Once a Witch

by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin was supposed to be the most powerful witch in her family - at least that's what her grandmother predicted on the day of her birth. However, while other children's talents in her large family manifested by the time they were eight, Tamsin's never came. Since then she's felt like an outsider among her relatives, and it glad to attend a boarding school in Manhattan to be away from it all.

However, Tamsin cannot resist agreeing to help a handsome professor one day when he mistakes her for her very Talented sister and asks for her help finding a lot family heirloom.

Soon however, Tamsin realizes the request is not a simple or a benign as she thought, and she must use all her wits to save herself, her sister and her family.

It's been a while since I've found a new young adult book that I really liked, so I was happy to finally get around to this one and enjoy it so much. Tamsin had loyal friends, and an adorable boy who loves her even though she doesn't know it (of course). The best part is, is that this book is the first of series, and yet has a satisfactory conclusion of it's own! I'm excited to read the second which, unfortunately, doesn't come out until August 2011.

The Nightmarys

by Dan Poblocki

Well I've done it again! I've let a month go by before I actually write this review and I can not remember much of what I had to say about this book.

I can't actually remember it much at all. Which, is one reason I only gave it two stars. The story is kind of interesting at the time, but it's not memorable.

I actually liked this book less than Poblocki's other book The Stone Child. Where The Stone Child had a nice creepy vibe to it, I felt like The Nightmarys was trying too hard. The creepy parts sometimes just came off a goofy to me (a graffiti dragon with swirling eyes peeling itself off the wall and chasing the boy is a good example.)

It just didn't grab me. Maybe middle-grade 'scary' books are not my genre.