In “The Newton Chronicles: Soldiers, Temples, and Crystals,” Luke Alexander’s mother truly believes that her husband, an archeologist and historian, is missing and presumed dead from his last archeological search, though her son Luke strongly believes his dad is still very much alive. So, since it’s the beginning of summer break, Luke, along with his two friends, Nathan and Lydia, decide to comb through Mr. Alexander’s home study hoping to find a few clues as to where he headed on his expedition and determine the true meaning of this trip.
I love fairytales, and I am Italian, so I jumped on the opportunity to read “A Maiden of Snakes” by Jane McGarry. I was not disappointed! The main character, Biancabella, was born through magical intervention from the town’s witch, as her mother, marchioness Adeleta Lamberico secretly sought her help to conceive a child. She did so knowing that such favor would have a price; but because of her desperation to produce a child, she decided to overlook those rumors. As a result, Biancabella was born with a magical serpent wrapped around her neck. The serpent disappeared from her neck right after birth, but not from her life, as she was Biancabella’s magical sister....