Search Results for: blog a wizard named nell jackie french koller

The Wizard’s Apprentice – Jackie French Koller

The second book in “The Keepers” series, “The Wizard’s Apprentice” continues the story of Nell, the princess who wants to become a magician and possibly even the apprentice to the Keeper. A prophesy has gone forth that the Chosen One will soon emerge, and Nell, so far, has met all the requirements. But the current Keeper can’t accept that the Chosen One might be a girl, and has told Nell that he will only take her as his apprentice if she will get the Mantle of Trust from her father, something generally only passed from father to son. Nell is … Continue reading →

The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie Muldoon is an orphan, but he doesn’t feel particularly bad about it because he’s never known anything different. He lives in a large orphanage filled with children who ignore him, and his only friend is his tutor. She’s a kindly older woman who has taken Reynie into her heart, and it’s a good thing, too, otherwise no one would love him at all. One morning while reading the paper, they spy an ad for children of unusual abilities. Just what these abilities are supposed to be, the ad doesn’t say, but Reynie is curious. He decides to go in … Continue reading →

The Jade Dragon – Carolyn Marsden and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh

“The Jade Dragon” is a children’s book which introduces us to Ginny, a Chinese girl who’s in the second grade. She’s excited when she sees that another Chinese girl has moved in – she’s been the only one this whole time and no one really understands her. When she meets Stephanie, she’s surprised at how American Stephanie is. She has an English last name, her clothes are all American, and she doesn’t even like Chinese food. Ginny learns that Stephanie was adopted out of China by white parents, and has no memory of China itself. Ginny has grown up with … Continue reading →

Week in Review: December 3rd-9th

We had a great week in Media Reviews. In case you missed out on this week’s blogs, here’s a rundown of everything we did. In “By Man Least Understood,” Tristi reviewed an LDS doctrinal book about forgiveness, repentance, and the need we all have for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She then took a closer look at Barbara Kingsolver’s blockbuster hit, “The Poisonwood Bible,” the story of a preacher who took his wife and daughters to the Belgian Congo and the experiences they had when the Congolese decided to proclaim their independence from Belgium in the 1960s. We reviewed some … Continue reading →

A Wizard Named Nell – Jackie French Koller

“A Wizard Named Nell” is the first book in a series entitled “The Keepers,” which is fantasy geared toward the intermediate reading level. My daughter took one look at it and clamored to be next to read it, and I’ll have no problem at all letting her. It’s a fun adventure with just enough peril, but not too much. Many hundreds of years ago, two wizard brothers fought for control of the land. The good wizard, desperate for his evil brother to be conquered, put himself and all his magic in a scepter that shone more brightly than the sun. … Continue reading →