Darke / Angie Sage / 641 pages

Sixth book in the Septimus Heap series, and this one is just as riveting as previous titles in the series. In Darke, we are on the edge of our seats as Septimus, his friend princess-to-be Jenna, his mentor the alchemist Marcellous, his friend Beetle, his boss Marcia the extra-ordinary wizard, the ghost Alther, and his estranged brother Simon must battle the Darke to save the people of the Castle. Highly recommended for all upper elementary to middle school readers of fantasy. The series is fantastic and even more so because of the excellent covers and spot character and place illustrations by Mark Zug.