Mystekos Summer by Amy Klco

I loved this story!  It was a wonderful return to my pre-teen years spent fantasizing my days away between the pages of books.  How nice to walk back in time for just a little while and remember those word-immersed worlds.

This is a beautiful, heartfelt story that pays homage to the challenges all young girls encounter along the road to becoming women.  Even better is the fact the main character, Emily, gets to do it with new friends who share her angst and support her belief in doing what’s right, without sacrificing adventure.

Ms. Klco clearly understands young people and their imaginations.  I found the conversations natural, the concerns real, the adventure exciting, and the voice genuine.  The language she uses doesn’t belittle young people, but rather, lifts them up to a place where they are validated for both their intelligence and their strong emotions, simultaneously.  It’s easy to step into this story and feel respected and treasured as another soul walking the path with Emily. 

The high point for me was that one of Emily’s new friends is a Dragon (no spoilers here, he’s on the cover).  As a longstanding, founding member of The SFPCD (Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Dragons), the traits this honorable creature brings to the story reinforces all I have ever believed about them.  Will that be a continuing trend in the next books of this series?  I sure hope so!

For the record, my TBR pile has just grown by three, to accommodate the rest of this series.  Thank you, Ms. Klco.

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