** spoiler alert ** This series is the very reason I have a crush on 'tween fiction. The author nails the voice - nails it to the wall! Plus my heart sighs when an author does an aside correctly, wittily and well. These books - chock full of asides done right.

Other reasons to love:
Characters in this book can shake things out of books - you know, like shake Jane Eyre and out pops Mr. Rochester - or better yet, Mr. Rochester's dog or Jane's bridal veil. It's now my new way to get to know people to ask, "If you could shake something out of a book, what would the book be and what would you shake out?" Not that you asked, but I'd find a book about books and shake more books out. See? Don't you feel like you know me so much better now?

I also love the bad guys in these books. Well, not the bad guys themselves but the fact that the bad guys were without exception once regular or good guys but then started to choose things like revenge or power and turned into bad guys and then when they are "defeated," they turn it around and go back to being regular or good guys again. What's not to love about that?

Ok. Done gushing. Read them yourself. You'll see.