#tbt: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Image: Bloomsbury

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

Happy Thursday! It was twenty-five years ago this month when a debut novel featuring the boy who lived was published in England. It was called Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone. Shortly after its UK debut, Scholastic renamed the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and readers in the US fell in love with Harry, Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Six books followed yearly with increasing enthusiasm. Book stores opened at midnight and hosted parties. Fans eagerly lined up and waited. Publishers finally became convinced that children could and would read long books. Movie adaptations soon followed. Theme parks were developed, and J.K. Rowling became the richest woman in England.

I own the UK edition of the first three books because they were released in the UK before the US, but by book four, they were published simultaneously on both sides of the pond. Book three, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban is probably my favorite. I will admit to becoming "Pottered out" when book four arrived. It took me a year to finally pick it up.

All three of my boys were fans. There was a hierarchy of reading and strict rules about spoilers in my house. The oldest was the fastest reader, so he got them first and finished even the longest ones in five or six hours. Then the next eldest got his chance, followed by the youngest.

What are your favorite Harry Potter books? Who's your favorite character? I've linked both the UK & US covers. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: the Graphic Novel

Image: Author's Website

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: the Graphic Novel. Based on the novel by Kwame Mbalia. Adapted by Robert Venditti. Illustrated by Olivia Stephens. 128 p. Disney Press, August 9, 2022. 9781368075008.

Happy Wednesday! It's a sparkling morning by me! I hope you plan on getting outside for some fresh air and exercise! Boo's waiting at my feet for our long morning walk right now.

Waiting on Wednesday features Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: the Graphic Novel. Robert Venditti adapted Kwame Mbalia's debut novel and trilogy starter into a brilliant full-color graphic novel that is releasing on August 9. Older students might recall that I reviewed all three novels in the Tristan Strong trilogy on Middle Grade Monday over the years. These are the fast-paced adventures of Tristan Strong, a seventh grader who is grieving the death of his best friend, Eddie. Tristan feels guilty that he was unable to save Eddie and treasures Eddie's notebook filled with stories. He is sent to stay with his grandparents for the summer and, on the first night there, a little doll sneaks into Tristan's room and steals Eddie's notebook. Enraged, Tristan chases the doll and accidentally punches a portal into another universe peopled with gods from African mythology and African American folk heroes and legends. MidPass is under siege and the gods and legends are tired. Tristan needs to help them in order to get back to his world and his grandparents farm.

If you love fast-paced adventure filled with great characters and lots of humor, you will love the Tristan Strong trilogy. I am looking forward to reading the graphic novel adaptation! Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

Image: Penguin Random House

Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Lauren Ezzo. Listening Library/ Books on Tape/ Penguin Random House, March, 2022. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! It's going to be a lovely day today! I hope you get outside, get some exercise, then sit in the shade with a good book. I took Boo for a medium-long walk, went to yoga class, and will be heading into the garden with an audiobook soon.

Teen Tuesday features Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz. This is a lush and lovely retelling of Cinderella set in the late 1600s at Versailles during the reign of King Louis XIV. Cendrillon's hopes of becoming a lady-in-waiting in King Louis' court are dashed when her beloved father suddenly remarries and dies soon after. Her stepmother assumes ownership of the chateau and Cendrillon is reduced to a life of servitude. She had hoped her godmother would eventually marry her father. Cendrillon wonders why she doesn't visit. She's isolated and lonely. So when the king decides to have a ball in order to pick 25 maidens for his son, Prince Louis to court, Cendrillon decides to attend.

Setting aside Cendrillon's infuriating naïveté, something teen readers won't notice, but this old lady did, fans of fairy tale retellings will love it. This fast-paced romance may have familiar trappings, but there is plenty to delight, with plenty of court intrigue along the way. The narration was well-paced and engaging. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audio Review: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan

Image: Penguin Random House

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan. Unabridged e-audiobook,~4 hours. Read by Everette Plen. Books on Tape/ Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, February, 2021. 9781984885517. (Review of downloadable e-audio borrowed from public library. Own the hc.)

Happy Monday! One week of summer break is in the books! How many books have you read so far? I've read five. I'm still a bit short of trying to get back to my book-a-day, but they were good books, and I spent lots of time in my garden, with my dogs and practicing yoga.

Middle Grade Monday features The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan. In this first-person narrative, Lucas tells the story of finding his brother, Aidan in the attic six days after Aidan's disappearance. The attic had been searched several times. The entire town was out looking for Aidan and everyone wants to know what happened. Aidan says simply that he entered a world called Aveinieu through the doors in an old dresser. No one believes him, especially Lucas, because Aidan has a reputation for fooling him over and over. But Aidan sticks to his outlandish story despite the fact that everyone thinks he ran away and despite the fact that he's being bullied about it at school.

David Levithan, an award-winning author of YA books, makes his middle grade debut in this thoughtful, leisurely-paced mystery, which, at its heart, is a story about brotherhood and listening.

New-to-me narrator, Everette Plan sounded appropriately youthful and he delivered a thoughtful, well-paced performance. 

#tbt: Magyk by Angie Sage

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Magyk by Angie Sage. Illustrated by Mark Zug. 576 p. Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. 9780060577312. (Own.)

#tbt features Magyk by Angie Sage. The number seven is considered lucky in some cultures. Being a seventh son is thought to be auspicious and to be a seventh son of a seventh son? Who knows what magic can happen? Septimus Heap was born a seventh son of a seventh son, but was pronounced dead and whisked away by the midwife before his mother could hold him. At the same time, his father discovered a baby girl with violet eyes in the snow and carried her home to raise amongst his sons. Who is this baby girl the Heaps name Jenna and where did their dead baby go?

Fast forward ten years. Jenna has a destiny to fulfill and assassins who will do their best to prevent that from happening. And, what of that missing seventh son of a seventh son? You will need to read the book to find out. 

Magyk was published in 2005 and is the first book of the seven-book Septimus Heap series. The books are quite chunky, weighing in at over 500 pages, but the pages fly by as the story is filled with quirky characters, plenty of humor, action and mystery.

Waiting on Wednesday: Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd. 368 p. Scholastic Inc., August 2, 2022. 9781338654585.

Happy Wednesday! Waiting on Wednesday features Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd. Publisher synopsis: Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as “fragile” just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she’s thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can’t wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she’s always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.

Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

When it becomes clear that she can’t solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

Humminbird releases on August 2. Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday: Blood Metal Bone by Lindsay Cummings

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Blood Metal Bone by Lindsay Cummings. 482 p. HQ/ HarperCollins Publishers, June 28, 2022. 9780008292799. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy first day of summer break to my students and colleagues! I cross-post these book talks to my school's learning platform. In my post this morning, I asked my students, "What are your reading goals for the summer? Set yourself an attainable, realistic goal and choose the books you most enjoy! Not loving the book? Abandon it and try another." I admitted to them that I've been in a bit of a reading slump myself for the last year due to a variety of reasons. I've had to reduce my usual goal of a book-a-day to 300 for the year and Goodreads tells me I'm 30 books behind that goal. I might make it up over the summer break. I might not. But I will read with my eyes and with my ears every day.

Teen Tuesday features Blood Metal Bone by Lindsay Cummings. This sci-fi fantasy takes place in deep space on a dwarf planet named Dohrsar. Sonara is the illegitimate daughter of a queen, relegated to taming horses in the royal stable. Her brother is her best friend and confidant, but when an alien space ship lands and abducts him, no one believes her, least of all the queen, who condemns her and her beloved horse to death.

They return from the dead as Shadowbloods and join a ragtag group of outlaws. Sonara earns the nickname Devil of the Deadlands and the reputation that goes along with it. After a botched heist, the crew agrees to escort the escaped daughter of a king and she is bent on revenge. However, the crafty king has a hidden agenda, as kings do. When an alien ship lands and Sonara realizes that it looks just like the ship that abducted her brother, she's distracted from her mission. The ship contains two human brothers with secrets of their own who will join forces with the king to attempt to find a rock that is the heart of the planet and possesses great power.

The story is told from three third-person perspectives, Sonara and the human brothers, Karr and Cade. It flashes back and forth revealing history and motives slowly until the end. The characters are colorful. There is plenty of banter to enjoy as well as epic action. The world has a bleak, Wild West feel to it. This stand-alone novel is great for fans of twisty, sci-fi/ fantasy like Six of Crows, as the press release says. Blood Metal Bone releases in the U.S. next week. Happy early book birthday! 

Middle Grade Monday: Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan. Nat Enough series #3. 240 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338715392. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy last day of school! The final Middle Grade Monday post of the 21-22 school year features Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan. Book #3 of the "Nat Enough" graphic novel series does not disappoint. It doesn't take long for Natalie to find out that summer camp is not going to live up to the brochures. Instead of bunking with her besties, she's stuck bunking with her former bestie and the tiresome Millie Flatbottom. What's worse, is she's being pushed out of her comfort zone, like having to swim to the dock in the lake. While not the first graphic novel to portray the trials and tribulations of summer camp, Nat continues to endear. More please!

What's New?

"Stacking the Shelves" was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, so I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books. 

For Review:

Image: Candlewick Press

Hope is an Arrow: the Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. 40 p. Candlewick Press, July 5, 2022. 9781536200324.

Publisher synopsis: Before Kahlil Gibran became the world’s third-best-selling poet of all time, he was Gibran Khalil Gibran, an immigrant child from Lebanon with a secret hope to bring people together despite their many differences. Kahlil’s life highlights the turn of the twentieth century, from the religious conflicts that tore apart his homeland and sent a hundred thousand Arab people to America, to settling in Boston, where the wealthy clashed headlong with the poor. Throughout it all, Kahlil held on to his secret hope, even as his identity grew roots on both sides of the Atlantic. How could he be both Kahlil Gibran, Arab American, and Gibran Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese boy who longed for the mountains of his homeland? Kahlil found the answer in art and poetry. He wrote The Prophet, an arrow of hope as strong as the great cedars of Lebanon and feathered by the spirit of American independence. More than a hundred years later, his words still fly around the world in many languages, bringing people together.

A lyrical biography of Kahlil Gibran by award-winning writer Cory McCarthy, with glorious illustrations by Caldecott Honoree and two-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Ekua Holmes.

Purchased: Nothing! But I received some AZ gift cards for end of year gifts, so...

What's new with you?

#tbt: Hoot by Carl Hiassen

Image: Penguin Random House

Hoot by Carl Hiassen.294 p. Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House Children's Books, September, 2002. 9780375821813. (Own)

Happy last Thursday of the school year! Congrats to the eighth grade for a lovely graduation last night. 

#tbt features Hoot by Carl Hiassen. Mr. Hiassen, a noted novelist for adults made his YA debut twenty years ago with the publication of this eco-mystery. Roy Eberhardt is new to the small town of Coconut Cove, Florida. He recently moved from Montana. He is quickly caught in the cross-hairs of the town bully and it is while his face is smashed against the window of the school bus that he spies a long-haired, barefoot boy dashing down the street away from school. Intrigued, Roy attempts to follow him. At the same time, the police are investigating a series of acts of vandalism at the construction site of a pancake house. The construction will displace tiny burrowing owls, which are protected, but the owners of the pancake house may have tampered with the environmental impact report. The novel is packed with quirky characters and the humor is sly and subversive.

Hoot was named a Newbery Honor book in 2003 as well as an ALA Notable Book and a Best Book for Young Adults. It made a number of state awards lists and was adapted for film in 2006.

Waiting on Wednesday: Gleanings by Neal Shusterman

Image: Simon & Schuster

Gleanings by Neal Shusterman. 432 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 8, 2022. 9781534499973.

Happy final Wednesday of the school year! Waiting on Wednesday features Gleanings by Neal Shusterman. His Arc of the Scythe trilogy is an eighth grade favorite here at TMS. I know I can't wait to return to the world with this collection of stories. Gleanings releases on November 8. 

Here's the publisher synopsis: The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with thrilling stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge!

There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.

Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.

Gleanings shows just how expansive, terrifying, and thrilling the world that began with the Printz Honor–winning Scythe truly is.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours, 45 minutes. Dreamer Trilogy #2. Read by Will Patton. Scholastic Audio/ Scholastic Inc. 9781338672923. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Happy final Tuesday of the school year! Phew, I am running out of steam! The travels of this past weekend added to my general end-of-school exhaustion. Last night was the TREP$ Marketplace from 4:30 - 8. Tonight I'm chaperoning the eighth grade dinner dance and I'm attending graduation tomorrow. Then there's the grading to do. I enjoy it all, but it's tiring. 

Teen Tuesday features Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater. This is book two of the Dreamers trilogy, which is a companion trilogy to the Raven Cycle books. Confused yet? Since this is a second book, I will be purposely vague in my description so as not to spoil anything from book one, Call Down the Hawk.

Dreamers Ronan, Hennessey and Bryde are on the run with the Moderators hot on their heels and committed to destroying them. This intricately plotted story features compelling characters and so many twists, readers will get whiplash. While this trilogy stands alone, readers who have read The Raven Cycle, will appreciate Dreamers a bit more. If you are a reader who enjoys magical realism, these are the books for you. I cannot wait for Greywaren, which is due out on October 18. I'm sort of glad I missed the publication of Mister Impossible last May, because my wait for the finale is shortened.

I've listened to most of these two series and have really enjoyed Will Paxton's growly performances. I didn't here. His British accent was inconsistent and just...weird. There were a number of times when a word was pronounced incorrectly and that took me out of the story. I might read Greywaren with my eyes. 

Middle Grade Monday Student Guest Post: The Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. 368 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2022. 9780063161524.

Today, we will enjoy a final guest post by graduating eighth grader, LIa.

Happy second-to-last Middle Grade Monday! If you read these posts, then by now, you should know that I am a loyal fan of the School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani. You might remember that a few months ago, I wrote a post about its upcoming prequel, Rise of the School for Good and Evil. Well, it was finally released! As expected, I read it and it completely blew my mind. Here is a quick summary of RSGE:
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Two School Masters have taken an oath. One Good, one Evil. Two brothers have sworn to guard the Storian, forever sealing a bond of love. A balance in the Endless Woods.

That is, until a new student arrives at the School for Good and Evil. A student whose soul cannot be deciphered. So, a wager is made on the boy’s true purpose. To serve Good or to serve Evil. However, soon enough, a harmless wager between the School Masters turns into the spark that triggers an imbalance in the Endless Woods. The Storian’s judgment is questioned, a pirate believes he is fit to attend the School, and a strange student is claiming to be a seer… Throughout this tale, love, trust, and everything in between are put at stake, and a lifetime of brotherhood now stands in fear- especially in the face of the unknown.
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Fans of the School for Good and Evil series are guaranteed to leave this prequel in shock. Rest assured, you will never think of SGE the same way you did before. Personally, my mind is still attempting to fully comprehend the events of Rise, and I have a feeling the next book leave me the same way this one did.

Thank you Lia! Best of luck in high school!

#tbt: Holes by Louis Sachar

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Holes by Louis Sachar. 233 p. Farrar, Straus, Giroux/ Macmillan Publishers, August, 1998. 9780374332657. (Own.) 

Happy Thursday! I'm winging my way to Peoria a bit later today to visit my second eldest son, his wife and their son. Max is graduating from his neurosurgical residency and heading to UCLA for a spine fellowship. His son turned one last month and they are holding a belated birthday party for him as well. Happy times tinged with sadness as my husband, who was so incredibly proud of Max is not here to celebrate as well.

#tbt features Holes by Louis Sachar. After Stanley Yelnats is wrongly convicted of the theft of some donated basketball sneakers, he's sent to Camp Green Lake. There is no camp and there is no lake. All he and the other boys remanded to the facility do all day is dig holes in the hot sun. They are instructed to report any interesting discoveries to the warden.

The Yelnats family is cursed, and in a series of flashbacks, readers learn about how the family curse came to be. And just what about those holes? There's history behind that as well. Mr. Sachar seamlessly weaves these three strands with memorable characters and some hilarious situations. 

Holes won the Newbery Medal as well as the National Book Award. It was named to numerous State Awards and adapted for film in 2003. In 2006, the author published a companion novel called Small Steps.

Waiting on Wednesday: Two Degrees by Alan Gratz

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Two Degrees by Alan Gratz. 384 p. Scholastic Inc., October 4, 2022. 9781338735673.

Waiting on Wednesday features Two Degrees by Alan Gratz. Mr. Gratz's books are perennial favorites among TMS students. Here, he veers away from historical fiction and it looks like an intense read! Two Degrees releases on October 4. Here's the publisher synopsis:

Fire. Flood. Ice.

Three forces of nature.

Three kids swept up in a looming global catastrophe.

Can they survive?

In California, Akira Kristiansen is driving through the mountains with his dad when a wildfire sparks — and grows scarily fast. In just moments, Akira and his family have to evacuate but which way is safe with fire all around them?

In Churchill, Manitoba, Owen Mackenzie is running a tour for travelers who've come to see the polar bears. Lately the bears show up more and more as the ice thins. When Owen and his friend see a bear much too close for comfor, they end up in a fight for their lives.

In Miami, a hurricane bears down on Natalie Torres. That's not so uncommon... but everyone's saying this could be it. The Big One. Natalie and her mom don't have anywhere to run to, so they hunker down to ride out the storm.

Separated by hundreds of miles, Akira, Owen, and Natalie each struggle to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds. What ultimately connects the three kids is both surprising and hopeful: a commitment to changing the world, however and wherever they can.

Just as Refugee brought awareness of the refugee crisis to young readers, this latest tour-de-force from Alan Gratz will shed light on the increasingly urgent threat of climate change — while taking readers on a nonstop adventure that will keep them turning the pages, and making their own plans to better the world.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

Image: Disney

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook. ~10 hours. Read by Fiona Hardingham. Disney Press, May 2022. 9781368083850. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater. This might be the first time a sequel to a movie was published as a book? I have read movie novelizations, but can't recall ever reading something like this. Plus, I have never viewed the movie. So there's that.

Merida DunBroch should be content now that she's no longer obligated to make a marriage. She still prefers practicing archery to perfecting her embroidery, but she's a tad restless and impatient with the sameness of every day and longs for adventure. On Christmas Eve, she spies a figure in the snow just outside the castle and when she goes to investigate, the figure flees after turning into a rabbit. Undaunted Merida follows though she's barefoot and not dressed for snow. Turns out, the figure is Feradach, the god of destruction and he was about to obliterate the DunBrach family because they have become stagnant. It is only the intervention of the goddess, Cailleach that stays Feradach's hand. Merida is given one year to prove the family can change and, she needs to keep the agreement a secret. Under the watchful eyes of both gods, Merida sets about saving her family and transforming her kingdom. 

This richly woven tale features intriguing characters, vivid Scottish settings, humor, suspense and adventure. There were a few tears near the end as well. 

Ms. Hardingham's narration was well-paced and contained a variety of voices and accents. Fans of the movie will love this new chapter in Merida's life; but this should appeal to any reader who loves a brave and headstrong main character.

Fact Friday: Picturing a Nation: the Great Depression's Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself by Martin W. Sandler

Image: Candlewick Press

Picturing a Nation: the Great Depression's Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself by Martin W. Sandler. 166 p. Candlewick Press, November, 2021. 9781536215250. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Fact Friday features Picturing a Nation: the Great Depression's Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself by Martin W. Sandler. In 1935, the Farm Security Administration hired photographers to document the work of the administration all across America during the Great Depression. These photographers, including Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks, soon shifted their focus from the government agents to the people they were helping. The result was over 200,000 photos of Americans, young and old, rural and urban, Black and white, doing the best they could during an unprecidented time. A few of these photos might already be familiar to readers, especially the iconic images of Dorothea Lange. While there is plenty to learn from the captions, the photos are the stars here. This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking book to browse frequently.

Highly recommended. 

#tbt: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Image: Penguin Random House

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1. 376 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May, 2007. 9780385733571. (Own)

#tbt features The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. When this book released way back in the spring of 2007, students would tell me that the author of this book "plagiarized" from J.K. Rowling, not understanding that Nicholas Flamel is a real person from history. He's a main character in this series, apparently having discovered the means to achieving immortality along with a host of other notable figures from history. He owns a book shop in San Fransisco and his wife, Perenelle, owns the coffee shop across the street. The two are working under pseudonyms. Fifteen-year-old twin siblings, Josh and Sophie each work for one of the couple. A mysterious man named John Dee, backed up by some golum goons, enters Flamel's book shop seeking The Codex. It is then that Josh realizes that his boss is not who he claims he is when he witnesses him using magic to prevent Dee from stealing the Codex.  

There are two problems with Dee stealing the Codex. One, Nicholas has to recreate the elixir every few months, or risk losing immortality and two, it will enable Dee to summon the Dark Elders and destroy the world.

Nicholas and Perenelle were in San Fransisco specifically to discover whether Sophie and Josh were the twins that were prophesied to be the world's saviors. 

Each book in this action-packed series takes place over one day and takes the reader around the physical world and the world of the gods and goddesses of a multitude of mythologies.