Praise for Magisterium Book Two: The Copper Gauntlet:“The Copper Gauntlet is full of twists and turns, surprises and wonders. I can't wait to read more of this series.” – Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson seriesPraise for Magisterium Book One: The Iron Trial:* “A thrilling coming-of-age story that embraces fantasy tropes while keeping readers guessing.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review“A promising beginning to a complex exploration of good and evil, as well as friendship's loyalty.” – Kirkus Reviews“The Iron Trial is a fun, heroic narrative. . . . A delicious must-read.” – The Globe & Mail“This is an incredible book. . . . Once you've started reading, it's hard to put the book down.” – The Guardian

10/01/2015
Gr 4–7—In their follow-up to The Iron Trial (Scholastic, 2014), Black and Clare again return to the magical, alchemical world of the Magisterium, a school that neatly plays with the tropes of the magic school genre. At the conclusion of the last book, readers learned that the ostensible hero, Callum, was in fact the Enemy of Death—the villain who terrifies everyone in his magical world. When he discovers a plot seemingly orchestrated by his own father against the Magisterium, Call and his friends run away from school to try and save the magical world they love. Much of the action in this second installment takes place outside the claustrophobic caverns of the Magisterium, expanding the world Call and friends Tamara and Adam inhabit with mixed results. Credulity is stretched whenever any member of the group enters our mundane world—would giant wolves with glowing eyes and four 13-year-olds hot-wiring a car really go unnoticed by average people?—but other big set pieces, especially an epic battle against an ancient monster, thrill. There's plenty of action, adventure, and pathos here to even out the rough patches. VERDICT Fans of the previous volume will relish the continuing adventures of Call and his friends.—Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT

2015-06-23
Book 2 in the middle-grade Magisterium fantasy series delves deeper into its protagonist's connection with the Enemy of Death. Picking up where The Iron Trial (2014) left off, almost-13-year-old Callum Hunt, along with his Chaos-ridden pet wolf, Havoc, is back home from his first year at the Magisterium (a school for mages) for summer vacation. But his father is acting strangely, and Callum suspects that his father knows what Call himself had just found out (in Book 1): that he, Callum, apparently has the soul of Constantine Madden—the evil Enemy of Death. When Havoc goes missing, and Call, searching for him, discovers him chained in their basement in a cell-like room that also contains information in his father's handwriting about the Alkahest—a powerful weapon for killing mages—he concludes that his father plans to kill him, so he and Havoc run away. Returning to the Magisterium for his second year, Call keeps both the true nature of his soul and his father's behavior a secret, even from best friends and fellow apprentices Tamara and Aaron, afraid they will turn against him. This tightly plotted story shines with imaginative twists and settings, sparks of humor, and a rich portrayal of friendship in the face of doubt. The co-authors successfully probe the themes of good and evil even as they craft an entertainingly fast-paced read. Both a successful addition to the middle-grade magic school genre and a satisfying sequel. (Fantasy. 9-13)