In a classic childen's fantasy set-up, Isbaelle Bean falls into another world by opening a door. She's cute, quirky, and lacks friends in her real world due to her being just a little off. No one seems to mind in this new place though, and Isabelle is determined to have adventures. The adventures are slow-coming, however. Isbaelle ends up in the woods with a medicine woman/witch, learning how to make things and making a friend (her first in years!). This part is a little slow and low on action. I liked it, just a warning for those of you who have children who aren't into that sort of thing!

The book is interspersed with a storyteller setting up the telling of the story, which I thought was a cute additon. It's also a little more realistic than the average fantasy story (no goblins, or talking flamingos).

keywords: 8-12, children's fantasy, friendship, family, descriptive, slower pacing