Common Sense Media Review
Similar to Potter, but stands well on its own.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Max McDaniels discovers he has magical powers when he receives an invitation to attend Rowan Academy, a secret school of magic. But he also learns that other children with similar talents have been disappearing, and that an ancient enemy may be reawakening and searching for him, in fulfillment of a prophecy, as a means of reentering the living world.
Is It Any Good?
Ok, let's get the obvious out of the way first: Yes, there are many similarities to the Harry Potter series; if that bothers you, then don't even bother picking this up. On the other hand, if something like Harry is just what you've been looking for, then this is the series for you.
While the characters could be more clearly delineated, the setting and set-ups are vivid and fascinating. The author takes the time to explore the school: the bedrooms that change to suit their occupants; the Sanctuary, wherein live magical creatures, sometimes the last of their kinds, that the students are assigned to care for and bond with; and the Smithy, where the students undergo combat training in holodeck-like simulations of increasing difficulty. One could spend a great deal of time finding both favorable and unfavorable comparisons between the Tapestry and Harry Potter series, but it's a pointless exercise: on its own merits, this is an exciting and clever story, and a promising debut of both a new author and a new fantasy series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the inevitable comparisons to Harry Potter. What are the similarities, both large and small? What are the differences? Does it matter if a book is similar to another? Is this different from movies or TV shows that are similar to each other?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Henry H. Neff
- Genre : Fantasy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : September 1, 2007
- Number of pages : 414
- Last updated : January 6, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate