Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Jacob Reckless has traveled through the mirror in his father's study far too often. One of those times, he makes a mistake and his younger brother, Will, follows him through.

Now they're both in Mirrorworld. Caught unaware by a squad of goyls, Will is attacked and now their curse is covering his body in stone. Jacob is desperate to save his life, calling in favors and tricks to find a cure no one believes exists.

Will Jacob be able to lift the curse? And will the price be too high?


The story starts slowly, but does speed up towards the middle of the book. This is one of those on the fence books, it could be Juvenile, it could be Young Adult. The characters in the book are actually in their teens or early 20s, but it is written more for the middle school crowd. There are many fairytale elements involved in the story, and in fact, all apart of what's going on. That wasn't clear until about halfway through.

The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli

Don Giovanni thought he had everything, but a flood showed just how wrong he was. With nothing but the clothes on his back, he wanders Sicily, looking for a kind soul to take pity on him.

Then a gentleman appears one day, with a wager too good to be true. All Don Giovanni has to do is not bathe, cut his hair, change his clothes, or shave his beard for three years, three months, and three days. He can have all the money he wants until that time is up. If he fails, the devil gets his soul.

What he finds is staying dirty isn't easy. But with his wealth he has a chance to do some good. And hopefully keep his head about him until he wins the wager.

Interesting and pretty easy to read. Not sure how much teens will actually pick up this book--it doesn't feel like it was written with teens in mind. However, it is based on actual folklore.