Circles in the Stream

Avalon: Web of Magic #1

by Rachel Roberts

Welcome to a world where magic is real and friendship is everything!

Three very different girls are all drawn to a secret place deep in the woods. There they discover a portal to another world through which strange and wondrous animals have emerged, searching desperately for the magic that will keep them alive. The animals are peaceful and good, but what follows them through the portal is pure evil. Emily, Adriane, and Kara have been chosen by magical beings called Fairimentals to protect the magical animals, though they don't know why. To save them and their world, the three girls must begin a quest to find the lost home of legendary magic, Avalon...or to perish trying.

Rachel Roberts is the author of the Avalon: Web of Magic series that features a magical and adventurous storyline, with positive messages for young people ages 8-12. The twelve-book series stars three teenage girls and their animal friends that centers on themes of friendship, triumph over adversity and love for nature.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Magic, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Rachel Roberts adores magic, adventure, animals, and music. Rachel is an devoted campaigner with animal rights and protection of wild places organizations. Rachel’s has been reading ever since she could first carry a book and enjoys getting lost in a fantastic story. Rachel has been a writer as well as a editor her entire career. Rachel says the majority of concepts for her stories and characters appear on lengthy hikes. She brings a little notepad, just for jotting down thoughts. Afterward at her house Rachel builds on the ideas together with feline friends, Attila and Raider. She also is in love with music, playing the piano, flute, as well as learning to play guitar.

Avalon: Web of Magic is Rachel’s very first series of novels.

Reviews

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series when I was 11 or so. The series went on hiatus for a few years while it changed publishers and all the books were rereleased one by one - have you seen the old covers? *shudder* - so it's been many years since I've even thought about the books. However, now that the last two books have been published for the first time under the new company, I've decided to read the books again so that I can finally see how the series ends! (Thus completing my childhood. Yesss.)

Avalon: Web of Magic originally consisted of the first 6 books, the ones after that being Quest for Magic, as those books follow a bit of a different storyline. It might not faze new readers, though.

Having just reread this, I find myself wondering why I thought the book was so amazing in the first place. It's a bit cheesy, and the writing is not spectacular. Also, there are some typos which I hope have been fixed in the "revised" second edition books.

On the other hand, it's definitely a children's series, so a lot of that can be forgiven. It's a fun story that really emphasizes the importance of animals in the world and our relationship with them. It may say something on the back about how "friendship is everything," but I think the animal message is stressed a bit more.

Fun, quick read. A good fantasy series for the younger reader (I'd say ages 8+).

[sage (semi-hiatus)]

“Welcome to a world where magic is real and friendship is everything.”

I don’t know how to write a review or rate a book that is such a big part of my childhood without being either of them being bias. These books bring a smile to my face when I’m at in a dark place. I discovered this series when I was in 1st grade and now that I’m in 11th, I think it’s the perfect time to reread them.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Where was this book when I was growing up? I loved it! Circles in the Stream is an adventure-filled, utterly cute middle-grade fantasy that I found while looking for a book with ferrets after the recent passing of my little man Sulley. While it is a shorter read for an adult (~200ish pages and about a 3.5hr audiobook), I was so entertained throughout. The writing is absolutely wonderful, and the main character, Emily, finding and befriending a magical, talking ferret named Ozymandias (Ozzy) while trying to save animals and the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve, was exactly what I needed. I thought it was fun that Ozzy is actually an elf transformed into a ferret too. The magic and plot were fast yet fun, and the book totally feels like a cartoon where the show revolves around strong girls fighting for what's right.

I also saw that the audiobook was narrated by Mandy Moore, and oh my goodness, she is a gem! Her voice acting for all the girls was perfect, but I especially loved how she voiced Ozzy. He was funny and crazy, and it reminded me exactly of my own ferrets. There was also music and some sound FX throughout, which I thought was a really great touch, listening as an adult or child.

Overall, I enjoyed this one so much that I bought a copy to read to my niece and nephew. I know this book has been out for a while, and even though I didn't discover it in my younger years, it brought me a lot of happiness as an adult during a difficult time. Thank you. ❤️🫶🏻

(4.5⭐s)

🗺️ Fun Adventure
🦉 Creatures and Animal Frens
🐾 Talking Ferret
🔮 Magical Crystals
✨ Girl Power and Friendship

[Avaminn F'nett · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

I first read this wonderful book 5 years ago, and it is still my absolute favorite series ever! This is a very fun and entertaining fantasy series, and after only reading this book I got pretty obsessed with it. A great thing about this book is that it is one of those that is really great for all ages. Young children will like it, teenagers will like it, and adults will like it. I made my dad read these books, he hates reading and even he liked these! I can't wait until the movie comes out next year, I've been waiting for it FOREVER!

So this book is about a pretty normal girl named Emily Fletcher, who loves animals. She has just moved to a town called Stonehill, Pennsylvania, where there is a wildlife preserve. She meets a girl named Adriane, who is known for being the weird girl nobody likes, and a very hungry ferret named Ozzie who is actually an elf. They become friends and find out that they are mages and have to find Avalon, the home of all magic. There is also another girl named Kara, who doesn't actually become a mage in this book, who is the popular blond one that they both are very annoyed by, but then they all become friends.

I'd go into more detail but then this review would be way to long. Overall, it is an amazing start to a great series.

[TheLibraryOfSarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved revisiting this childhood series. There was so much I'd forgotten and even as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed the world, story, and characters. Very imaginative and fun, with some great beginnings of character development! I read the ebook version this time around and thought it was interesting how some things were changed- namely updating technology (CD player to iPod, etc) and changing the girls' ages from 12 to 13. I get why the publishers would want to change these details, but it's weird to me to edit books like this. I did however really enjoy the illustrations that were added to the ebook version. I will note that this book has some outdated parts of its representation of its Native American characters (Adriene and her grandmother) and that Kara uses a slur against Adriene.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea why seeing the name of the series I thought that this book must have something to do with Arthuriana, but nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable fantasy adventure read, great for middle grade readers. The world created by the author was interesting and the characters were fun to read about - I especially appreciate that all the main characters are girls, since I remember how few adventure stories with female characters there were when I was growing up.

[Miss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been staring at these books sitting on my shelf since the dawn of the stay-at-you-know-what order. I figured, why not revisit a series that enveloped me when I was younger. Truthfully, I almost only picked up the third book in the series because there were wolves on the cover. Why start a series on the third book? Not a clue. I knew I shouldn't have and I am happy to have had a parent with me who also knew that was absurd, made a deal with me to buy the first three books in the series to test out, who promised to buy me the rest of the series if I wanted to continue reading.

Other than the fact that it's not a bad idea to revisit childhood stories, this series also takes me back to teaching my first group of middle schoolers. There was a group of students with minds actively searching out stories with elements of fantasy and magic. I was happy to share a story with a group of students who were looked for elements in literature that I did when I was their age. Sadly, I was only able to share the first few chapters of this story with them at recess one morning, which I painfully regret. The pressures of a being first year teacher took a toll on me and I wasn't able to pick up the story with that group again. I am rereading this series keeping my previous students' curiosity in mind and predicting places where they could have been able to identify figurative language, predicting questions they might have asked, predicting what points they might have stopped me in the story to make a clarification, and so on.

This story begins with the tale of three girls who are drawn together by the common tropes of friendship, love of animals (real and fictional), and magic. The details are specific and allows imagery to be fully immersive for a young reader. Are there cheesy I-can-guess-what-is-going-to-be-said-next moments? Yes. References to old technology like flip phones and iPods? Absolutely! But there is a sense of innocence and youth in the voices of the characters that lets it all slip by.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avalon Web of Magic is a great book series. I remember reading the very first edition of the book Circles in The Stream but the cover art was so . . . strange looking I was embarrassed to read the book in public. When the new copy was released at my school book fair, I bought it. All through the years, this book series has really grown on me because they're so awesome! :)

Mini Summary:

Emily has just moved with her single mom from Colorado to Stonehill, Pennsylvania. There, she meets a strange girl who finds a terribly burned cat near the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve. The next day as Emily is walking the dogs, they get away from her and run into the woods! Without thinking Emily dashes after them and discovers Ravenswood. Not to mention some strange magic . . . Afterwards, Emily is thrust into a new light when she meets Adriane Charday after freeing a talking ferret named Ozymandias. Emily's life will never be the same as she soon discovers her destiny is intertwined with magic and fairy tales and ... Adriane and the snobby mayor's daughter Kara.

:] Read all twelve, they're really good! Plus, Rachel Roberts is coming out with two new series, Shadow Warrior and Sky Rider!

Paste this link to visit the Avalon website:

http://www.avalonmagic.com/

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter is really into animals and fantastical creatures. I honestly bought the first 3 books in the series purely for the cover art. It is gorgeous. In this particular case, you CAN judge a book by it's cover. My daughter loved them so much that she insisted I read them too. I would have to say so far I have enjoyed these books just as much as she has. I recommend them to anyone with a daughter that loves a good book. 12 books in the series.

[Jacqueline Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are obviously things about this book, and the series as a whole, that are like "ehhh" now that I am older. The author's writing isn't fantastic, there aren't any crazy reveals and everything can pretty much be taken at face value, but 11-year old me would be damned to rate this anything lower than a 4 star for nostalgia purposes. Now I need to figure out where I can get the rest of the series if I want to continue to reread them...

[Sharly · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book the girls are awesome together i love the cover i bought this book but when we moved i think i lost it so looked at my library and they had it so i read it i loved it <3 you have to read it the first one it great that the one I'm reading no spoilers please!! <3

[hope h. · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books were my childhood so i'm rereading them, they are just as good as i remembered

[Toviel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had written a huge review, and GR decided to eat it. Bah humbug.

Short version: Resident animal lover, Emily, seeks out the cause of a unknown toxin hurting local wild life, and discovers magic is both real and the source of the toxin. Emily makes a mall goth friend, Ariadne, along the way, who lives on an animal preserve. They have to balance keeping magic a secret from poachers, the CDC, and Emily’s mom while searching for the source of the dark magic infecting the animals on the preserve. Magical jewelry and talking animal sidekicks are involved.

Calling the book narrowly tailored to the tween girl demographic is an understatement. Rachel Roberts writes the main characters like real teenagers; they’re judgmental and stubborn, and sometimes they do dumb shit because they don’t know better. At the same time, they’re passionate and caring, and don’t hesitate to do what they think is right. If you (or a younger person in your life) like W.I.T.C.H. or Tokyo Mew Mew, you’d (or they’d) like the Avalon series.

It’s juvenile, but it’s fun. Currently free on Kindle unlimited, which is the only reason I decided to revisit this title after two decades.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animals are dying at the ravenswood wildlife animal preserve....but these aren’t any ordinary animals, they’re magical animals from another realm. And they’ve been sent to the human world to escape the deadly toxic black fire in their world. Emily’s mom is a veterinarian, and Emily loves animals. Emily is also a mage, one of three, unbeknownst to her and the others. Adrian is the warrior, and Kara is the blazing star. Emily and Adrian have found magical gemstones that contain powerful magic. Kara hasn’t found her gemstone yet, she does in the second book though. The animals that get infected with the black rain have a sickly green glow about them, almost like radiation. I loved this book, I read it years ago and had to read it again. A see a lot of people complaining that this series is childish and that the writing is corny and that they’re seeing typos in the book, you know what? Of course it’s childish, it’s directed at a younger audience. That doesn’t make it any less fun to read. As for typos? I didn’t see any in this book. I think some people need to get their eyes checked. Also I see a lot of criticism about the original covers, I see absolutely nothing wrong with them. On the contrary, they’re absolutely beautiful. Especially compared to the newer versions that look like a ridiculous anime tv series. Not to mention they look extremely dull in comparison to the old ones. Sorry but “Out with the old and in with the new” doesn’t always work, or look good for that matter. I loved the animals in this book, especially Ariel the snow owl with beautiful turquoise eyes. Ozzie is a ferret who claims he’s an elf from Aldenmore. He’s a very animated little guy with lots of funny sounds and jokes. He’s also there to help the three mages. That’s what I always loved about this series, very colourful descriptions and beautifully described magical animals. Nothing gives a story life like colourful descriptions. I also loved Phel, he’s described as a big purple panda like bear who’s very gentle. He also spreads magical seeds throughout their world. He always has beautiful magical rainbow flowers trailing behind him wherever he goes. I’m so glad I ordered this series off eBay. I didn’t have a good reads account when I read this series years ago and I couldn’t do a review on them. You know what, if you like the book cover and the synopsis intrigues you, go for it. Don’t always listen to other people’s reviews and their judgements. If I went by every review I read, I’d end up not buying any books ever. Although some reviews can help so that you don’t buy a crappy book. As for that you have to look into on your own. I try to go by the reviews with the most description of the book and go from there. I’d say this series is definitely worth reading if you like magical animals and you can handle some childish reading. That’s what I liked about this series, it doesn’t have to be a 300 or 500 page book to get me interested. Not all books you read have to be challenging. This book although short, is very entertaining in my opinion. It might be childish and corny to some people, but that really all depends on your point of view and what you like. I highly recommend this series to everyone. Starting the second book soon!

[Dominic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really stretching the trio balance with the third role being blazing star (other two are warrior and healer)

[Geo Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book as a young child and absolutely loved it then. Rereading it now it doesn’t hold up quite as well as I’d hoped but it was a very good starting point for me growing up. Because of that I’m rating it as my younger self would ❤️

[Loa Hoang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Book. Is. Amazing.

There are simply no exact words to describe this story--but I might go with wonderful, enchanting, magical, and beautiful. Miss Rachel Roberts did a great job of outlining the plot but hiding enough secrets to make the readers intrigued--and describing the characters and differentiating them and their unique characteristics that make them, them.

We have three twelve-year old girls: Emily, Adriane, and Kara. Emily's personality is typical--she's the shy, new girl in town, but she would do anything and everything to help an animal friend in need. Adriane is the more dark and stormy type, and she snaps at Emily at first, but they two have one outstanding similarity: protecting the animals, especially the rare and magical ones we find in the Ravenswood Natural Preserve, where Adriane and her grandmother lives.

And lastly, we have Kara, the mayor's daughter; an arrogant, spoiled girl that would have anything she asks her father to get. Kara and Adriane, coming from two different worlds, obviously get off the wrong foot, and are more tend to squabble than Emily, who always becomes the peacemaker between the two of them. But when a plague affecting the magical creatures in the wood beckon them for help, the three girls find out their true destinies and what they were always meant to be: the healer, the warrior, and the blazing star. Eventually, they put aside their differences and become friends.

[Sha · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. I'm taking the opportunity to binge all the middle grade series I started reading as a kid but never finished because the library thought stocking books for kids was a laughable concept.

2. I'm still bitter.

3. I was totally into the first book in this series when I saw it at the scholastic book fair because omg it was SO COLORFUL and I like colors (thisthe original cover- ). Also MAGIC WITH FRIENDS. My first ever stories featured groups of girls with different colors of hair riding bloodied unicorns and stuff and I think there is an imprint of the subgenre on my soul (unicorns optional).

4. The writing is a bit stilted and the characters haven't developed most of their personalities yet. And I have to say the vague magic works this way things make older me twitchy because give me limits and methods. That said, there are enough interesting things in here to make me want to keep reading.

5. This is not as good as some three-star books or as bad as some two-stars and so my rating system is being called into question again argh.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an adult reading this book for the first time, I cringed more than once. It felt as if the author was in a hurry to get on with the story and chose to do so by using the fewest number of sentences possible. I don't think that this was the best choice.

At one point, a character goes from beginning to cry, to having fresh tears, to being done with crying in the space of only 5 sentences. None of those sentences convey any passage of time. Similar situations happened regularly.

I've read a fair amount of middle-grade literature in recent years, and I've come to understand that some of it just sounds like it was written by a 12-year-old. It's a great first draft, but an editor should have pointed out the places that could use a bit more fleshing-out or explanation to really flow well. This is one of those books that would have benefited from having more attention paid to the bits that the reader is expected to take on faith and not question.

Is the book interesting and fulfilling to tweens? I can't really say. Is it a satisfying read to a person with more varied and expansive experience with books? No, but maybe that's not what it is trying to be.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Description
Three very different young teens, Emily, the shy one, Adriane, the outsider, and Kara, the power shopper, are all drawn to a secret place deep in the woods where they discover a portal to another world. Wondrous animals have emerged from the portal, desperately seeking the magic that will keep them alive. Though the animals are peaceful and good, what follows them through the portal is twisted and evil and bent on destroying them all.

The Fairimentals have chosen these three fourteen-year-olds to protect the magical animals. To save them and their world, the girls must overcome their differences and band together. They begin a perilous quest to discover Avalon, the lost, legendary home of magic, little knowing the terrible dangers they will face along the way.

The Main Charters are: Emily, Adriane, Kara.
Conclusion: It was a AWESOME ending.
conflict: they are trying to save this forest, and the animals in it, and more!

My review:
I really loved this book! and if you love magic. This is the book for you!

[Darlene Taganna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me think about reading more Fariy Tales.But this isn't a ordinary Fariy Tale its one of those book when you don't or don't know what to decide to know that person.And furthermore this book is about a main girl name Emily which has moved in a town.She works with her mom and found herself in a zone of magical cat.And in the part of taking care of the cat she met a girl named Adriane she's a ousider which lives in the Avalon woods, and discover Emily while she went in a peek in the woods.(she was'nt allowed beacuse there was rumors that it was haunted) Then another girl name Kara a popular and spoiled person which met by Emily and Adriane jewlry that was rude when she let them go hunt for more, but made it interesting.And lastly my final thought is that I like reading this book when it ends up has friendship and I loved this book so badly i want to read the second one.And pluse its magic which makes me wonder whats happening next..... yes the book:).

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kadang sesuatu yang sepertinya tidak melakukan apa-apa bisa memiliki dampak besar

Semula,
Emely Flecher, anak baru di Stonehill dengan rambut pirang dan mata coklat. Ibunya adalah dokter hewan yang baru bercerai dan melihat lowongan di Stonehill. Emely sangat mencintai hewan.

Adriane Charday, cucu Nakoda, sang penjaga Suaka Ravenswood. Kedua orang tuanya adalah artis yang sering bepergian ke luar kota. Adriane memiliki kulit berwarna cokelat dengan rambut hitam panjang serta mata hitam. Adriane cenderung penyendiri.


Kara Davies, gadis manja. Dengan rambut pirang, mata biru serta ketaatannya pada model Kara bisa dibilang cukup popular.Kara selalu mendapatkan yang ia mau. Plus jangan lupa fakta penting bahwa ia kebetulan anak walikota yang selalu menuruti apa kata anak gadisnya

Mereka hanyalah tiga orang gadis yang tidak saling kenal. Sebuah kebetulan bernama Avalon membuat mereka harus bekerja sama.


sisa lengkapnya di bloq yahhh

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted on how to rate this book. On one hand, I loved this series as a kid (the first six books anyway; I wasn't aware there were more) but on the other hand I didn't particularly enjoy reading it as an adult.

While it easy to give this five stars based on how much I adored this series as a kid, I have ultimately decided to rate it based on my experience reading it as a fully grown adult. Anything higher than three stars would be purely based on nostalgia rather than my actual reading experience this time around.

I do love the themes - animal welfare, friendship, loyalty - but I didn't really enjoy the writing or the characters.

But then again, this book wasn't written for a twenty-three year old in mind, so any complaints I have are fairly irrelevant, aren't they?

I've decided that I won't continue on with the rest of the books - they can remain untouched by my critical adult eyes!

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily ever sense she was a kid never belived in magic. But all that changed when she met a strange girl named Adriane, a talking ferret, and a wolf that can turn into mist. What was going on?
Then she dicovered a forest filled with strange animals like those everywhere. She then found out the forest was going to be chopped down because the government didn't know of the magical creatures.
I liked Avalon by Rachel Roberts because of all the magic and twists in this suspenseful book. This book is good for girls 8 years old and older. This book is filled with mystery and action, I could not put it down.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in the fifth or sixth grade, I remember reading this book. I picked it up in my schools book fair and really liked the cover. I also thought it had a lot of potential. When I read it, I remember liking it, but that is all. It isn't the most memorable book. I reread it recently just to refresh my memory (I read it in about three hours total) and I think it is a good story line, just not for people over the age of about eleven.

In all, it's a good book and I enjoyed it but it is definitely for younger readers.

[Kay Caires · Rating 4 out of 5]

01-21
I love Emily already, she has the life I've always imagined my own kids living: surrounded by animals everywhere you turn. She is very caring of them, especially the margay/ocelot type thing (Well, I'll let you know when I find out what it is and what attacked it).
01-22
Less than 24 hours and I have finished the book. I love Ariel, the snowy owl that bonded with Emily. Storm is pretty cool too, and Ozzie even though technically he's not an animal is awesome.

[Loralei Lihanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ever series that i read and kept. I have all 12 or 13. I have a rather large 'library' now and i love just looking at my lovely Avalon books. It was so amazing. Sadly book 4 got ruined by my little brother so now I'm looking for a new one. I just can't bring myself to throw the ruined one away though. This is such a heart warming, true friendship, and fantasy series. It is just so good, I would get called out in class and get in trouble for reading this.

[Lire-une-passion · Rating 4 out of 5]

"​En résumé, voilà un premier tome qui a réussi à me conquérir. Contrairement à beaucoup de séries qui visent les plus jeunes, celle-ci est vraiment intéressante et l'auteure ne prend pas ses lecteurs pour de gros bêtas. Elle explique avec des mots simples mais efficaces et surtout, elle a créé des personnages et une intrigue intéressants et prenants !"

Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid and I love it :) Keep in mind it is a childrens book, but for what it is it's really great. This book in a way actually shaped me into who I am today a bit lol it's kinda funny, looking back. This was the first fantasy sort of book I ever read. This was the book that made me want to be a vet too lol I enjoyed the little funny moments and how certain characters act. This book is all about the love of animals, imagination, fantasy, magic, and scify.

[Dyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book is like eating ice cream. It's light yet delightful. It's tasty whenever and wherever you enjoy it. Before you realize it, you already finish it, and you're craving for more ^^~

I personally love the illustrations in the book; they are adorable. This fantasy-adventure book is probably more fitting for girls rather than boys because the main characters are girls.