Chestnut Hill: Making Strides

This is a lovely series that follows Malory O'Neil as she charts her course through the exclusive and rarified world of boarding school--boarding school with a top-notch equestrian program. You can bet that schoolwork comes in a distance second to barnwork! These books are a nice starting point for girls ready to graduate from the formulaic "Saddle Club" series but still want horsey literature. Lauren Brooke (who also authors the "Heartland" series) clearly knows her way around a horse and the books ring true. Brooke is not an author who simply did some research to lend credence to her tales. She truly understands horses and the girls who love them--- the boys in these book take a distinct backseat to horses and friendship. These books are head and shoulders above much of what is available to "'tweens".---Rhiannon

The Prophecy by Hilari Bell

Hilari Bell is not among the most well-known fantasy writers, but she definitely deserves to be. In her latest novel, The Prophecy, Perryn is the underappreciated scholarly son of the warring king of Idris. Instead of mastering the arts of war, 14 yr old Perryn has spent the past 5 years searching through the dusty palace library looking for a solution which will help him defeat the dragon that is destroying the kingdom. Predictably, he happens across a suitably cryptic prophecy which he sets out to fulfill. He is thwarted not only by his inexperience and lack of self-confidence, but by the tricky Cedric, his father’s second in command. True to the fantasy formula, he recruits several allies in his quest to avoid Cedric and slay the dragon. While the plot is fairly standard stuff, the characters and superior writing raise this novel above the usual fantasy fare. Indeed, it is a testament to Bell’s ability that she is able to take such a familiar storyline, and still craft an adventure that feels thoughtful, enterprising and fresh.

Little Fur: The Legend Begins

With its fuzzy brown cover, this "eco-fantasy" by Isobelle Carmody, is the tale of a half-elf, half-troll girl who lives in a wilderness area nestled within a human city. When Little Fur learns that evil forces are out to destroy trees including her seven ancient ones, she goes on a perilous journey to save them and the earth spirit as well. Some children might have problems understanding the "bird" language and the environmental message gets somewhat preachy at times. As the title indicates, there will be more books in this series.-Xochiquetzal

The Lost Colony

Artemis Fowl is back (this is Book 5), and he's better than ever. No, seriously! Arty is a good guy this time around, pretty much from the start. The lost colony is on the island of Hybras -- which was lifted out of time by a magic spell. The problem is that the spell was never completed correctly, so it has been slowly unraveling for the past 10,000 years. The island, along with all of its inhabitants, is about to be sucked back into the present day and time... Really bad news, considering the possibility of a catastrophic tidal wave and/or the potential for a war between humans and the fairy people. Artemis and Holly are responsible for the fate of fairies everywhere (again)... Can they manage now that Holly is no longer
a LEP Recon Officer? -Hestia