I enjoy a good magical middle-school adventure story as much as the next reader, so I was excited to pick up The Kindling—and it didn’t disappoint. With an interesting plot and unique system of magic, likeable characters, and plenty of heart-stopping moments, I found it to be a quick, fun read. My only complaint about The Kindling was that sometimes the pacing was uneven; there were moments where certain scenes seemed to drag on a little too long, and I found myself wishing for a little more variety. Still, The Kindling was a delightful read with plenty of adventure and heart. Highly recommended for preteens who enjoy a good magical thrill-ride!
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Cedar Fort

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None

There is no profanity, but there is a fair amount of slang (“freaking,” “heck,” etc.).

Violence/Gore: There are several incidents of magical mischief and mild violence. Certain animals in a city district are all murdered by magic. There are four magical battles in the book, each of them comprising several pages (the climax at the end is 20+ pages). A character is subjected to a kind of magical psychological torture, which is described only in brief detail. A character punches another character. A character slaps another character on the face twice. There are several reports of kidnappings throughout the story, but never any details. A character threatens another character.

Sex/Nudity: Adults kiss. Teenagers have crushes on each other and occasionally think about what it might be like to kiss each other.

Mature Subject Matter:

References to kidnapping and torture.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

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