The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Taran dreams of adventure, battles, and glory.  What he finds is hunger, terror, and worry. Despite all of this he pushes through, always trying to do the right thing. 

Searching for Hen Wen, an oracle pig, he partners up with a prince, a king turned bard, Gurgi, a wolf type creature, and the required young lady.

A mixture of fantasy and magic with just enough of a familiar feel to make it all flow. 

There are a couple of places where things just happen and the story jumps around a bit but overall the story is good and Taran is likeable. 

Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels

Haskell discovers she is not the person she always thought after a pre-marital blood test for Tay-Sachs reveals she is a carrier, something that should not be possible if her Irish heritage father, who died before she was born, is actually her father.  She heads to Chicago to search for her biological father and to learn more of Eygptologist mother who died in a tragic car wreck when Haskell was only three months old.

As Haskell searches for answers she learns not only about herself but also family history which is not always bright and joyful.

The ending is unexpected and the entire novel is interesting with many facts about Eygpt past and prestent.

The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander

Vesper Holly sees what she wants to do and off she goes.  Pity her guardian, whom she calls Brinnie, who must tag along as the bumbling sidekick. 

A young female Indian Jones type Vesper keeps things rolling along until the end.  Often funny, quick paced, and a great book for the reader that is looking for adventure without to much depth.  I would recommend for the fourth to sixth grade set of readers.

Mark of Athena

A wonderful blending of Greek and Roman mythology with that nice twist that Rick Riordan puts into his novels.  A sense of maturity comes from the main characters, something that has been developing throughout the series but is almost a focus in the current novel.

The changing narrarator keeps things moving along and helps the reader to view the story from multiple perspectives which puts a spin on a couple of incidents. 

My major complaint is we are left once again with a cliffhanger with the next page stating Coming in Ocotober 2013.  This is then followed by a really nice glossary of terms and characters which I had thought was another chapter of pages. 

Just let me know the pre-order date and I will buy in. :)