by Michael Scott
Rated: PG
15-year-old twins Josh and Sophie do everything together, they even work across the street from each other in San Francisco: Josh in a used book store and Sophie at a coffee shop. With their parents on an archaeological dig, Josh and Sophie are living with an elderly aunt and enjoying a perfectly ordinary summer until an ancient evil dressed in an expensive suit walks into the bookstore. Josh quickly discovers that his employer, Nick Fleming, is not just a slightly odd bookshop proprietor but is, in fact, the immortal Nicholas Flamel. In an instant, Josh and Sophie's lives are changed forever. They are swept into a world of magic, where legends are fact, mythic creatures are real, and the only chance of saving Nicholas' wife and, indeed, the human race, may be the sleeping powers of the twins themselves.
This is a truly enjoyable read. My niece, who is 13, recommended this book to me and even lent me her copy to read. I can't say enough good things about it. It has great characters, it's completely fun to see mythology come to life, the twins are likeable and real, the story is entertaining and engaging, and in general is a fine read. Best of all, it's a series and my niece assures me that at least the next two books in the series (as far as she's gotten through it) are just as good as this one! There are zero curse words and no sexual tension or inappropriate material. There are fantasy fight/battle scenes that involve violence, which is why the rating is PG rather than G. All in all, I think tweens, teens and even adults (case in point) will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading the remaining books in the series.
