When your magic is so unstable that it accidentally causes electrical fires, even your home and school might rethink their welcome. In Legend of the Storm Sneezer by Kristiana Sfirlea, eleven-year-old Rose meets another magical misfit, and feels at home. But this unsettled haunt of mystery is surrounded by a petrified forest full of unhappy ghosts and zombies. Can Rose and Marek bring peace? Letters from their future time-traveling selves offer clues and humor in the nick of time, while the story hints at a creator God and shows recurring themes of self-sacrifice.

Best for: Teen readers fond of lengthy, lighthearted ghost-and-zombie tales.

Discern: Rose’s depiction as an “angel,” basically a human with wings, may differ from Scripture’s portrayal of non-human ministering spirits.