is the first book in a fantasy series written by Brandon Mull.Fablehaven shares traditional fantasy series elements and creates new twists to entertain readers. Kendra and Seth provide the traditional brother and sister who arrive in a magical family situation and learn of a connection to magic that they were previously unaware of prior to their visit. This premise is not new to fantasy. Kendra and Seth are sent to visit their grandparents at Fablehaven, a sanctuary for magical creatures. Grandmother is strangely not present and grandfather has a list of rules that the children must follow.
As is usual in most fantasy novels the children are not able to follow the rules leading to magical chaos. The children unleash forces and discover Grandma's fate. The forces they unleash kidnap Grandpa and force the children to manage circumstances they could never have imagined.
While many people compare this series to Harry Potter, I do not. I see this more as a transitional series to the more complicated adult fantasy series. While Harry Potter pulled adults into reading children's literature, this series seems more designed to prepare young adult readers to become audiences for adult fantasy series. As I have been reserving the other books in the series, this opinion has become stronger. The themes and plots seem to be moving more towards adult fantasy series traditions and less towards children's fantasy novels. It is a great marketing strategy to attract new readers to a genre.
I checked this book out from the library at the suggestion of a younger relative who is eagerly waiting to get a copy of the second book. I have the second book from the library to read so we should be able to discuss the series this summer.
Free Fablehaven Resources:
Online Quiz
Teacher's Guide from Brandon Mull
Writing questions answered by Brandon Mull
