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Magic Next Door #1
Thresholds
Maya's family has just moved from Idaho to Spores Ferry, Oregon. She?s nervous about starting middle school and making new friends, but soon that's the last thing on her mind. First, a fairy flies into her room. Then it turns out that the kids in the apartment building next door do magic, and their basement is full of portals to other worlds. She's bursting with new experiences and delight . . . and secrets, because she can't breathe a word to her family, not even when she winds up taking care of an alien! Imagine the family in Ingrid Law's Savvy seen through the eyes of a young Ray Bradbury. Cross the Threshold!
243 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2010
8 people are currently reading
530 people want to read
About the author
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
304 books344 followersNina Kiriki Hoffman’s first solo novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993), won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. A Red Heart of Memories (1999, part of her “Matt Black” series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel Past the Size of Dreaming in 2001. Much of her work to date is short fiction, including “Matt Black” novella “Unmasking” (1992), nominated for a World Fantasy Award; and “Matt Black” novelette “Home for Christmas” (1995), nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards. In addition to writing, Hoffman has taught, worked part-time at a B. Dalton bookstore, and done production work on The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An accomplished fiddle player, she has played regularly at various granges near her home in Eugene, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
November 30, 2021
No surprise: I LOVED this book. :>
The opening chapter grabbed me and held on till I finished the book. In one sitting. My dog was annoyed with me but I had to finish this book. Then I looked at the bio info and saw my website... did ya'll hear a scream of delight? Yeah, that was my reaction.
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1/11/11: another squeal that had the neighbors checking to make sure I wasn't dead or anything... the ARC for book 2 was in my mail today. Darn end-of-year tax crap at work... have to wait for weekend...
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1/15/11: re-read so I can read book 2.
The opening chapter grabbed me and held on till I finished the book. In one sitting. My dog was annoyed with me but I had to finish this book. Then I looked at the bio info and saw my website... did ya'll hear a scream of delight? Yeah, that was my reaction.
-------------------------------
1/11/11: another squeal that had the neighbors checking to make sure I wasn't dead or anything... the ARC for book 2 was in my mail today. Darn end-of-year tax crap at work... have to wait for weekend...
------------------------------
1/15/11: re-read so I can read book 2.
March 25, 2017
Captivating, with an authentic feel to the world-building & characters, but too superficial & quick. Oh wait, that's because it's just the first book! I definitely need to read the sequel(s) in order to 1/ get to know all these ppl better, 2/ figure out more of what's going on, and 3/ evaluate in order to decide whether to recommend the series to any of you.
January 1, 2021
Review on my Wrap Up Vlog
https://youtu.be/OOcKZ5f0UWc
https://youtu.be/OOcKZ5f0UWc
July 16, 2010
I like to characterize trends with great all-encompassing, massive statements that fail to take into account exceptions to the rule. For example, after reading Thresholds by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, my instinct is to throw my hands wide and pronounce to the world, “2010 is the year of young adult authors writing for children and finding that in doing so they acquire a whole new audience and fanbase.” I root this statement in only one other 2010 book (One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia) but one is good enough for me. Nina Kiriki Hoffman has at least twelve YA books under her belt, but until now she has shied away from middle grade fare. With Thresholds she changes her game, offering a fantasy (or is it science fiction?) that taps into the dual early adolescent desires of bonding with something friendly and powerful and befriending the outcasts that prove cooler than everybody else.
You should probably know three things about Maya right from the outset. First off, her best friend Stephanie recently died and Maya's family has moved so as to help their daughter cope. Second, Stephanie has found herself living next to a house where the denizens come and go in odd fashions, play strange instruments, and speak in tongues she doesn’t always understand. Third, there was a fairy in her room recently. It happened one night when Stephanie probably should have been asleep. No one would think much of it either, were it not for the fact that because of the strange fairy’s scent an odd boy decides that he can trust Maya. Next thing she knows she has a strange magical egg embedded under the skin of her wrist, and her neighbors are the only ones who can help her. Now Maya, like it or not, has gotten caught up in their world. The only question now is what’s in that egg and what will happen when it decides to hatch?
The blurb for this book that caught my eye is “Ingrid Law’s Savvy as seen through the eyes of a young Ray Bradbury.” I love that they had to put that “a young” in there. Old Ray Bradbury would be a whole different ballgame, of course. Mind you, it’s an interesting statement above and beyond the age designation of one of the nation’s greatest science fiction writers. First off, the blurb pairs two different genres together. Savvy is a Newbery Honor winning fantasy about a girl who receives a special power (like the rest of her family) at the age of thirteen. Ray Bradbury, on the other hand, is a master of science fiction. Put the two together and you would expect to find a book that appeals to both sci-fi and fantasy fans equally. No mean task. To my mind, I suppose that Thresholds could be characterized as sci-fi. Everything has a logical dimension. Just the same, as a general rule, when you open your first chapter with a girl discovering a fairy, folks are going to label you fantasy whether or not there’s a scientific practicality to that fairy being there.
The real reason I think they decided to compare this book to Ray Bradbury probably has a lot to do with Hoffman’s skill with descriptions. She’s very good at avoiding the usual fantasy/sci-fi tropes, preferring instead to create her own original worlds. Fairies, for example, have a cinnamon/carnation scent and “the wings didn’t look like angels’ or dragonflies’ or bats’ – more like feather dusters.” And when one is describing folks from another dimension Hoffman puts it this way: “Then he was surrounded by tall, narrow people with lemon chiffon-, key lime pie-, and blueberry yogurt-colored skin, their snaky, knobby hair-vines darker colors, their clothes bumpy and strange, with parasols – or something made of webbing stretched over jointed frameworks – moving behind their heads.” That's luscious. You could practically eat that sentence right up.
I think a lot of the charm of this book makes it into a kind of anti-Twilight tale. Think about it. Here you have an average heroine who moves to a new town. She discovers a family that is different from everyone else. However, unlike the Twilight novels, these kids aren't super beautiful, superior people but the outcasts of the school that keep to themselves and still end up being incredibly powerful. Our heroine becomes one of them, not entirely by choice, but because she took pity on someone and agreed to do something outside of her realm of experience (mainly, to host an egg in her arm). Her reward is not only friends but also a purpose, a sense of belonging, and a super cool being bent on protecting her for all time. So the tween desire to both become powerful AND to be protected at all times is finely wrought here. It just avoids making that powerful being an overprotective love interest. Well played, Hoffman. Well played indeed.
Characters have to avoid being interchangeable in a middle grade fantasy, and Hoffman does a pretty good job avoiding that trap. But what's interesting is that the most distinctive person here ends up being one of the supporting characters. Travis is best described as the book’s Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times at Ridgemont High fans, rejoice). He's a good-natured slacker who actually uses the phrase “cowabunga” in casual conversation and proves to be more valuable than he first appears. He gets the best lines too. Sentences like, “You guys are like the psychos of the homeschool world, aren’t you?” Beautiful.
Every good fantasy (if that’s what you decide that this is) also needs a bit of reality to ground it. In the case of Thresholds, Maya’s best friend Stephanie has died the previous spring. Hoffman has to play this element delicately. For Maya to be a character we care about, she needs to overcome some personal problem in the course of the novel. Simply dealing with a magical wrist egg is not going to cut it. On the other hand, the dead friend card is a difficult one to play. The best way to handle is to do what Hoffman does here. She allows you to fall a little bit in love with the deceased Stephanie, so that the reader understands why Maya is so wrapped up within herself. This storyline has its own little arc and resolution too, but not so much that it overwhelms the more fantastical plot. Hoffman is playing with a light hand. It pays off in the end.
I loved all of that, but I admit that I did find the lack of conflict in the story a bit odd. Generally speaking, I’m a conflict adverse kind of gal, but it struck me as strange that the bad guys in this book do all their work off-stage. They don’t even appear by the book’s end! Even Voldemort showed up as a talkative half head in the first Harry Potter book. In Thresholds, though, the central conflict is between the heroine and herself. Between the two choices presented to her. She makes her decision. End of story. Kids hoping for something a little more exciting will be disappointed. Far worse, to my mind, is that it means that the book doesn’t entirely stand on its own. We know the bad guys are gonna show up at some point. It would have been nice to get at least a glimpse of one of them in our own world.
The lure of Thresholds is the same lure you’ll find in Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey or Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. At its heart, this is about a girl finding something within herself that is strong and bursting forth at an important turning point in her life. It takes very little effort to turn Thresholds into one great big metaphor. All I know is that like Savvy or The Girl With the Silver Eyes, it’s a tale for girls about to take the plunge into adolescence. There is comfort in knowing that the thing inside you that seems so strange and mysterious is there to help you and be your lifelong companion. Hoffman taps into that comfort, and the result is a story with a magical premise that may contain familiar tropes but ends up entirely original in the end. Worth seeking out. Worth waiting for its sequel.
For ages 9-12.
You should probably know three things about Maya right from the outset. First off, her best friend Stephanie recently died and Maya's family has moved so as to help their daughter cope. Second, Stephanie has found herself living next to a house where the denizens come and go in odd fashions, play strange instruments, and speak in tongues she doesn’t always understand. Third, there was a fairy in her room recently. It happened one night when Stephanie probably should have been asleep. No one would think much of it either, were it not for the fact that because of the strange fairy’s scent an odd boy decides that he can trust Maya. Next thing she knows she has a strange magical egg embedded under the skin of her wrist, and her neighbors are the only ones who can help her. Now Maya, like it or not, has gotten caught up in their world. The only question now is what’s in that egg and what will happen when it decides to hatch?
The blurb for this book that caught my eye is “Ingrid Law’s Savvy as seen through the eyes of a young Ray Bradbury.” I love that they had to put that “a young” in there. Old Ray Bradbury would be a whole different ballgame, of course. Mind you, it’s an interesting statement above and beyond the age designation of one of the nation’s greatest science fiction writers. First off, the blurb pairs two different genres together. Savvy is a Newbery Honor winning fantasy about a girl who receives a special power (like the rest of her family) at the age of thirteen. Ray Bradbury, on the other hand, is a master of science fiction. Put the two together and you would expect to find a book that appeals to both sci-fi and fantasy fans equally. No mean task. To my mind, I suppose that Thresholds could be characterized as sci-fi. Everything has a logical dimension. Just the same, as a general rule, when you open your first chapter with a girl discovering a fairy, folks are going to label you fantasy whether or not there’s a scientific practicality to that fairy being there.
The real reason I think they decided to compare this book to Ray Bradbury probably has a lot to do with Hoffman’s skill with descriptions. She’s very good at avoiding the usual fantasy/sci-fi tropes, preferring instead to create her own original worlds. Fairies, for example, have a cinnamon/carnation scent and “the wings didn’t look like angels’ or dragonflies’ or bats’ – more like feather dusters.” And when one is describing folks from another dimension Hoffman puts it this way: “Then he was surrounded by tall, narrow people with lemon chiffon-, key lime pie-, and blueberry yogurt-colored skin, their snaky, knobby hair-vines darker colors, their clothes bumpy and strange, with parasols – or something made of webbing stretched over jointed frameworks – moving behind their heads.” That's luscious. You could practically eat that sentence right up.
I think a lot of the charm of this book makes it into a kind of anti-Twilight tale. Think about it. Here you have an average heroine who moves to a new town. She discovers a family that is different from everyone else. However, unlike the Twilight novels, these kids aren't super beautiful, superior people but the outcasts of the school that keep to themselves and still end up being incredibly powerful. Our heroine becomes one of them, not entirely by choice, but because she took pity on someone and agreed to do something outside of her realm of experience (mainly, to host an egg in her arm). Her reward is not only friends but also a purpose, a sense of belonging, and a super cool being bent on protecting her for all time. So the tween desire to both become powerful AND to be protected at all times is finely wrought here. It just avoids making that powerful being an overprotective love interest. Well played, Hoffman. Well played indeed.
Characters have to avoid being interchangeable in a middle grade fantasy, and Hoffman does a pretty good job avoiding that trap. But what's interesting is that the most distinctive person here ends up being one of the supporting characters. Travis is best described as the book’s Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times at Ridgemont High fans, rejoice). He's a good-natured slacker who actually uses the phrase “cowabunga” in casual conversation and proves to be more valuable than he first appears. He gets the best lines too. Sentences like, “You guys are like the psychos of the homeschool world, aren’t you?” Beautiful.
Every good fantasy (if that’s what you decide that this is) also needs a bit of reality to ground it. In the case of Thresholds, Maya’s best friend Stephanie has died the previous spring. Hoffman has to play this element delicately. For Maya to be a character we care about, she needs to overcome some personal problem in the course of the novel. Simply dealing with a magical wrist egg is not going to cut it. On the other hand, the dead friend card is a difficult one to play. The best way to handle is to do what Hoffman does here. She allows you to fall a little bit in love with the deceased Stephanie, so that the reader understands why Maya is so wrapped up within herself. This storyline has its own little arc and resolution too, but not so much that it overwhelms the more fantastical plot. Hoffman is playing with a light hand. It pays off in the end.
I loved all of that, but I admit that I did find the lack of conflict in the story a bit odd. Generally speaking, I’m a conflict adverse kind of gal, but it struck me as strange that the bad guys in this book do all their work off-stage. They don’t even appear by the book’s end! Even Voldemort showed up as a talkative half head in the first Harry Potter book. In Thresholds, though, the central conflict is between the heroine and herself. Between the two choices presented to her. She makes her decision. End of story. Kids hoping for something a little more exciting will be disappointed. Far worse, to my mind, is that it means that the book doesn’t entirely stand on its own. We know the bad guys are gonna show up at some point. It would have been nice to get at least a glimpse of one of them in our own world.
The lure of Thresholds is the same lure you’ll find in Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey or Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. At its heart, this is about a girl finding something within herself that is strong and bursting forth at an important turning point in her life. It takes very little effort to turn Thresholds into one great big metaphor. All I know is that like Savvy or The Girl With the Silver Eyes, it’s a tale for girls about to take the plunge into adolescence. There is comfort in knowing that the thing inside you that seems so strange and mysterious is there to help you and be your lifelong companion. Hoffman taps into that comfort, and the result is a story with a magical premise that may contain familiar tropes but ends up entirely original in the end. Worth seeking out. Worth waiting for its sequel.
For ages 9-12.
July 3, 2017
Maya's family has moved from Idaho to Spores Ferry, Oregon, after the death of her best friend. Not only does Maya have to deal with her grief and the move to a new town and a new school, but there are also a lot of odd things going on. First, a fairy flies in her window and spends the night, then she meets a strange boy who gives her a gift, and all of it seems to be connected to the unusual people who live next door.
Does anyone know, is this the first of a series? There were a lot of things I liked about it -- the magic system and how Maya slowly learns about it, the emotional complexity of the characters and their relationships -- but the plot just didn't seem to go anywhere. Maya gets some resolution of her personal issues, but there's an overarching plot thread that doesn't get resolved at all. If the book is the first in a series, then maybe that's okay (and I would probably upgrade to three stars; ETA: yes, apparently it is, so I have upgraded accordingly), but if not, it was seriously disappointing.
Does anyone know, is this the first of a series? There were a lot of things I liked about it -- the magic system and how Maya slowly learns about it, the emotional complexity of the characters and their relationships -- but the plot just didn't seem to go anywhere. Maya gets some resolution of her personal issues, but there's an overarching plot thread that doesn't get resolved at all. If the book is the first in a series, then maybe that's okay (and I would probably upgrade to three stars; ETA: yes, apparently it is, so I have upgraded accordingly), but if not, it was seriously disappointing.
June 25, 2018
Maya Andersen and her family have just moved to Oregon. She and Stephanie were inseparable before her friend died of cancer. Though she misses Idaho, everything there reminded her how sad she was and that she couldn't share it with Steph. In the night a fairy alights on Maya's bed, curls up and goes to sleep. Maya takes a good look at the fairy so she can draw it, even if it is a dream. The next morning she wakes up and finds fairy dust on her bed. It's the first day of seventh grade. As she's walking to school she overhears the neighbor kids talking. She introduces herself and finds that a couple of them are in her grade and they have some classes together. At school she gets lost and a boy is frantic and asking her about the portal. Throughout the day she sees the Janus house kids, and at the end of the day she finally goes to the office to pick up her orientation packet with a school map. When searching for her locker she sees the frantic boy again. He accosts her and won't let her go until she accepts an egg and promises to take care of it.
Delightful reading, I really like Maya, the way she will take out her sketchpad and make drawings is a cool character trait. It's suitable for ten and up in content, vocabulary and structure without being dumbed down to a cartoonish level. The scare level and build up of tension was minimal, but Hoffman's writing is so magical that the book is great anyway. I definitely want to read Meeting.
Delightful reading, I really like Maya, the way she will take out her sketchpad and make drawings is a cool character trait. It's suitable for ten and up in content, vocabulary and structure without being dumbed down to a cartoonish level. The scare level and build up of tension was minimal, but Hoffman's writing is so magical that the book is great anyway. I definitely want to read Meeting.
October 25, 2010
Very enjoyable, though it drops you off very suddenly at the end. I thought the handling of grief over loss of a dear friend was good. There is a landmine quality to grief, and also a hope - by people on the outside - that it will all be done soon. I liked that Maya was allowed (by author and other characters) to be sad, angry, guilty - however she felt.
My sense is that another book will pick up where the ending dropped off - far too many ideas left unexplored.
My sense is that another book will pick up where the ending dropped off - far too many ideas left unexplored.
September 2, 2013
It was excellent - really, truly excellent, and I am so happy that this is the first book I read my 30th year!!!!!
November 21, 2019
Maya and her family have just moved from Idaho to Oregon and she's about to start seventh grade without her best friend, who died that spring of cancer. Still missing Stephanie, she keeps seeing things she would normally have shared with her friend, but she can't. Her only solace is her art, her sketch book, pencils and colors. Then the night before the first day of school, a fairy flies into her window and sets off a lot of changes in Maya's life, especially with respect to the neighboring apartment house where a lot of odd people live.
Maya learns that there really is magic, and aside from really wanting to share it with Stephanie, she loves her new life, finally making new friends.
I love Hoffman's work and this one is no exception. The people feel real. The situations and setting seem real as well.
Recommended. There's a sequel I haven't read yet: Meeting.
Maya learns that there really is magic, and aside from really wanting to share it with Stephanie, she loves her new life, finally making new friends.
I love Hoffman's work and this one is no exception. The people feel real. The situations and setting seem real as well.
Recommended. There's a sequel I haven't read yet: Meeting.
June 12, 2020
The first of a pair of juvenile tales that seems clearly intended to be longer than two. A charming story about a girl who's starting her first day in a new town's schools. Tragedy from her old home town fills her heart, but she is about to be majorly distracted.
Bumping into magic and aliens will do that to you, hm?
My note at the end of the second book probably should go here, too:
If you like imagining where a story might go, then this will be fine for you. If you like conclusions, this might not be your best option.
Bumping into magic and aliens will do that to you, hm?
My note at the end of the second book probably should go here, too:
If you like imagining where a story might go, then this will be fine for you. If you like conclusions, this might not be your best option.
October 7, 2025
Maya and her family have moved to a new town after her best friend died. She's hoping for a new start. She does not expect to see a fairy and be bonded to a magical creature, and those reclusive people next door have a whole lot of other secrets they may have to share!
This was cute. It's really short. I felt like it was just beginning and then it ended. The characters are fun, the magical creatures are fun, and I would like to read the next book to see where the world goes.
This was cute. It's really short. I felt like it was just beginning and then it ended. The characters are fun, the magical creatures are fun, and I would like to read the next book to see where the world goes.
August 20, 2017
maya wanted to get over stephanie's death but she couldn't so the family moved to spores ferry.
maya wanted to get the egg off of her so she went to the janus house for help.
the alien guy wanted to get rimi the "local" but he was sick so he gave it to maya.
maya wanted to get the egg off of her so she went to the janus house for help.
the alien guy wanted to get rimi the "local" but he was sick so he gave it to maya.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
Fun read with that essential Nina Kiriki Hoffman feel- kids with special talents, social isolation and connection, and that particular quality to her writing. It was a perfect book to enjoy and to share with my eldest.
April 25, 2023
An Outstanding story. It has lots of potential to be continued into a full novel, or even series.
Very highly recommended...
Very highly recommended...
April 27, 2024
Slight but sweet story of new life after loss
October 22, 2024
Extra star for childhood nostalgia
August 20, 2011
Originally posted here.
Thresholds is definitely a page turner. Part fantasy and part science fiction, it is a fascinating melding of worlds. There are fairies sure but they come from other worlds, worlds to which there are portals, and one of them is located in the basement of Janus House. The members of the Janus family are trained all of their lives to work with the portal and the strange beings that come from it. The aliens. The family is a large one and the book introduces several members but focuses on the ones who are Maya's peers, Benjamin, Gwenda, and Rowan. Benjamin and Gwenda offer Maya friendship, help, and welcome her into their family once it is necessary. Rowan is harder to get to know and not much is revealed about him. He is dictatorial and disdainful most of the time but Maya is intrigued by him. Then there is Travis, another boy at school who Maya meets her first day. He is the first to come to Maya's rescue and is drawn into the events unfolding at Janus House as well.
There is a lot going on in this story. In addition to the many characters and the idea of aliens coming to our world through a portal controlled by people in the basement of their house, there is an inter world emergency involving eggs of alien life forms being stolen. The masterminds behind this are an alien life form who basically want to take over. One of these eggs is implanted on Maya's wrist and bonds with her which basically means it's hers for life. Did I find this a bit creepy? Yes I did. Especially as Maya is basically gestating the thing and they can silently communicate. It was fascinating though and interesting to see the way it unfolds. When the being, Rimi, hatches it takes on a form that will always keep it close to and able to protect Maya.
Woven throughout the story of aliens and other worlds are the themes of death and grief are dealt with in very real and sympathetic ways. The bond between Maya and Rimi might have come across as super unhealthy if Maya had not been processing her grief and making other friends at the same time.
This book is only the first part of the story and reads like an introduction. Much of the world is left unexplained. There are many unanswered questions left at the end. I was actually rather impressed with how well I felt I knew all the characters at the end given the book's short length, large cast, and complex plot. The story of Maya, Rimi, and the Janus House family continue in the next book Meetings which was just released at the beginning a couple of weeks ago.
Thresholds is definitely a page turner. Part fantasy and part science fiction, it is a fascinating melding of worlds. There are fairies sure but they come from other worlds, worlds to which there are portals, and one of them is located in the basement of Janus House. The members of the Janus family are trained all of their lives to work with the portal and the strange beings that come from it. The aliens. The family is a large one and the book introduces several members but focuses on the ones who are Maya's peers, Benjamin, Gwenda, and Rowan. Benjamin and Gwenda offer Maya friendship, help, and welcome her into their family once it is necessary. Rowan is harder to get to know and not much is revealed about him. He is dictatorial and disdainful most of the time but Maya is intrigued by him. Then there is Travis, another boy at school who Maya meets her first day. He is the first to come to Maya's rescue and is drawn into the events unfolding at Janus House as well.
There is a lot going on in this story. In addition to the many characters and the idea of aliens coming to our world through a portal controlled by people in the basement of their house, there is an inter world emergency involving eggs of alien life forms being stolen. The masterminds behind this are an alien life form who basically want to take over. One of these eggs is implanted on Maya's wrist and bonds with her which basically means it's hers for life. Did I find this a bit creepy? Yes I did. Especially as Maya is basically gestating the thing and they can silently communicate. It was fascinating though and interesting to see the way it unfolds. When the being, Rimi, hatches it takes on a form that will always keep it close to and able to protect Maya.
Woven throughout the story of aliens and other worlds are the themes of death and grief are dealt with in very real and sympathetic ways. The bond between Maya and Rimi might have come across as super unhealthy if Maya had not been processing her grief and making other friends at the same time.
This book is only the first part of the story and reads like an introduction. Much of the world is left unexplained. There are many unanswered questions left at the end. I was actually rather impressed with how well I felt I knew all the characters at the end given the book's short length, large cast, and complex plot. The story of Maya, Rimi, and the Janus House family continue in the next book Meetings which was just released at the beginning a couple of weeks ago.
February 11, 2017
This book was a fun, fast paced read, and I'd recommend it for kids in the upper-elementary school age group.
This book has a very well done combination of magic and sci-fi, and the premise on its own was very well executed, but what really made me give this book five stars was how much depth the main character had outside of just being the girl who JUST SO HAPPENED to find the magic thing.
Also, I'm not going to lie, this book had some VERY cool aliens.
This book has a very well done combination of magic and sci-fi, and the premise on its own was very well executed, but what really made me give this book five stars was how much depth the main character had outside of just being the girl who JUST SO HAPPENED to find the magic thing.
Also, I'm not going to lie, this book had some VERY cool aliens.
August 21, 2010
Another very good book from Ms Hoffman. The main character has to deal with grief, also peer pressure/school cliques. I liked that Maya had learned how to deal with grief from a counselor, and was able to use the tools that she picked up. The sissimmi character reminded me a lot of the gold substance from Red House of Memories--it was multipurpose, sentient, and able to help with emotional overload. Like in Fistful of Sky, there's a family with secret powers living in everyday land. I can't tell if this book is related to her other series. She also keeps up the naming conventions from her other books, with the special families named by different words for doors.
January 5, 2011
ARC
When I entered this book, I instaneously felt warm and safe. Like a fuzzy blanket had been thrown over me. Thresholds is engaging and intriguing. I only got to be with Maya (the main character) for a couple of hours, but I already love her. A shy twelve year old who draws whatever she sees, and is grieving over the recent death of her best friend, she is just the type of girl that inspires these kind of books. Just a few pages into the book, she befriends family who lives right beside her new house. And steps across a the threshold of a new life full of magic, adventure, and friendship. Perfect for younger readers, and while older readers might enjoy the stoyr as I did, you might struggle with the length. It was just too short, I felt just as you gotover the threshold of Thresholds, it ended. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to go deeper into this new and exciting series in the books to come.
reviewed by Kathryn Taylor.
When I entered this book, I instaneously felt warm and safe. Like a fuzzy blanket had been thrown over me. Thresholds is engaging and intriguing. I only got to be with Maya (the main character) for a couple of hours, but I already love her. A shy twelve year old who draws whatever she sees, and is grieving over the recent death of her best friend, she is just the type of girl that inspires these kind of books. Just a few pages into the book, she befriends family who lives right beside her new house. And steps across a the threshold of a new life full of magic, adventure, and friendship. Perfect for younger readers, and while older readers might enjoy the stoyr as I did, you might struggle with the length. It was just too short, I felt just as you gotover the threshold of Thresholds, it ended. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to go deeper into this new and exciting series in the books to come.
reviewed by Kathryn Taylor.
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October 8, 2012Maya, a 12 year old girl,who moves into a new neighborhood, still grieving over a passed friend, stumbles upon strange occurances happening, and it has to do with her new next door neighbors, the children of The Janus house. Surprised to somehow find out that these kids have special powers, every single one of them. Maya gets something very special of her own, but it may turn out to be a problem, and Maya doesnt know how to handle it. With the help of the Janus kids, Maya can help her little special gift. This book was well thought and planned out. I couldnt put it down and so I'll give it five stars. ***** I would recomend this to people who love fantasy
August 28, 2011
I am glad that I picked this book to read because it shows a whole new side of people. Someone that fascinated me in this book is Maya because she thought that her life was going to continue being sad after something tragic happened to Maya's best friend. Her family moves to Spores Ferry, Oregon for the whole family to get a fresh start. Though, Maya doesn't start her new life normal. It turns all different for her. From reading this book, I learned that there's always a new beginning for every ending. Doors will always open after the doors close.
January 9, 2019
Heart breaking and mending.
After Maya’s best friend dies of leukemia the color seems to go out of the world. But the night before she starts her new school, in the new town her family has moved to in this grey world, a tiny fairy lands on her bed and dusts her skin with gold.
That one brush with magic seems to open up an entirely different world for Maya, one that involves the strange kids from next door, odd boys bumping into her in the hall, and maybe enough color to bring the world back into focus.
After Maya’s best friend dies of leukemia the color seems to go out of the world. But the night before she starts her new school, in the new town her family has moved to in this grey world, a tiny fairy lands on her bed and dusts her skin with gold.
That one brush with magic seems to open up an entirely different world for Maya, one that involves the strange kids from next door, odd boys bumping into her in the hall, and maybe enough color to bring the world back into focus.
August 6, 2010
I just finished reading an Advanced Reader Copy, and enjoyed this book. I thought it was a cool magical story that just scratches the surface of the future possibilities and directions this story could go in. I'm really looking forward to a sequel.
You can read my full review on my blog, AND I'm giving away my ARC to one lucky commenter. Contest ends August 11, 2010.
http://challengingthebookworm.wordpre...
You can read my full review on my blog, AND I'm giving away my ARC to one lucky commenter. Contest ends August 11, 2010.
http://challengingthebookworm.wordpre...
February 23, 2012
Reading Level: Grades 4 - 6
After Maya's best friend dies her family moves to a new town in a new state so everyone can get a fresh start. Maya's new bedroom faces the Janus House Apartments which is filled with a fascinating mix of odd people whom she loves to secretly watch. Then one night, a fairy flies into her room through the open window...
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
After Maya's best friend dies her family moves to a new town in a new state so everyone can get a fresh start. Maya's new bedroom faces the Janus House Apartments which is filled with a fascinating mix of odd people whom she loves to secretly watch. Then one night, a fairy flies into her room through the open window...
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
June 4, 2014
A delightful plot. The prose is not exactly to my liking as I can't quite picture what the author is writing but the plot is beautiful and it leaves you wanting more. This book is on about a 4th grade level and has no inappropriate content for precocious readers. It's definitely one I will give to my 7 year old to read. The only caveat is that the book does discuss (often but not too often) about the death of the protagonists best friend from cancer.
October 3, 2014
Now and then I just read the right book at the right time. This was one of them. I really loved this. I tend to like Hoffman's writing but I've missed her children's books since I'm no longer working at bookstore. These was a great romp and I was very pleased to move onto the second book.
I engaged with the main character, loved the other characters in the book and am curious to find out where the series goes. This is just fun.
I engaged with the main character, loved the other characters in the book and am curious to find out where the series goes. This is just fun.
September 4, 2010
Very good, but incredibly frustrating, as it is really just the first half of a book, at best. The story is excellent, but vastly incomplete. Too many of the plot threads are unresolved for it to feel like a complete novel.
The issues of isolation and grief were wonderfully handled, and I look forward to the rest of the series, which had better come soon...
The issues of isolation and grief were wonderfully handled, and I look forward to the rest of the series, which had better come soon...
August 20, 2014
This was an Endeavour read but one I would have read anyway, since it is by a favorite author of mine. This one is a bit simple and definitely aimed younger. And not the first of Hoffman's books I would suggest. And nowhere close to being one of my favorites. But still it is still more complex below the surface and was a good fun quick read - definitely more of a 3.5-ish then a 4.
October 26, 2011
Hoffman does such an amazing job of world-building and character-building that I ignore the way her books don't seem to have very solid plots. If I described what the book is about, it would sound like a hum-drum fantasy, but the book really transcends the plot summary and the genre. A beautiful, engrossing read.
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