Ever

By Gail Carson Levine

Rating: 4 stars

Olus is a new god of Akka, a god of the winds. Restless, he is fascinated by mortals, those "soap bubbles" that do not last that the other gods mainly ignore. Olus decides to go and live among the mortals as a goatherd, and ends up watching a particular family with a daughter named Kezi who is both skilled at knotting rugs and dancing. Olus begins to fall in love with Kezi and then tragedy strikes. Kezi's mother becomes very ill and her father makes an oath to their god, Admat, that if he makes her well, the next person to congratulate him will be sacrificed to the god. When a beloved aunt forces her way into the house, in desperation Kezi chooses to sacrifice herself. Now poor Kezi has one month to live and Olus can't stand it. He reveals himself to her as a god with a plan--if she can become a heroine and he can become a champion, she may be able to win a spot among the gods and become immortal. But can they face their worst fears for a chance at immortality? An interesting story of love and sacrifice and the truth behind the gods, told from both Kezi and Olus' point of view in alternating chapters. Fans of fantasy and of this author will be pleased with this story.

The New Policeman

By Kate Thompson

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

In this fascinating tale, J.J. Lyddie is a descendent of an Irish family who have been playing music for generations. Despite his family keeping up the musical traditions, J.J. and everyone else is feeling like there just isn't enough time in a day to do everything that needs doing. When his mother asks for more time as a birthday gift, J.J. vows to try and buy some time for her. Little does he know that he is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. When a neighbor reveals that there is a time leak between our world and Tir na n'Og, the land of eternal youth, she shows J.J. how to enter that land and sets him the task of trying to find the leak. For if it doesn't stop, our time will keep leaking away into the land of the fairies, then neither world will exist as it should be. Can J.J. find the leak in Tir na n'Og and help save both worlds? To do so, he will have to meet fairies and gods and navigate a world he thought only existed in fairy tales. This is a quick paced and very enjoyable fantasy, brimful of Irish music and legend. A companion story, The Last of the High Kings, is also available to fans.

Dragon Moon

By Carole Wilkinson

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

This is the last book in the Dragon Keeper trilogy. At the end of the last book, The Garden of the Purple Dragon, Ping had escaped with baby dragon Kai to the Princess' kingdom. As this book opens, they have happily been living there for a year, but Ping realizes it is time to move on and find the dragon haven that Danzi, Kai's father, wanted them to reach. Ping discovers on the piece of silk that Danzi left clues to the haven, and soon she and Kai set off on an adventure across the Empire. Good and bad befalls the pair, and they find friends and enemies alike. Jun, the boy from the last story who had posed as a dragon keeper, appears to help out Ping and make amends for his behavior. Then they find the dragon haven--only to find it deserted, with dragon bones littered across it. Dragon hunters had been there and the haven was no longer safe. So they press onwards, only to discover word of yet another haven. Can a girl and a young dragon find someplace no one knows exists? And will wild dragons let them live there? This is a fitting end to this unusual trilogy, which takes place in ancient China. Fantasy and adventure lovers alike will enjoy this whole series.