Frogspell by C. J. Busby

[elfeezareads]

Synopsis from the book:
Max Pendragon is probably the worst squire in King Arthur's kingdom - he'd much rather train to be a wizard instead. So when he accidentally invents a spell that turns people into frogs, it seems his wish might come true.

But events take an unexpected turn when Max enters the Novice's Spell-Making Competition and finds himself helping Merlin fight an evil sorceress. There's no way Max's unpredictable frogspell could be of any use.

Or is there...?

How I feel about this book...
This was a great first book in the series. I went to check out the rest of the books in the series from the library the next day to be read in the coming weeks. I'm so excited to read the series. Looks like I've found another gem in the fantasy genre for children.

The story mostly took place in Camelot, one of my favourite fictional places to read, so King Arthur and Merlin were part of the story (as you can see Merlin being mentioned in the synopsis). I love Merlin. He is my most favourite fictional magical characters of all time spanning across the different platforms (TV, movies, books...) so having him as part of the story is definitely a plus point making this find such a gem.

The characters were lovable. I enjoyed Adolphus's character the most. He is Max's pet dragon. I love dragons so obviously I would love this character. He was such a helpful and eager pet and a comic relief. I find that I rolled my eyes every time Feroucious, Max's pet rat, spoke. He was annoying but was still loyal and willing to help his masters when they were in need. He had a couple of brave moments in the story that kept him likeable to me. Max was naturally written to be lovable and inspiring since he is the main character. But I like that he is written as an ordinary kid with flaws who tries hard to achieve his dream making him relatable. His sister, Olivia, is written to be a typical younger sister who annoys her elder brother but loyal and brave to the core. I love how her character developed through the story.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads that means I would definitely be recommending this book to my students.

[watsoncamilla17]

Great review! I also love any story set in Camelot. Merlin (the BBC TV show) is actually one of my favorite shows of all time. I will definitely be checking this one out. Thanks for the recommendation!

[elfeezareads]

Thank you, @watsoncamilla17 for your comment. Glad to spread the love of books to as many as I can.