YA Fantasy. Teens are learning magic and transporting between worlds and Earth using portals. Evil beings are after them. Boy was sent on bus to live with family member, he meets girl neighbor. Read 2011-2015.

[Meaghan]

Read sometime as a teenager between 2011-2015-possibly for battle of the books, I’m guessing it was published sometime 2009-2015. I’m remembering bits and pieces everyday. Some of the main things I remember are the main teenager, a boy, is sent on a bus to live with a family member in a different town/city/state by his parent(s). There’s a girl he meets across or down the street from the family members house. They are both then somehow brought into magic worlds, and can transport magically between them, trying to fight/get away from the evil magic. Some things I remember strongly are them building blinds in the woods to hide from the evil, a magic mentor/being with them, transporting to a beautiful world to learn magic (some things they learned were to move objects? the spells had names) and given herbs to help awaken their brain for magic from an elf-like female, and the town “bullies” in the earth world being somehow magic as well? I think there was mention in the book of the teen saying of the family member he was living with having resemblance to mark twain. Please help!

[Kris]

Max and the Gatekeeper by James Todd Cochrane matches your description:

Google Books preview:
https://books.google.com/books?id=7RZ... There are different cover images.

Quotes from the book:
- "Build a blind."
"A what?" both Cindy and Max asked.
"We're going to construct a good hiding place for us right here." Marko motioned to the area behind the trees.
- Max forced his feet to take the last few steps off the bus.
"Hello, Max." His grandfather gave him a firm handshake with his bony but strong grip. Max peered into his grandfather's beaming face and managed a weak smile. "Hello, Grandpa."
- "I am sure you have heard that humans only use a portion of their brains. Part of the power that goes untapped is the ability to use magic. These roots contain a compound that will awaken the area of your mind..."
- Why, he looks just like Mark Twain. All he needs is a corncob pipe. Max struggled to stifle a laugh.

Google search of Goodreads:
site:goodreads.com "young adult" "fantasy" magic "worlds" portals evil "bus"

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Meaghan, was that your book?