A Wind in the Door

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle, 1973 Ferrar, Straus & Giroux

   After the events of A Wrinkle in Time Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin are back in their world where Charles Wallace is suffering from a progressive disease thought to be caused by his mitochondria. Meg is worried about her brother and finds his new school principal is the high school's former principal (Meg thinks Mr. Jenkins has a grudge against her family when he refuses to help with Charles Wallace's bullying). When he appears in the Murrys' back yard, Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin encounter a Cherubim named Proginoskes, whom they nickname Progo. The three children and the winged mass of a cherub discover they have been called to learn from the Teachers Blajeny and Louise the Larger, a tall robed man and snake who lives in the Murry family's walls.
     The group learns about Echthroi, a group of creatures trying to un-make the universe by Un-Naming the things that create it. To stop the Echthroi from unmaking Mr. Jenkins Meg must distinguish him from two doubles and find a connection to the good in him. They discover that Charles Wallace's troubles are caused by the Echthroi's efforts to convince his mitochondrial farandola not to mature. Meg and Calvin travel into one of Charles Wallace's mitochondria, named Yadah, and convince the immature fara to take root and mature. Meg is very nearly Un-Named, but she and Calvin are successful. When Mr. Jenkins is almost invaded by his doubles Progo volunteers to fill the emptiness that is the Echthroi, sacrificing himself to return everything to normal and save the universe.
     Like many of Madeleine L'Engle's works, the language of A Wind in the Door can be difficult for younger readers, but the struggle between light and dark is a common theme in youth literature. Readers in middle to late elementary may need help with the reading, but are a good audience for the story itself. Older readers might find Meg's concerns for Charles Wallace overbearing and the worries of an overly concerned sister, however bullying is a largely ignored theme and mainly serves to introduce Mr. Jenkins. A Wind in the Door is a good read for any age.

The Good Master

The Good Master by Kate Seredy, 1935 Viking Press

     When Cousin Kate comes from the city, the impression her father has given her family is of a delicate young flower suffering from the Measles. What they pick up from the train is an out-of-control hellion whose actions have seen no consequence. Within her first hour with her cousin and his father she steals the cart driving them home and nearly kills herself and the horses.
      Jansci and his country family aren't at all what Kate expects either; her Uncle Marton is a respectable member of the community the "Good Master" of all he surveys and life on a Hungarian farm is more work than it looks in the pictures. But Kate is willing to learn, she helps her aunt with chores around the ranch, rides horses with her cousin Jansci, and her unhappy peevishness soon gives way to a polite and friendly young woman, but not until her ignorance has led to some wild adventures.
     When Kate's father arrives at the end of the summer he hardly recognizes his daughter: she is well-behaved, polite, and understands the consequences of her actions. The change in Kate convinces him to join his brother and his family in the country, leaving behind city life.
     A leading theme in The Good Master is the superiority of country life over urbanization; the steadiness and consistency leading to a happier Kate and the eventual relocation of her father. It is an entertaining story of how a change of scene can elicit a positive change in even the most unruly of people. Written for a middle to late elementary age-group, the simple language adds to the country charm of the story.

The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis, 1954 Geoffrey Bles

     During their initial visit to Narnia, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy defeated the White Witch and at Aslan's behest took the thrones at Cair Paravel. The Horse and His Boy takes place during the years the Pevensie children lived in and ruled Narnia.
     Shasta is a young boy who lives in the country south of Narnia, Calormen. He doesn't look like the other Calormenes, and lives with a strange old fisherman who punishes his curiosity for what lies beyond the hills to the north with grueling labor. One day the Tarkaan, Anradin, comes to the fisherman's hut and the fisherman takes the opportunity to try and sell Shasta. The boy learns he isn't the fisherman's son, but that he was found in a boat with a soldier who had later died.
     Relieved, he wonders aloud how Anradin will treat him. The man's Horse speaks out, startling Shasta, and tells him death would be a better fate. Shasta and Bree, the Horse, make plans to escape north to Narnia.
     Bree had been taken from Narnia as a colt, stolen from his mother and sold into the Calormene army. He directs Shasta toward Tashbaan, a large city where they may cross the river, and along the way tells the story of his life. After a couple weeks of riding, the pair encounter another rider and horse. Bree is cautious at first of the mare and her rider, but when it appears a lion is chasing them, the two horses run alongside each other. When they are safe, the other rider speaks, but before Shasta can answer, the other Horse responds. Bree identifies the Horse as Narnia also, and despite her rider's objections the two decide to continue to Narnia together. The rider reveals himself to be a Tarkheena, a girl named Aravis. She tells her tale: how she is the descendant of the god Tash, how her mother promised her to a man she cannot love, and how the amazing talking Mare saved her from taking her own life. The Mare, Hwin, convinced Aravis to escape to Narnia; the two were free.
     Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and Hwin continue together to Tashbaan, but once in the city Shasta is recognized by a visiting Narnian delegate. The delegate insists that Shasta is Corin, Prince of Archenland a mountain country between Narnia and Calormen. He learns that Queen Susan is being courted by the son of Calormen's ruler, Rabadash, but she has chosen not to marry and they must escape quickly and secretly. After they have gone Shasta discovers the real Corin climbing through the window, the two chat before Shasta must go to meet his companions.
     When he gets to the meeting place, Shasta's friends are nowhere to be found. He waits overnight, and is protected by a large, noble cat who appears to become a lion when some jackals hover too close. The next morning a servant brings Bree and Hwin, but Aravis isn't with them. She had been recognized by her close friend, Lasaraleen Tarkheena. Las took Aravis and the Horses to her home, and after listening to Aravis's story agreed to help them escape the city.
     When the girls try to leave through a watergate, they run into the Tisroc, Rabadash, and the Grand Vizier. The girls hide behind a couch in a side-room, but the three men go into the same room. Rabadash is angry at Susan's escape and proposes a plan to invade Narnia, taking Archenland as part of the Calormene empire, and taking Cair Paravel, then retreating with Queen Susan when she disembarks. They would return later to finish conquering Narnia. When the men leave, Las tries to convince Aravis to remain and marry the Vizier, but Aravis denounces him and meets Shasta and the Horses.
     When she arrives, Aravis shares what she's learned with her companions. Shasta shares the route he'd overheard while with the Narnians and the quartet rush across the dessert as quickly as possible. They finally find the fissure through to the mountains. As they near Archenland Bree becomes arrogant and refuses to put in the effort, but suddenly a lion appears changing his attitude. Shasta sees the lion catch Aravis and yells, surprisingly scaring it away. He leaves Aravis and the Horses with a Hermit and hurries forward to warn the king. Shasta is again mistaken for Corin when he encounters the king in a glen; he reveals Rabadash's plans and the king's group rushes to prepare.

     Shasta has never learned to ride a normal horse and falls behind. The king's party continues forward and the oncoming army and Rabadash gain on Shasta and his meandering horse, but a wrong turn in the growing fog keeps Shasta safe. However, the boy becomes more and more downtrodden as he is lost in the mist. Suddenly he feels a presence, in his fear Shasta asks who it is and is answered with the request for Shasta's sorrows. He answers the boy's fears with a story of His own journey, of the lions that chased Bree and Shasta, of the Lion that protected him from the jackals, of the Lion that scarred Aravis's back. The Lion reveals himself to be Aslan, appearing through the mist. When Aslan disappears Shasta thinks it was just a dream, but continues down the mountain, finding himself in Narnia.
     The news of the attack on Archenland spreads and a Stag is sent to Cair Paravel with the news. King Edmund arrives with an army and Shasta is reunited with Corin--who convinces him to join the battle despite Edmund's directive against it. The battle is viewed from the point of view of the hermit and Aravis, but switches back to Shasta at the Calormene surrender.
     Those at the hermit's hut discover Shasta has survived and a visit from Aslan himself precedes a visit from a surprise visitor: Prince Cor of Archenland. Prince Cor invites Aravis to join him at the castle, where the king decides the fate of Rabadash. When he refuses the king's mercy, Aslan appears and gives Rabadash an ultimatum that sends him home to Calormen. After Rabadash's departure, the Narnians and Archenlanders celebrated. Cor was revealed Crown Prince, relieving Corin of the job and they continued to fight as brothers do, Aravis and Cor married when they'd grown to adulthood, and they lived happily.
     Like the other Narnian chronicles The Horse and His Boy is intended for middle elementary students, but appeals to readers of all ages. While the fifth installment of the series, The Horse and His Boy is the third book in the chronology of Narnia.

Betrayed

Betrayed by Kristin and P.C. Cast, 2007 St. Martin's

     In the second House of Night novel, Zoey is happy at the House of Night, but things start to change. At the first family visitation her parents come and she is excited to see her grandmother, but her parents are stiff and angry with her Change. Zoey's stepfather immediately begins an argument with Neferet and Neferet kicks them off school grounds. They vow never to return and Zoey sees such a difference in the parents' reactions to their fledgling vampyre children: her own parents' disgust, Stevie Rae's mother's undying love, Aphrodite's parents' verbal abuse each family dealt with their child's Change differently.
     Returning to her dorm, Zoey witnesses Neferet scolding Aphrodite about her visions. Neferet invites Zoey to a private dinner where she explains Nyx has withdrawn the gift of visions from Aprhodite and she is no longer to be trusted. When Zoey comes across her later, Aphrodite is crying, claiming to have had a vision of Zoey's grandmother on a bridge as it collapses at a particular time. Unwilling to risk Sylvia's life, Zoey and her friends call in a bomb threat on the bridge, keeping people away from it. When the bridge collapses as Aphrodite's visions predicted Zoey begins to doubt Neferet.
     When two young men she knew before being Marked are found murdered, Zoey begins to worry that something or someone is harming the people in her life. She has a dream of Neferet talking to supposedly dead fledglings about the murders and begins to suspect her. All the while Zoey is trying to balance her love life between the imprint with Heath and the attraction to dramatic Erik Night, but she catches the eye of resident Poet Laureate Loren Blake.
     In her role as High Priestess of the Dark Sons and Daughters, Zoey reorganizes the system, but Neferet takes credit for her ideas and changes. Zoey is confused, her instincts and the awakening voice of Nyx in her head warn her not to trust Neferet, but Zoey is distracted from the problem of Aphrodite and Neferet when Stevie Rae's body rejects the change and she dies. Zoey is wracked with grief, but learns that Heath has disappeared too.
     She uses the imprint to find Heath; he has been held captive by undead "red" fledglings, named for their red marks rather than the grey-blue of normal vampyres'. Zoey rescues Heath with her elemental affinities, but finds Stevie Rae among the undead fledglings. Neferet has taken the dying fledglings and returned them to life somehow, but what does she have in mind for these creatures who have lost their humanity? When she arrives back at the House of Night Neferet tries to erase the memories of the red fledglings, but Nyx returns the memories and Zoey tries to develop a plan to help Stevie Rae.
     Betrayed develops the conflict between Neferet and Zoey, fledging out the meaning of Nyx's reminder: "Dark does not always equate evil, Light does not always bring good". The language and some mature content suggest an older readership--ninth grade or older.

The Magician's Nephew

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis, 1955 Geoffrey Bles

     Before the Pevensie children traveled through the magic wardrobe into Narnia, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer found their way to the dawn of Narnia's creation.
     When a boy looks over the wall into Polly's yard, she is curious: the boy looks like he's been crying, and there have never been children there before. She asks him his name and comments on his appearance. To which Digory snaps at her: his father is in India and his mother is ill so they are staying with his crazy uncle in the grubby city. Polly is curious about Digory's strange uncle next door and begins asking him questions. The uncle, Andrew Ketterley, is a strange man who makes weird noises and talks about going to strange places in the attic.
     One rainy day, Polly and Digory are exploring a tunnel that connects the attic spaces of the row-houses they live in when they decide to find a door into the vacant house beyond Digory's. They count out where the house should be and climb to it. When they open the door they find a furnished sitting room, with what looks like tools for a laboratory spread about the room. On a tray Polly finds several green and yellow rings that seem to fill the room with humming. Digory wants to go back: they've obviously invaded someone's home. Before he can insist though, Uncle Andrew appears and bolts both the door into the house and the tunnel, trapping the children.
     Polly and Digory ask to be released for dinner, and at first Uncle Andrew doesn't bend, but eventually he relents and offers Polly one of the rings. When she touches it she vanishes, startling Digory. Uncle Andrew explains where the rings come from; they are made with a powder from another world that tries to return. The yellow ring Andrew gave Polly took her to that other world and Digory would have to go with a green ring to bring her back.
     When Digory touches the ring, he is taken to a world full of trees and pools of water. Polly is waiting, but the place has a muffling affect on them: the children feel as if they have always been there, but remember a time before the world of pools and trees. When they wake from the soporific effects of the world, they try jumping into the pool they rose from to get home. After splashing in the pool they came from, Digory remembers to put on the green ring, but before they jump into the pool that goes home he stops. What if the pools all go to different worlds? Polly and Digory decide to try out one of the other pools.
     When they jump through the new pool the children find themselves in a world much older than Earth. Something about the world frightens Polly, but Digory teases her about being afraid to explore and she decides to go where he goes. There doesn't seem to be anything living in this new world; the castle around the children is falling into ruins, nothing moves. Digory leads the way through the castle and the two find a room with rows upon rows of statues of people, each person more mean-looking and frightening than the last. The final statue is the most beautiful, but also the most cruel-looking.
     Digory finds a pillar with a bell and hammer on it. An inscription suggests danger, but he is curious. Polly doesn't want to ring the bell, but before she can escape back to the Wood Between Worlds, Digory grabs her hand and rings the bell. The sound grows, then silences. Then the final figure rises from her throne. The woman challenges how the children came to be in her world, insisting it wasn't their own magic. Digory tells her about Uncle Andrew, and she tells them about her world.
     Jadis is the last queen of Charn, when her sister refused to hand over the throne a battle ensued. As her soldiers died, Jadis uttered the "Deplorable Word" and all life but her own ceased to exist. Her world is old and dying, so when Digory reveals that Earth's sun in much younger than Charn's Jadis insists on being brought to England. They don't want to bring the strange woman home, but Jadis grabs Polly's hair just as she touches the yellow ring, transporting the three of them to the Wood Between Worlds. Jadis's strength leaves her in the Wood, but just before Digory and Polly leap into Earth's pool she manages to grab Digory and come with them.
     When they arrive in Uncle Andrew's attic he is in awe of Jadis. The children fear her, but when she storms out to "conquer" the world they make plans to send her home. Jadis discovers that though she is the size of a giant, her magic has no power on Earth. Instead she uses her strength to create mayhem. Digory waits for her to return and calls to Polly to bring her ring. The children manage to get the witch away from Earth, but with them comes Uncle Andrew, a cabbie, his horse, and the cab. In the wood between worlds Digory leads them into a random pool and they land on something solid in the complete dark of nothingness.
     Suddenly they begin to hear a beautiful singing; the stars appear and the sun rises to reveal a giant lion, singing the world into creation. He sings the plants into being, the animals to life and gifting some with speech, and the waters from the earth. The lion continues to create, but Digory approaches him hoping to find a way to help his ailing mother. The Lion, Aslan, tasks Digory with finding an apple from a particular garden in the West of Narnia and bringing it back. He makes the cabbie and his wife the first king and queen of Narnia.
     Polly, Digory and the cabbie's horse (now a talking Pegasus, thanks to Aslan) go to the garden where Digory is tempted by the witch. He returned to Aslan, they ended up planting the apple and an apple from the tree brings Digory's mother back to health. Aslan sends the children and Uncle Andrew back to the Wood Between Worlds, showing them the pool that lead to Charn--it has dried up--a warning to the people of Earth.
     When they return home, Digory and Polly find that time appears to have stopped. Digory feeds the apple to his mother, and buries the core in the yard. Polly takes the remainder of Uncle Andrew's rings and buries them around the apple. The tree grows and produces delicious fruit, until it is blown over in a storm, by then Digory Kirke was a professor and owner of Ketterlely house. Rather than use the tree as firewood, Digory made a wardrobe out it, but it was someone else who discovered its magical properties.
     This prequel to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe describes the beginning of Narnia and the Wardrobe, and tells the Witch's backstory. The story has darker elements than some of the other chronicles, but Polly and Digory are relate-able characters that draw the reader in. The target audience is third grade and older.