L.L. Reynolds

Rafe Ryder is sent to live with his grandmother in Maine after his father falls ill. Only thing he wants to do is return home to his family, but those plans change when a simple tromp through a corn maze transports him and his classmates to a school in another realm full of magical creatures. He will begin a search to find his way home and save the heavens.

Although, Rafe Ryder and the Well of Wisdom features a magical school setting that has been done before, it showcases angels, leprechauns, and fairies, which were unique to this book. The writing was well done with lots of action to keep middle graders at the edge of their seats. Overall, the book was fairly good. However, the cast of characters were quite lengthy and at times they were very difficult to keep up with. I felt that as an adult, if I were having trouble with this a middle school child might find themselves lost within the first few chapters. Also, characters voices just didn't ring true to me. They seemed so much more mature in their manner of speaking than the students I work with at school, Their ages would have seemed much more appropriate for their speech if they were closer to 16-17 year of age. While this isn't a huge turn off, some kids may find it hard to connect to the characters if they don't seem to be on the same maturity level as themselves.

Overall, the book was good, just not a favorite, and I may find myself looking for the follow-up in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book given in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)