Island Realm

September 1, 2006
Gr 5-8 -Gwen and Vic are cousins who were born within five hours of one another. Their mothers were sisters who mysteriously showed up out of nowhere in the Yucatan jungle, where their husbands-to-be, two brothers, were working at an archaeological dig. Now Gwen -s parents have been killed under strange circumstances and Vic -s mom has disappeared. The boy -s father is obsessed with finding his wife and figuring out what happened to his brother and sister-in-law. After he tells the kids that they are going away, they find him in a room surrounded by strange crystals, and suddenly Gwen and Vic are transported to another world. Elantya is a way station and an educational center that travelers from different worlds can visit through crystal doors. No one is quite sure how the cousins arrived there, but everyone is anxious to help them return home, until the teens and the rest of Elantya are forced into a war with the monster merlons. "Crystal Doors" is a fun fantasy adventure. It starts off a little slowly, but once the adventure in Elantya begins, the pace picks up considerably. Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed, but the protagonists are realistically drawn and the adventures exciting. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel or two." -Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Gr. 6-9. Fourteen-year-old Gwen and Vic are "twin" cousins. They were born on the same day, their fathers are identical twins, and their mothers are sisters. Gwen has been living with Vic and Uncle Cap since her parents died and her aunt went missing. When the cousins walk into an experiment that Uncle Cap is performing with an elaborate crystal setup, they are swept into a parallel world. The portal, which leads to the island world of Elantya, a hub between many worlds, has been sealed for many ages to prevent an evil sorcerer from conquering all. Elantya hosts a school of powerful sages and gifted apprentices who use written magic to fight merlons, water-dwelling enemies who are disrupting the travel between worlds and aggressively attacking the Elantyans and their visitors. Joined by Sharif, who flies on a magic carpet, and a telepath named Lyssandra, Vic and Gwen must face dangers such as flying piranhas and armored sea serpents in order to set things right. This is a fast-paced beginning for the Crystal Door trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2006
Escaping danger on Earth, Gwen and Vic find themselves in Elantya, a magical world accessible through crystal doors. The cousins must find a way to reopen their door even as they deal with threats to Elantya's safety. Though amiably readable, the book is frustratingly simplistic, with flat characters, empty dialogue, and a plot seriously lacking in cause-and-effect.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)