Book Review - Frogspell

Title: Frogspell
Author: C.J Busby
Series: Spell (Book 1)
Publisher: Templar
Release Date: 1 Sep 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1848771390

Synopsis
Would-be wizard Max, his sister (who wants to be a knight), two humorous pet animal characters - Ferocious, a world-weary rat and Adolphus, an over-enthusiastic young dragon, encounter magic, double-dealing, Morgan le Fay's schemes to win the throne from Arthur, magical quests and more.The first in a four-book series for younger readers set in the time of King Arthur. The adventures revisit Camelot, Merlin and Arthur but with a fresh touch, great characterisation and dialogue, and humour. The stories are well plotted, funny and perfectly pitched for the younger reader. 

My Review
I have seen these books on the shelf and often thought they looked quite fun but never got round to picking them up, then my mum read them for her book group at the library i think and passed them to me. As they are so short I thought why not!
Frogspell follows Max, a young boy living in King Arthur's times. His father wants him to train to be a knight, but Max wants to be a wizard, he has heard of the great Merlin and wants to be just like him. If only he could win the annual spell competition, but to do that he will have to beat Adrian Hogsbottom who has beat him the last two years (although there is suspected cheating involved). 
Max accidentally creates a spell to turn people into frogs, but accident or not it's a good piece of magic, but when he gets involved in a dangerous plot involving Morgana Le Fay and Arthur's capture Max has to use all of his skills to save him. With the help of his sister Olivia and her accident-prone forgetful dragon Adolphus and Max's pet Rat Ferocious who has more attitude that useful help, it's not going to be easy.
This book is only 158 pages long and is really easy to read, the story is quite simple but it is aimed at slightly younger readers. There isn't an awful lot of detail and the story isn't particularly detailed but it is perfect for it's intended audience and a fun read. I really enjoyed it and would definitely read the rest of the series. 
I think this book would be ideal for children looking for a fun action packed adventure but don't feel ready for anything too big. 
I may try it with my book group too. I've always loved anything to do with King Arthur anyway so I was bound to enjoy it. This gives a fresh and interesting twist to the world

My Rating