When the past is as impermanent as mist, the present becomes treacherous. In Mists of Paracosmia, sequel to Escape to Vindor, author Emily Golus brings young Arden Bradshaw into Vindor, a fantasy realm where history changes regularly and past events are denied and forgotten. It’s like a dream. And it is—a dream of Arden’s older sister Megan, who is now a college student. How can Arden get home? Megan’s buddies in Vindor send him and two others on a quest to find a librarian who can help him return to the regular world, that is, the Mirror World. Meanwhile in the Mirror World, Megan struggles to rescue her brother. With its shifting history and serious bad guys, Vindor seems so unstable. Can Megan save it? Can Arden? Stakes are high in this well-written, not-explicitly-faith-based fantasy.

Best for: Middle-grade readers and older.

Discern: General fantasy elements.