Top 3 Fantasy Schools of Fun (Or Horror) Julie

It's hard to believe, but summer break is almost over for students and teachers (I fall into this category). As our thoughts turn to the new school year, let's look at three books that are mainly set in schools. But beware, these school aren't always about about sitting in class and doing assignments.

3) Nightmare Academy by Dean Lorey
I don't know about you, but every so often I will have a nightmare, though the older I get, the lesser they happen. Which, I'm fine with. However, for young Charlie Benjamin, nightmares are very real and very dangerous. He gets the unique opportunity to go to a school that fights back against the "monsters in the closet".  He and the others at Nightmare Academy train to fight the monsters that come in the night while we sleep.

What do you think? Would you be able to handle this school?


2) Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Your first thought might not be about school on this one, but it does have Camp Half Blood. Although, its more like a wickedly awesome camp than a school, but whatever. What do you learn? Fight mythic creatures and survive!

What do you think? How would school be if you got to battle mythical creatures?

1) Ever After High series by Shannon Hale
Every one loves fairy tales right? What if you went to a school full of all your beloved fairy tale characters's children? At Ever After High, you're supposed to get your happily ever after, all while following in your famous parent's footsteps. You can learn to be a princess or a prince... or the evil queen.

What do you think? Does that sound like the school of your dreams?


Okay, so you may be thinking I left out the obvious one, which I did. Just because it was so obvious. The cream of the crop school book is definitely Harry Potter. I mean, how can you beat Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?!

Any of the above schools sound like the one for you? Or do you have another awesome school to add?

Top 3 Fun First Lines (Julie)

I don’t know about any of you, but I have three plans for the holidays-relaxing, writing, and reading. To accomplish two of my plans, last night I was skimming through all my books on Kindle looking for one to read while I put on an old movie and then snuggle under a warm blanket to read and semi-watch the movie. I tend to buy a lot of the free Kindle books, but sometimes after reading the first sentence or paragraph, I stop and find something else. The first sentence is huge for any novel and can make or break it. So I decided to go through my stash and find the most fun first lines, but I’m narrowing it down to only fantasy for this list.  

Number One:

“Lizzie Hearts, the Princess of Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, heir to the throne of Wonderland’s Card Castle, captain of the Ever After High Croquet Team, and hedgehog enthusiast, was holding a knife.” From Ever After High: A Wonderlandiful World by Shannon Hale.

This book was a fun read from the very beginning. What really got me was the “hedgehog enthusiast” bit. Makes you quirk your eyebrows and wonder what kind of a girl would be so interested in hedgehogs? When reading the first line, I pictured someone dainty who plays croquet, not exactly a robust sport, but then we find she is holding a knife! I’ll give a little spoiler if you’ve never read it...she’s only holding a butter knife;)

Number Two:

“My mother named me after a cow’s rear end.” From Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff.

This first line certainly captured my attention. I love the humor in it and voice that comes out in the very beginning.

Number Three: (I’ve kinda cheated on this one because I’m including the first three, very short sentences)

“I was born singing. Most babies cry. I sang an aria.” From Fairest by Gail Carson Levine.

A baby singing an aria? I guess that beats high pitched crying! Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors, who you might know from writing Ella Enchanted.  Fairest is a great book about a girl who believes herself to be ugly but has a beautiful voice. There’s also an interesting twist about her heritage that any fairy tale lover should enjoy.

What about you? Do you have any fun, lighthearted favorite first lines to share?