More new magical fiction!

I've been plowing through the fantasy fiction list for  CYBILS.  The librarians at my local library are stunned that I want to check out 12 books at a time.  I'm not sure if they're more surprised that I want to read that many or that I can CARRY that many at a time.  Either way, there have been some amazing titles!

The first one is called a companion, but I think you could totally call it a sequel.  I'm not sure how well it stands alone, because I loved the first one SO MUCH.  This one is called The Bootlace Magician and it's by Cassie Beasley.  It's the companion or sequel to Circus Mirandus, which came out a couple of years ago.  The Bootlace Magician opens with Micah living in the Circus Mirandus.  He's a knot tier and doesn't really see how tying knots is going to be anything magical but he keeps going.  His guardian, the Lightbender, gives him a lot of support, as do the other magicians in the Circus Mirandus.  Micah's hoping to see his friend Jenny, who lived near by, when Micah lived with his grandfather.  But some weird things are happening, birds are behaving strangely and Micah starts digging around in the Circus Mirandus and comes across some things about his family's past-specifically with his grandmother, Victoria, who left the Circus under mysterious circumstances.  What's great about this story, in addition to the amazing magic and awesome characters, is the big theme of finding yourself and your own magical story.  This is a terrific story for middle grade students and up who like fantasy fiction and don't mind some danger and scary parts.  I loved this one and I can't wait to put it in my library.

The second one is the start of a series of books about kids with magical powers.  This one is called The Revenge of Magic by James Riley.  It's about Fort Fitzgerald, who is lives through a terrifying event at the Lincoln Memorial.  He and his dad are there, sightseeing and minding their own business, when suddenly there's an earthquake and a monster comes up out of the abyss and snatches Fort's dad and takes him underground.  Fort isn't quite sure that's what really happened because everyone else seems to think it was more like just an earthquake and Fort's dad disappeared.  But Fort is sure a monster has his dad, and his only clue was a girl's voice in his head.  One day, when he's trying to put his life back together, living with his aunt, a man shows up and offers Fort a chance to come to a school that would help him figure out what really happened to his dad.  Fort jumps at the chance, but it turns out not everyone is so eager to have Fort there.  This is a very fast paced mystery, with plot twists that will leave you guessing.  The characters are interesting and relatable.  The monsters are scary and mysterious and there are also some scary government conspiracies thrown in for good measure.  This would also be a good one for middle graders.  I liked this one a lot too! 

Here's the book trailer.