After spending a summer at her grandparents' preserve for magical creatures, 14-year-old Kendra figures she's seen it all. Still, when a goblin shows up in homeroom, she's a little surprised. Since no one else can see Casey Hancock's Halloween-mask scary face, she figures it's an after effect of her encounter with the Fairy Queen. Apparently, Kendra's still carrying a little Fablehaven magic with her. With her friends falling all over themselves to attract the outwardly handsome goblin, Kendra knows it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Enlisting the help of Seth and a mysterious (but exquisitely dressed) stranger, she goes on a mission to rid her school of the menace. Only it doesn't go quite as planned. Soon, Kendra, Seth, their grandparents, and everything good at Fablehaven is in serious trouble.

When the double-crosser is revealed, Fablehaven falls into chaos. Seth is missing, Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson are locked in the dungeon, and it's up to Kendra to keep the sanctuary from falling into the wrong hands. With a little help from some surprising allies, she rushes into the foray to save her family, her friends, and the magical world she's determined to protect.

Rise of the Evening Star, the second book in Brandon Mull's popular Fablehaven series, cranks the intensity up a notch. Although it backtracks a little, explaining some details from the previous book, it mostly runs on pure story. Mull brings back our favorite characters, but adds enough new ones to keep things interesting. With all the new faces, plus twists and turns around every corner, it's a fantastic adventure that proves this series is only going to get better. I can't wait.

(Readalikes: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull and other books in the series; The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; a little like the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for fantasy violence

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find