Farworld, Book 1: Water Keep (Far World)
Marcus, a wheelchair-bound 13-year-old, is bullied at his Arizona boarding school. He dreams about an alternate universe, Far World, and his dreams blur into reality after a Far World girl, Kyra, pulls him into her realm. Kyra has a handicap of her own: unlike everyone else in her magic world, she has no magical powers of her own. The two young people seem fated to join forces, and together, they embark on a quest to save Far World from evil. Much of the writing is clichéd, but the sophomoric humor will entertain younger readers, and the characters are intriguing enough to hold up a story that owes much to the Harry Potter series, from the child scarred as an infant after a potentially fatal attack to otherworldly villains who suck people’s emotions to the kindly old wizard mentor. Grades 4-7. --Cindy Dobrez