Thirteen-year-old Conner is a normal kid who loves lacrosse and dislikes prealgebra. One "dark and stormy night," Conner, his twin, Lexa, and her friend Melanie (who Conner wants as a girlfriend) are studying at home. As Melanie opens the front door to wait for her mother, the three children see a man dressed in black in the street. All the lights go out and dogs begin barking d then go suddenly silent. They see the same man near their school, but it's not until after-school detention that they learn they've been chosen as future magi and that until their "kindling" (training) is complete, they'll be the targets of a Dark force. Soon the teens become forces of Light and join the ongoing fight between Light and Darkness. In this fast-paced adventure, Bell keeps his well-developed characters grounded in the real world while still allowing them to have otherworldly experiences. Generous dialogue, just enough magic, and expressive use of both humor and fear combine to make this a potential favorite for the right kind of fantasy fan.

Gr 4-8 When Conner Dell, 13, wishes that a school bully's gym shorts would catch fire and they do, it's just the first of many hints that he, his twin sister, and their friend Melanie are about to go through some strange changes. A mysterious, caped creeper ("the Stalker") begins to appear near their homes and private school. He's dark in a disturbingly soul-sucking way, and apparently only they can see him. Meanwhile, certain teachers seem to be targeting them with trumped-up demerits to force them into an after-school detention, and they begin to suspect there is a plan to kill them. Discovering that their cell phones are dead, the kids attempt a fast break but are, instead, surrounded by men in black, hooded capes brandishing metal-bladed clubs. The mysterious men are then assaulted by multicolored comets of light. When Conner notices that purple blasts of energy are coming from his coach's flailing lacrosse stick, he begins to realize that the coach is one of several teachers who share the magical mental powers that the three kids have begun to experience. From their music teacher they learn that they have recently "Kindled" and become "Adepts," Magi gifted with powers associated with light and positivity; they have already attracted the attention of the "Darkhands," with whom Magi are locked in an eternal struggle and who have a particular interest in kidnapping young Adepts. A fast-moving fantasy with plenty of psychic pyrotechnics. Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI