Review: The Door in the Sky by Sandy Klein Bernstein

The Door in the Sky by Sandy Klein Bernstein
Published: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Pages: 268
My Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: It all started with a stolen magic spell. Throw in a powerful sorceress, a teen alchemist in desperate need of a haircut, a fearless king in love with a hot-tempered witch, a demonic shadow with a penchant for turning to mist, a cunning cellar sprite, and an army of invisible knights - all looking for a pair of bickering Earthlings...

"Come back here at midnight, Ricky"

11-year-old Ricky watches in stunned silence as those words magically appear in the stars during a show at the Chicago Space Museum. But why can't anyone else see the message? And why must he bring Jello?
His teenage sister, Allie, follows him back to the theater at midnight. They're both whisked through a door in the sky to the kingdom of Galdoren, where they quickly befriend a mischievous star and make a powerful enemy of Queen Glacidia, a witch who rules over a land of never-ending winter. 

On their quest to reach a castle riddled with secrets, the siblings will encounter a magic carpet with a terrible sense of direction, a cowardly dragon, a hero in a flying wheelchair, and a candy farm with exploding fields of overripe Red Hots. 

Will that scruffy teen alchemist, Henry, be able to master his spell book in time to help? And will Ricky ever get the hang of flying, or will he forever be banging his head against the light fixtures?
The Door in the Sky will transport you to a world overflowing with magic, breathless adventure, and laugh-out-loud humor. Each cliff-hanging chapter will keep you reading well past your bedtime and burning up the batteries to your book light.

My Review: Honestly going into this I wasn't sure what to think. I don't normally read books like this. I think the last time I read a book about an 11 year old was when I read Harry Potter. Now I've seen this book compared to Harry Potter and I don't really get why. Sure it has wizards and magic but that doesn't mean it has to be compared to Harry Potter. While reading about the Serpent's Eye I actually thought it reminded me of this movie I saw a few years ago that had this ring that everyone was after. I don't remember what the movie was called though.

Anyway I thought that The Door in the Sky was a cute and fun read. If I had more time to read I'm sure I could have finished it in one day but sadly school comes before reading. The characters were all likeable and fun to read about. They acted believable and their age which was great. 

The book was fairly original too. I don't think I've ever read a book that had stars that were alive. But I had a hard time picturing the stars. At first I pictured real stars and then I pictured the ones that people normally draw. I just couldn't really picture a face on the star though.

I think my favorite character was probably Shadow. I know he's the villain but I found him the most interesting out of all the characters. I also really liked Henry and I really wish there was more about him and less about the candy farm because the candy farm was an interesting idea but I wanted to read about more action and spells.

My only other problems were minor. The book was very predictable. I never was really surprised by something. I also didn't really like Glacidia and normally I love the villains. I just didn't really understand why she was trying to get the Serpent's Eye. Was it so she could rule Galdoren? So that she could get revenge? I don't know maybe I missed that part but I just didn't really see a motive for her to want the Serpent's Eye.

Other than that the book was pretty good and I really enjoyed reading it.

*I received this book from the author. Thank You!