The Outcast: Summoner Trilogy Prequel

I recommend this for kids that have loved the camaraderie of Harry Potter (J.K. Rolling), the suggestive history themes of Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins), and the action adventure and creatures of Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) or Fablehaven (Brandon Mull). The Summoner series is an epic fantasy full of magic, action, suspense, unforgettable characters, surprises, and more, all set in the human empire of Hominum. Like Lord of the Rings, there are dwarves, elves, orcs, but the wizards have a new twist - a battle demon. Here comes the Pokemon influence: there are different breeds, they have stages, and they have power rankings. The series follows the path of Fletcher, a young human Battlemage with a mysterious past, and his demon, Ignatius, who you will sense has some special something, but the author reveals in his own time. I loved how the author has details unfold over the course of the series, and this book lived up to the rave recommendation I received from an 8th grader. I read the series before giving it to my 9th grade son, and then my 8th grade daughter read it this year and loved it as well. At Vocans Academy it is a coming of age story, make friends, discover enemies, and face a final challenge, a battlemage tournament with demons at the end of the school year. However, the series takes on progressively larger themes, like power struggles, political tensions, discrimination and racism.