Maddy's story is one filled with adventure, courage, friendship, and magic. She has the talent to understand and speak in any language and her mother gets the idea to make money from her talent by having her appear on television. Unfortunately, this attracts the attention of sinister forces. A professor comes and asks that Maddy accompany her to visit an ancient monastery and help her translate the scrolls that are stored there. But once they leave England and reach the town in Bulgaria where the monastery is located, things start to go very wrong very quickly. Not to give too much of the story away, but the problems include a sneaky monkey, a stowaway friend, a wicked witch and her daughters, a famous wrestler, assorted wildlife, and spell components like dragon's tongue and bat dung.
For readers who enjoy the magic and adventure of stories like Harry Potter (but don't mind that the book is under 300 pages in length), Maddy West and the Tongue Taker could be a perfect choice for you.
256 pages 978-1623700843 Ages 8-11
Recommended by: Suzanne Costner, Library Media Specialist, Tennesee USA
