The Book of Story Beginnings

In this engaging fantasy for young readers, 12-year-old Lucy Martin moves with her parents to the Iowa house of her late great-aunt, an aspiring alchemist and magician. There Lucy finds a magical book that forces authors to live out the ends of stories they’ve started to write, and she and her great-uncle team up to save her father from a warring king and queen.

Though Kladstrup’s voice is unsteady—her mysteries are too simple for the middle school audience, but some of her language is too complicated—the creative plotlines make for an entertaining read.