Mackenzie Granger has always seen the world--and others--with a unique, untainted lens. She finds beauty in the simplest things, like dandelions, and cares about the voices of even the littlest creatures.

When a mysterious new girl shows up at Mackenzie's school the day after a strange dream, Mackenzie finds herself drawn to the girl everyone else ignores and a magical friendship blossoms.

Learning that blowing the fluffy white dandelion seeds off the plants will allow her to use 'dandelion magic', Mackenzie shares this knowledge with her childhood best friend/neighbor. Together, the two find themselves swept up in a battle of good VS evil, with the whole world (and others beyond it) hanging in the balance.

Lion's Tooth Magic: The Circle of Friends is a wonderful middle-grade fantasy tale about two girls learning how to use their magic to better themselves, others, and their world. Cox weaves strong morals into the tale using adventures around the globe--like selfless compassion, standing against the crowd, not backing down in the face of our worst fears, and taking time to build a proper foundation for what matters in life, even if pressure is trying to get us to rush.

Lion's Tooth Magic marries a strong mix of a Sword in the Stone vibes (with wise mentors teaching the girls how to use magic and even using animal shifting to help strike those lessons home) with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe themes and morals (with an ice queen freezing people and wanting to use dark creatures to gain the ultimate power in the universe).

The simple writing style combined with complex themes for young readers make this a wonderful introduction to fantasy stories with real-life consequences/morals. Cox is a masterful storyteller, whose books promise to continue to entertain and teach in future volumes.

REVIEWED BY

Katherine D. Graham