A vortex to another world, an enchanted forest and castle, and a three-headed beast－ the magical adventure returns in Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope (Vol 2) by M. Gail Grant. Months after discovering her secret, 13-year-old Magdalena is still recovering from the chaos that happened last autumn. Luckily, the demons had been beaten and locked up inside enchanted lanterns, hopefully for eternity. She's determined to enjoy her favorite festive season as Christmas approaches the quaint town of Lily Brooke. The MALB (Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke) reunited and camped under their favorite old oak tree. The evening seemed perfect until Magdalena awoke to the sounds of werewolves.
The eye-catching cover complements the story and Grant's prose is as charming as ever. The narrative is vivid, the dialogue is clean, and the moderate pace suits the plot well. That said, the beginning chapters may seem slow for readers who haven't read the first book of the series, The Crooked Trail. There are enough details from its predecessor to give an idea how the story picks up from where it left off. On the other hand, reading the first book will give readers a better grasp of the dark subtlety of the premise. The characters' development is deftly done and this definitely helps with the depth and the continuation of the story line. The MALB members show the strength of their friendship once again, as well as bravery and quick thinking. On the whole, The Slippery Slope is an entertaining and well-targeted fantasy for its intended young readers.
~ Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite
5-Star Review
Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite:
Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope is an action and adventure fantasy story for preteens written by M. Gail Grant. Magdalena was finally feeling healed after her extraordinary adventures that fall. Just sitting in the park watching as the Christmas season unfolded around her and wrapped her up in its magic was sheer delight. After the terrifying experiences she and her friends had had together, when they successfully battled and trapped the three demons, Magdalena had retreated within herself, not even reaching out to Gabriel, her best friend since they met in kindergarten. Gabriel wasn't at all concerned about the fact that Magdalena was a witch, something that came out with her thirteenth birthday, and he was thrilled to see her finally outside again. The two best friends sat back and enjoyed the Christmas spirit that had descended upon the small town of Lily Brooke. They hatched a plan to get the gang together for a camping expedition. It had been way too long since the Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke had been assembled. That night, the campfire was warm and cozy, and after a fun evening, the six companions were asleep, all snug in their sleeping bags. Then, Magdalena was roused from her slumber by strange noises coming from the woods. Could it be werewolves? Were they here? Now?
M. Gail Grant's action and adventure fantasy story for preteens, Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope, is an exciting and fast-paced tale which follows the six young teens as they explore the Enchanted Forest and seek a way out of Queen Lindtzl's booby-trapped castle. I was especially impressed with the strategies Magdalena and her friends use during their adventure and the way the six of them work as a team. Grant's world of Lily Brooke and the Enchanted Forest is inspired, especially when seen in contrast, as the bucolic little town is such a difference from the supernatural world the forest represents. This story also works quite well as a coming of age tale as each of the characters adapts to the seriousness of their situation and masters fear and insecurity to help the other MALB teammates. Grant's plot is sound and great fun to follow, and her characters are well-defined. Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope is most highly recommended.
Reviewed By Deanna R Sweeney for Readers' Favorite:
Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope by M. Gail Grant is a tale about a young girl named Magdalena who is struggling to come to terms with her newfound existence as a witch. Magdalena and her friends, including her best friend Gabriel, have had many adventures together, but their latest has left them all reeling. A fight with demons to save their community has turned their view of the world upside down and they are desperately trying to regain some of their carefree childhood and put the incident in the past. Unfortunately for them, as they will quickly come to realize, once you open the door to the supernatural world, it isn't so easy to go back to a life oblivious of its existence. Trouble finds this group of friends again and they set out on a desperate attempt to save one of their own.
Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope by M. Gail Grant started off slowly and I found it repetitive at times, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. By chapter four the reader is thrown into an action-packed adventure with this group of friends. It was a good story and I think that it could be very well received in the pre-teen age group. If this was available in my 12 year-old son's school library, I'm sure it would be one that he would want to read. I believe that if elementary school librarians gave this series a chance that it would be well received by young readers. I'll be looking to purchase these books for my son. Well done!
Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope, is book #2 of the Magdalena Gottschalk series. Written for young audiences (middle grades) up through young adult, the dialogue is clean. It will leave you on the edge of your seat as you traverse through a snowy and treacherous terrain, over a cliff, into an enchanted forest, and through a possessed monstrosity of a castle. All the while, readers will feel the comradery and teamwork that Magdalena and her closest friends possess in order to beat the demon protectors, aka the werewolves. Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope, was fun to write and the majority of the book moves fairly quickly. It is packed full of excitement and adventure, since book #1, The Crooked Trail, is twice as long, and goes into intimate details of each character and their background. There is enough information in book #2 to read as a stand alone, however, I recommend reading book #1 for the full affect.
I hope you love joining the excitement of MALB, The Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke, as book #3, Lindtzl Kingdom, is around the corner.....M. Gail Grant
From the Inside Flap
It began as a camping trip amongst childhood friends. It became an evening ofspooky haunts.
Falling over the bank of a slippery slope, flying through a dark vortex, being chasedby a three-headed werewolf, and landing in The Enchanted Forest, had not beenon the agenda.
Hoping to find their way home before Christmas, MALB, The Mystical Alliance of LilyBrooke, comes together like never before.
Magdalena Gottschalk: The Slippery Slope, is an epic fantasy fiction thriller written formiddle grade ages up through adulthood. Excitement, suspense, intrigue, anddemonic haunts await you, as you turn the pages.
From the Back Cover
Gabriel stood frozen, as still as a statue. He looked all around him. He looked up in the tree, behind them, nothing made any sense, at all. The foot prints just ended. He didn't know what to do, or what to say to the others.
"Hey, wait a second," said Cody. "Look closer at Magdalena's shoe print."
Everyone got lower to the ground, and followed Cody's gaze.
Beside the shoe print, were paw prints. Where the shoe print ended, the paw prints picked up.
Hubert couldn't hold it in any longer. He knew. He knew what had happened to Magdalena, and he blamed no one, but himself. Before anyone could speak, Hubert cried out, "It's all my fault! They have her! The werewolves have Magdalena and I could have stopped it!"
Frozen in fear, everyone stood staring at Hubert, just waiting for him to explain. But, all he did was stand there blubbering about how it was all his fault, and no one was getting any answers.
Gabriel crossed over to where Hubert was standing, placed his hands directly on Hubert's shoulders, looked him directly in the eye, and said, "Hubert, get ahold of yourself! What are you talking about? What has happened to Mags?"
"The book, the book, Gabriel, it's all in the book!" cried Hubert. His lips were trembling in fear and he looked white as a ghost.
About the Author
Writing has always been my underlying passion in life. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a formal minor in Sociology, as I felt understanding and studying human behavior on both the individual and collective levels would enhance anything and everything that I chose to do in life. Currently, I am a second-year graduate teaching assistant in the Master of Arts in Professional Writing program for English Composition at Kennesaw State University. The desire to write has always been an integral part of who I am, and as my father's health began to decline, I decided it was time to seize the moment. Placing the rough-draft manuscript for book #1 of the Magdalena Gottschalk series in his hands was one of life's most precious moments. I attended a summer literary writer's camp around age twelve. Having cherished every moment of the experience, these childhood influences are found in MALB's many adventures. I have always been an avid reader of books from intense young adult thrillers to light-hearted summer romances. During middle school summers, I used to stay up to the wee hours of the morning reading because I just couldn't put the book down. This basic idea, not being able to put a book down, is the principal I have built upon while composing this middle-grade fantasy thriller series. It has moments of ease, moments of intensity, moments of spiritual exploration, and moments of humor, all the while encapsulating a paranormal and fantastical world. I have strived to collaboratively portray excitement and innocence of coming of age paradigms along with elements of faith woven through the underpinnings. Hope, teamwork, friendship, and embracing differences are realistic components of life that MALB must face. There is a time for sweetness, a time for seriousness, and always a time for kindness and life lessons. ~M. Gail
