Just a couple more.

I read 2 books this week, both juvenile/young adult selections, which explains the speed with which I got through them. I started the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix with the book Sabriel. It was a very intriguing book, but very full of magic, both good and dark. Sabriel, the title character, is the last line of defense between the world of the dead (or more accurately, the undead) and the world of the living. She's young and ill-prepared, but has both a strong heart and great courage. Some very good lessons here, but a rather dark world in which the story takes place, full of evil, violence and fear. Because of the dark tone, I'm not sure whether I would want my kids reading this quite yet, but I was glued to the book for most of the day. Second book on request at the library, so we'll see if the series continues to intrigue.

The second book, although still involving magic, is quite a fun retelling an old fairy tale. The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler, is the story of the twelve dancing princesses, with a twist. Very fun, and a good read even for the younger independent readers, provided they enjoy action, adventure, and beautiful princesses. My favorite part of the book came when the heroine, Zeta, is trying to read her sisters to sleep.

"'You've been reading too much,' I scolded her. 'I'll read to you tonight for a change.' I took up the nearest book and began reading the story of the Goose Girl, who held conversations with the head of her dead horse. It was a gruesome tale, but it's nastiness wasn't enough to keep my sisters awake. Before long, their gentle snores make me look up from a gilt-edged illustration of a horse's head, mounted on a wall, and I saw that all twelve of them were asleep."

How fun to have one children's book reference another relatively new children's book. I loved it. A very enjoyable read.