OTTO AND THE FLYING TWINS: The First Book of the Karmidee

Middle-graders in search of fantasy to tide them over between Harry Potter installments will likely find a happy substitute in this often exciting if not altogether original debut by a Scottish author. The City of Trees sits hidden in a remote corner of somewhere, built hundreds of years ago by a magical, life-loving species called the Karmidee. Centuries prior to the story's opening, "normal" people made their way in claiming the place for their own and relegating the Karmidee, whom they dismissively refer to as "magicos," to the role of second-class citizens. When holes begin appearing in city roads, the Mayor blames the magicos, and a crack-down begins. Otto Hush begins to suspect that something is unusual about his family when his younger twin sisters begin flying ("They are not flying. They are dancing. You are too young to understand," says his grandmother, who turns out to have formidable secrets of her own). Otto soon learns that not only does magic blood run in his family but that his mild-mannered father, Albert, is King of the Karmidee. As such, Albert must lead the fight against the cruel Elfina Crink, who wants to open the magic Gates and turn the city into one big tourist attraction for the outside world. Haptie touches on some big issues—the ease with which discrimination is bred, the corrupting power of money—but she lets the magic take and keep center stage. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)