The Oddmire: Book 1, The Changeling, by William Ritter

What fun! This is the newest book by the author of the Jackaby series, and like that series, it is clever and fun, a great mix of story twists and magical characters that deliciously blends humans with elves, gnomes, witches, and faeries. There are several laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story, places where Ritter twists what your brain is expecting from a scene or character into something unexpected, even if just slightly so, but enough to make you smile - like a friend leaving you an unexpected gift in your lunchbox! The Oddmire is written for a slightly younger audience than Jackaby is, and I would recommend this for late elementary to middle school readers, where Jackaby is more firmly placed in the middle school grouping. But both series are fun to read, making me want to continue on in the respective series, something that many book one's fail to do. 4 paws!