A “great race “adventure through the library, with games, puzzles, and fascinating facts to lead you along. The pacing of this one is particularly good for reluctant readers because there’s a constant series of action to move them along. There are five books in this series.

The 11-year-old female main character is enjoying her grandparent’s bookstore when some of her book characters start coming to life. I particularly like this one because her favorite character that comes to visit is Anne from Anne of Green Gables. (One of my favorites too!)

This is a very girl-power adventure story that focuses on a light of knowledge vs forces of darkness theme. It is fast-paced for those reluctant readers, and full of fact tidbits that might come up on Jeopardy one day! So far there are two books in the series, but I feel like more are coming.

This series is about a set of twins (boy and girl main character) that falls into their book. To get home they have to survive their fairy tales. There are six books in this series.

Please note: These should be reviewed by parents. There are some adult references in them and the last 2 books contain some social/political messaging that parents may want to be prepared to address.

I have to admit, this older series (2005) is one of my favorites. The books come to life and the readers can change the ending of the story with their own actions. There are a lot of classical literature references and the overall story is just exciting and imaginative. I feel like this one was probably the pre-cursor to some of these other series. Also, the movie Inkheart with Brendan Fraser is pretty good.

Middle-grade kids hopping in and out of books in the library sounds like fun and games. But their choices impact the end of the story and the fate of the world. There are five books in this series, with both a male and female main character.

This series is only two books, but my reluctant reader got two important points from them. First, she enjoyed the story. That’s always a good thing. But second, it gave her a very fun insight into some of the literary devices she was learning about in school. The book makes use of blatant clichés and predictable plot lines that make those “English class terms” come to life. Right before it turns them all on their head. I, personally, didn’t find this one as exciting as, say, Inkheart. But my reading-challenged kiddo got into it, which makes it a winner.

The main character falls into her book, and has to find her way home to save her family. A good read, particularly for more fantasy-minded readers. There’s a lot of magic in this one.

There’s quite a bit of suspense in this one, for middle-grade fiction. I didn’t see the plot as clearly as I usually do from the beginning. It starts out as a standard “fall into the story” magic library tale, but it’s got quite a few unique elements. There’s a lot of magic and imagination in this one. I’ve only read Book One, but there are four in the series.