2. The Alchemyst

Michael Scott's series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, thus far, is wonderful!  I just completed the first of six in this series, The Alchemyst, and immediately picked up the next one (and purchased the third one last night...see book purchase #6 in my book buys at the right.)

Here are my thoughts that I posted at Treasure Chest of Thoughts midway through the novel:

My advice for today: listen to your students when they recommend novels. I try to do this…especially when a boy student recommends one. Maybe that sounds stereotypical, but, for the most part, females appreciate reading more than males…have you found this to be true?

So when William repeatedly stopped by my desk to recommend and to see if I had purchased the novels in the Nicholas Flamel series, I visited Half.com and bought the first two novels in what will be a series of six novels. Then, I let them set on my shelves for a few weeks, waiting on me…until yesterday, I picked up the first one, The Alchemyst, and now I, too, am hooked!

Interesting tidbits about this series:

1. The characters are based on real historical figures. Josh, one of the main characters, realized this before I, and googled one of the characters names. Then last night when I was recommending this series to a family friend, she asked, “Where have I have I heard the name Nicholas Flamel before?” THEN, I googled the name. True! Michael Scott did base the characters on historical figures.
2. Based on the theory behind this series, Scott has interesting rationales for decisions made by Shakespeare, Mary Shelley, and historical time periods. The first two are explanations for character creations…and those actually made me smile. :) Now, I am truly hooked, turning page after page watching for another such explanation! NOTE: Please know I do not agree with the monkey rationale.
3. Interested in learning more? I was, so I visited this link to the Michael Scott’s websit for all things Nicholas Flamel.

Please consider reading this series. I have not felt this same sort of excitement about a series since I read the Harry Potter series.

ANOTHER NOTE about series: While I enjoyed the Twilight series, the City of Bones is truly my favorite between the two series, and book four in this series is being released in the spring.

Today, we receive the gift of Snow Day #2. While I will enjoy time with the family, I do feel compelled to help Nicholas Flamel save the world. Wish me luck!

NOTE THREE: Yes, I will be purchasing the next two novels in this series and sharing novel four with William, so he, too, can read all the latest in the world of Nicholas Flamel. I want that boy to continue reading and recommending good reads to others!

I do enjoy reading a good series, watching the writer develop, witnessing the growth of the characters. Do you enjoy reading series? Which one is your favorite?

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369 pages