series and The Candy Shop War—Mull has created a more mature, intricate piece of literature. Beyonders ranks up with such series as The Dark Is Rising, the Prydain Chronicles, and the Inheritance Cycle in creating a lasting impression on fantasy literature. Beyonders is set up to be a trilogy. The second book is Seeds of Rebellion.

(Full review found on The Children's Book and Play Review: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/view/19130/17824)

Introducing Brandon Mull

I met Brandon Mull when he came to Iola, Kansas, during his nationwide book tour in September 2011. At the time he was promoting  his Beyonders series, now a New York Time Bestseller. I had a wonderful time getting to know him and asking him some penetrating questions about writing. We have kept in contact through the years as I read and reviewed many of his books. Brandon is an awesome guy with an outstanding imagination. It's a thrill to meet someone putting their amazing potential to work in creating incredibly original literature. He has a brilliant future ahead of him!

Here is his bio from his website:

“Brandon Mull is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Beyonders and Fablehaven series. Brandon resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and four children. He spent two years living in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned Spanish and juggling. He once won a pudding eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house, earning a gold medal.”

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Through my correspondence with Brandon, he's answered many of my writing and reading questions regarding his work:

1. What helps you to keep writing?
Good scenes keep me writing. Make every scene count. Make sure every scene engages you (because it is funny, or revealing, or amazing, or tense, or whatever). Pay attention to how your favorite writers build their scenes--how they start, how they handle dialog, how they work in backstory, how they paint on your imagination with descriptions, how they end the scene, and what they skip dramatising in a scene. If you write good scenes, then string them together in a smart way so that as a whole they convey a complete story, your readers will have a good time.

2. Do you ever come to your writing with a problem you are dealing with in your life and then try to write through it?

I do let things on my mind (troubles, issues, etc.) drift into my writing, and sometimes it has helped me clarify my thinking on certain issues or principles.

3. How did you start up the Spirit Animals series?
Scholastic came to me with the premise, but I served as architect for the series, creating the characters, the world, and outlining all seven books. I then wrote book one. There will also be a bonus book of stories about the Great Beasts, and I wrote one of those stories.

4. What other books do you have coming out soon?
(With the Candy Shop War) there will probably be a third and probably final novel called The Carnival Quest, but it is four or five years away due to contracts for other books.

Scholastic released, like 39 Clues, Spirit Animals, written by a team of authors. I wrote book one and the outline for the other six books. See more here http://oomscholasticblog.com/2013/03/spirit-animals-cover-reveal.html

Then I have the series called Five Kingdoms, a five book series where our main character crosses over to another world, but with a lighter feel than Beyonders. It'll be true middle-grade like Fablehaven, but the world where he goes will be really different from anything we've seen. The first three books will come out only six months apart from each other.

And then in 2015 there will be a sequel series to Fablehaven called Dragonwatch. It will be five books and will continue the main storyline of Fablehaven, following Kendra, Seth, and the other main characters.

Discover more about Brandon Mull at http://brandonmull.com/site/

The Candy Shop War: Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull

The clues of John Dart's and Mozag's disappearance lead Nate, Summer, Trevor, Pigeon, and Lindy to the newly opened Arcadeland. On the outside it may look like a regular arcade, but the kids can sense foul magic behind the establishment. Once a player gains a certain amount of tickets, they can use their winnings to buy a hand stamp that gives them the powers of the stamp’s image: tank, race car, submarine, or jet. However, once stamped the players are forced into a deadly competition to find magical artifacts for the wizard Jonas White, Mrs. White's brother. As the missions get harder and players disappear, Nate is the only one left to stop Jonas White.

Fans of the first book will welcome this deeper and more detailed world in which Nate and his friends live. But this story exceeds its prequel in terms of action, adventure, suspense, danger, and humor. Readers will be able to see the personal progression of the main characters from the first book. Nate and his friends have learned to be more mature and courageous from their past magical challenges and they use these strengths in solving more mystical dilemmas. And with that added maturity and courage, Nate and his friends teach it to other children caught in Jonas White's clutches. Like the first book, this story is also a great read-aloud book the whole family would enjoy. Mull will release a third and final book in the near future.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

A new ice cream and candy shop has opened in town and four friends—Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon—are naturally interested in the establishment. After several visits, the owner, Mrs. White, decides to share with them some special candy she keeps in the back. This candy gives the children magical powers, such as the ability to defy gravity or be unbreakable. But to earn this candy, Mrs. White enlists the children into doing some strange tasks, such as steal certain items around town. The children begin to question Mrs. White and her motives and break their deal with her. As soon as they end their commitment with Mrs. White, the children get mixed up in a magicians’ war. Only with their clever use of the magical candy can they help end it.

Mull has created an enchanting and tantalizing read with The Candy Shop War. The four friends grow and progress realistically as they see the deception through the sweets. Instead of letting go of the problems they created, they take responsibility for their actions—even to the point of sacrificing themselves to make things right. Few books today showcase this honest progression from innocence to maturity. Mull does it splendidly while adding immense suspense and drive to the story. This book can be a helpful resource to teachers, librarians, and parents as they use the reading guide at the end to spark conversation and lesson plans about the book. The second book is called Arcade Catastrophe.

(Full review found on The Children's Book and Play Review: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/view/19130/17824)

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Kendra and Seth are sent to stay the summer on Grandpa Sorenson’s preserve called Fablehaven. But this is not an ordinary preserve. Fablehaven is the home to both good and bad magical creatures like centaurs, fairies, trolls, and demons. The preserve is relatively safe, but on Midsummer’s Eve demons trick Seth into letting them into his grandparents' house. Grandpa Sorenson is kidnapped and the evil creatures wreak havoc to the house. It is up to the children to regain control of the creatures on the preserve, find their grandfather, set their Grandma Sorenson free from a spell, and recapture an evil witch.

Mull’s story is imaginatively written with great characters and a well-paced, exciting storyline. Kendra and Seth definitely represent a realistic brother and sister relationship. When the two siblings are put into a problematic situation, they realistically make many mistakes until they can find a solution. Fans of Harry Potter, the Alchemyst, Percy Jackson, and Ranger’s Apprentice series will enjoy this new world where mystical creatures and magical artifacts take center stage. Fablehaven is an addictive introduction to Mull’s five book series.

(Full review found on The Children's Book and Play Review: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/view/19130/17824)