What Tellie truly wants and has always wanted is a family. What she gets, after she stumbles into elves in the forest, is a peculiar glowing necklace and a commission to find a lost prince—and maybe, at the end of it all, a family too. In Moonscript, H. S. J. Williams creates a classic fantasy, complete with elves and quests and dark lords, and deeply weaves strong spiritual element into the world. Williams avoids the error, common among some authors, of making overly precocious child characters. Her fourteen-year-old heroine is suitably young in behavior yet charming. Other characters lend colorful support. Some may find the story’s resolution too easy, but Moonscript is an illuminating fantasy with charming characters and strong spirituality.

Best for: Young adult readers, fans of fantasy and Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

Discern: Several battles include violent deaths, implied torture, slavery, and children are kidnapped and used as hostages.