Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell

age group: 9 and up

rating:6

In Falling In, Isabelle Bean, well, falls into a magical world through a closet in the nurses office. I loved the character Isabelle. Her personality is unique and well developed. The writing style is witty and fun.

I rated it 6 out of 10 because the plot could have been more thought out. (SPOILER ALERT!) I expected Isabelle to fall in and have a remarkable magical adventure. In an article on the website "Book talk," Gaye @ Foster writes: "Isabelle's adventures are not overly magical, just fun to read." This rings true. She fell in, but into a world not much more magical than our own. It seems to me that she fell in and that was it. Her falling in was the climax of the story. Frankly, I prefer fantasy stories with a larger supply of magic and adventure.

But if you're searching for a book for a small taste of fantasy, try it out. If not, try looking into the Fablehaven series or The Revenge of the Shadow King.