Here, There, and Everywhere  

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

Book 5:  The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series)    by James Dashner

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (March 3, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1590388313

Illustrations:  Bryan Beus

Amazon Review: Review
The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters (Shadow Mountain, 978-1-59038-831-0) accesses mind-boggling notions from quantum physics (kyoopy as Mothball calls it) and comes up with a tree called Prime Reality, with twelve branches, or alternate realties, or versions of Prime, growing off it. Master George and Mistress Jane both have instruments that make travel between the realities possible, but only one of them supports diversity. Mistress Jane believes that the world would be a much better place if it were all yellow, and she must be stopped

Well, first off I am glad to say I enjoyed this book much more than the last book I read!

Mr. Dashner has written a YA book that has the possibilities of continuing on for more than just a trilogy and I think he will get a good audience for this book and others that follow.

The main protagonist name is Atticus Higginbottom, but he likes to be called Tick.   Right off the bat I loved this name lol.  I believe Mr. Dashner gave some serious thought to the characters names in his book, and this impressed me!

I don't want to tell much about the story except to say it begins with mysterious letters, that you get to try to figure out before Tick does, so there's plenty of mystery afoot!  Then, because Mr. Dashner must be a very nice fellow, he gives you the adventure that follows the mysteries!!  (you have no idea how I thought and dreaded that he might leave me hanging! )  I must thank Mr Dashner for not leaving me hanging !

 The 13th Reality could be a stand alone book!  (how's that for a miracle!)  But....  (you knew there would be that didn't you?)...but, he has a lot of potential for Tick to have many adventures, and if you like the character, (and you probably will)  you are going to look forward to the next installment!

All of that and you even get some illustrations in the book!  Gosh how I love that publishers really "dress up" YA books!  (and how I wish they'd do that for adult books too!!!)  Bryan Beus did the cover art along with the full page illustrations throughout the book.

(sample)

I learned of Mr Dashner through my reading J. Scott Savage's blog.  You should check them both out and then get ready to read some YA books!

This completes  Quest the First, for the second time!... I will give a go at completing it yet one more time before the Challenge ends!!  (I bet you'd never guess that Fantasy/ Fiction is my favorite reading..heh.. didn't think so :o)  )