Disclosure: Many thanks to Disney Hyperion for sending me this book! Opinions shared are mine.
A few days ago, my sister asked me to recommend some middle grades books for her friend’s 7th grade son. According to her, the young man specifically wanted clean reads without excessive profanity. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find books like that for younger teens! Though I caught the Shadow Magic series at the tail end with book #3 – Burning Magic – it will definitely be on my list of suggestions!
This high-velocity adventure is in line with the worlds of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Greek mythology collides with mystical fantasy; a dash of magical fun is thrown in for good measure. This hardcover edition is just lovely. The rough page edges and larger print make it a great addition to a classroom bookshelf. There are a few illustrated pages that add to the book’s overall feel, and the cover is stunning.
The characters in Burning Magic are so charming. Books like this tend to center around friendships that endure through difficult circumstances, and Burning Magic has those aplenty! Thorn has such a good sense of humor. One of his lines was my new motto: “…eat whenever you can.” Pretty great, right? Lily’s power grew stronger throughout the story, and it was wonderful to see how supportive her friends were. She had a fun fashion sense, complete with bone necklaces! K’leef was the quiet, classy type who held the group in check.
I definitely felt like I missed something by not reading the first 2 books. Though Burning Magic was an entertaining read, a lot of it went over my head because I didn’t fully know the backstory. Also, some readers might have a hard time with the strange names in this book. Many of my students have a habit of skipping over hard-to-pronounce words, and this book definitely contains a strong vocabulary. It’s a good challenge for strong middle school readers, but those who struggle would benefit from having a paired read. If you like reading books with your kids at bedtime, this series would be a great option!
Would you enjoy reading the Shadow Magic series?
Even though you didn’t know the backstory, it sounds as though it is still an enjoyable series. I haven’t read many middle grade novels lately, but I think that you are right about the increasing profanity in them. I will add it to my list of great MG reads. 🙂
I will have to let my niece know about this. She would love it.
As a mom, I loved the enhanced vocabulary but you’re right some kids may just skip right over it relying on their grasp of the context of how the word is used in the sentence.