Hi friends! 

Sorry it’s been FOREVER since I last wrote you. You can blame Jen for hogging the keyboard the past month. (She’s been spending most of her time working on two giant book projects for some of her clients and there’s also been a couple family emergencies that have taken her away from me.) But I won’t complain too much because she has been reading with me every night since coming home and she brought me some gooey, spicy chocolates to make it up to me.

But that’s not why you’re here, is it? You’re here because of BOOKS! And we just finished reading The Chosen Ones by Scarlet Thomas. This is the second book in the Worldquake Series, so if you haven’t read Dragon’s Green yet, you can find my original review here. Trust me, you don’t want to want to read this series out of order.

Beware: From here on out, there are spoilers for first-time Worldquake readers!

The Chosen Ones picks up just a few weeks after Effie Truelove and her friends defeated the evil Debiri’s plot to use her grandfather’s magical library to invade the realm of Dragon’s Green. In less than one chapter, Effie manages to get kicked out of her after-school magic class and lose some of her most precious magical boons. Her one hope to get them back? Finding a copy of The Chosen Ones by popular children’s author (and her best friend’s mother) Laurel Wilde. But that won’t be easy because the richest man in the world is on a quest to buy up every single copy of the book ever created.

Effie and her friends once again find themselves trying to stop a Debiri plot to steal all the magic in the universe, but this time the stakes are much higher. On top of they, they have to figure out how to handle a group of students who are using their magic for mischief, escape a teacher who keeps trying to steal Effie’s Ring of the True Hero, and slip away from Terrence Dear-Hart—a children’s author who doesn’t like kids but who has taken a sudden interest in Effie’s family.

This story keeps getting better! But be warned…

There’s a lot to like about The Chosen Ones. The story is quick-paced and keeps your attention by adding in lots of mystery and suspense. I also like that we get to watch Effie, Max, Wolf, and Lexy grow in their abilities and wrestle through their own challenges, all while moving the main storyline forward. If your family is a fan of Harry Potter or The Series of Unfortunate Events, there are some subtle jokes in this book that I think you’ll like.

That said, I must caution that there is some rude language in this book that may offend some readers and their parents. It’s not a lot, but it was enough for me to feel I should point it out. So, mom and dad, if language is something you watch out for, be sure to read this series first before adding it to your young reader’s bookshelf.

The Chosen Ones is written for readers between the ages of 9 and 12, but older readers will enjoy it too. Because of the language, I can only give the book four out of five chocolate eggs, but this is one series I will definitely continue to follow. I can’t wait to see what Scarlett Thomas cooks up for us next!