The Hermit Cave

Every once in a while I need to take a break from the world, so I'm going into the hermit cave for a couple of weeks.   My first post in October will be a full review of Michael Grant's The Magnificent Twelve - The Call.  For now, I leave you with this general response - BWA HA HA!

Book Review: Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger

Title: Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger
Author: Lee Edward Födi
Publisher: Brown Books
ISBN: 9781933285825

Book Source: review copy from author

Kendra Kandlestar knows that the land of Een is protected from the outside world by a magical curtain.  After all, her courage and bravery are a large part of the reason the curtain still exists.  She's therefore astonished when, late one night, a wounded Unger appears at her door.

The Unger himself is nothing compared to the news he brings.  Kendra bears a star on her hand - an invisible mark only Ungers can see - and Unger prophecy states that the marked Een must travel to the Greeven Wastes and pass through the Door to Unger by the first summer moon.  Most unsettling of all, the Unger announces that he knew Kendra's mother - who went missing with her father and brother when Kendra was a baby - despite the customary hatred between Ungers and Eens.  The Unger insists that if Kendra undertakes this quest, she'll learn the truth about her family, and the Eens themselves.  Then he dies of his injuries.

There's nothing for it.  Kendra and her friends - Uncle Griffinskitch, Oki the mouse, Jinx, Professor Bumblebean, and the unreliable raccoon inventor, Ratchet Ringtail - are off on another quest.  What they'll find is a secret more shocking than any hidden in The Box of Whispers.

The second book in the Kendra Kandlestar Chronicles has all the same virtues as the first: action, humor, mystery, and imagination.  As a bonus for returning readers, favorite characters from The Box of Whispers are all present, while Födi's illustrations bring new characters to equally vivid life.  However, it's not necessary to have read the first book in the series in order to enjoy this one - all of the relevant context is provided, without bogging down the action.  Födi also does a great job of wrapping up this adventure, while hinting at the challenges Kendra will face in book three, The Shard From Greeve.  This made me curious to know what was coming next, and I'm sure kids will feel the same way.

Some of the action in The Door to Unger is a little more intense than that found in The Box of Whispers, and might be a frightening for very young children.  However, advanced early readers and younger middle-graders will still enjoy this book, which is a good pick for kids who've outgrown the Rainbow Fairies, and for fans of Septimus Heap.

For more info on Lee Edward Födi and his books, visit his blog or website.  You can also check out his author interview, here on Ten Stories Up.