Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley - ADVISABLE

Hartley, A.J.  Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact, 438 pgs. Razorbill (Penguin Group), 2011. $16.99. Language-G (no American swears; one "bloody"); Violence-PG; Sexual Content-G.  Darwen Arkwright is from England, but he has to move to Atlanta, Georgia with his aunt when something happens to his parents.  He receives a mirror that is a portal to another world, and then the next day he goes to a private school with a bunch of snotty rich kids who love to bully him.  Therefore, Darwen must adjust to a new culture, spend his days dealing with mean classmates, and his evenings traveling into a new world.  But when that world turns out to be falling apart, he tries desperately to help.  This was an enjoyable book.  I have to admit that I am a little tired of books that are too similar to Harry Potter, but this book at least made it easy to overlook the comparison (Darwen's parents died, he has special powers, and his best friends are a boy and a girl).  I found myself really wanting to find out what happened next.  I definitely believe that students will enjoy these books, and there were even a few twists that caught me off guard (I love it when that happens).  EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Brent Smith, Reading Teacher.