Initially I had difficulty getting into this story. While it seemed well conceived, something about the surface execution was a bit off-putting. In terms of genre, the best I can do is say that it does for the Wizard of Oz what Lev Grossman's The Magician did for/to the Narnia series. There too it took several volumes before I saw the reworked source material as more than lazy writing, cribbing from an existing mythology.

Now that I've read more, the disconcerting part is that he does a much better job writing adults, even fictional ones, than children. They invariably sound petulant and irrational. ( )

middle-grades, fantasy, witches, wizard, paranormal

I really liked this one, but think it is for a slightly older crowd than the first one. We raised a houseful of boys and now they've got boys in that bloodthirsty age group, so I think that they will gleefully enjoy reading it on their own or with friends. The story line picks up where the first one left off, and I surely wish I could find the next one! ( )

This is the second book in The Librarian series by Eric Hobbs. My son and I both enjoyed it very much, just as we did the first book. However, this book is darker and a little more graphic than the first in the series. It's portrayed as a middle school book, and I think that fits pretty well for age. My son is 8 though, so as I read this to him a couple chapters per night, I watered down the more graphic scenes to be appropriate for a younger child. He was very sad that there wasn't a book 3 for us to purchase and continue the story with right now. I'll continue to keep an eye out for it. =) ( )

This sequel picks up from the cliffhanger ending of the previous book. Having made changes within the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wesley and Taylor discover that the real world has been changed as well. They had back to the library to correct what they've done, and find themselves in the dystopian world of Oz under control of the Wicked Witch. This novel is grimmer in tone than it's predecessor with violence in Oz and tensions among the lead characters. There's also an interesting shift from Wesley to Taylor as the primary protagonist. I thought this book improved upon Little Boy Lost and that Hobbs' sometimes-pedestrian writing and shallow characterizations are picking up as well. I look forward to the next installment which will be set in Alice's Wonderland. ( )

I like this one better than the first one. I rather enjoyed it. The premise is very good and it is handled rather well ( )