Spellbook of the Lost and Found, by Moria Fowley-Doyle

It all begins on a Dark and Stormy night. 

The lives of three teens (Olive, Laurel, and Hazel) are inexplicably drawn together in the aftermath of the town's annual bonfire when a mysterious handwritten notebook titled The Spellbook of the Lost and Found comes into their possession under just as mysterious circumstances. Each of the girls has lost something recently, some things small and trivial (bracelets, hair clips), others life-changing and important (diaries, reputations), so they decide to perform the ritual written inside the book in hopes of recovering the lost items.

They're not completely serious when they perform the ritual (I mean, really? A spellbook? How old are they? Like, 11?), but they're astonished when they discover that the spell actually worked. The missing items begin to turn up in strange places, along with other things they weren't looking for... Like the discovery of three runaways secretly squatting in the abandoned housing development. Or the enigmatic guitar-playing Jude, who may (or may not) be the origin of the trouble in the first place. Also, all magic comes with a price. And, as time goes on and the repercussions of their actions come to light, the girls aren't sure the cost was worth what they got out of it.

One thing's for certain: The ritual has caused an immeasurable amount of trouble in their town, and the girls figure the only way to undo it is to repeat the ritual. So they do. But will this fix things...or make them worse?

You'll have to read the book to find out (Yep, I just pulled that).

Did you love Spellbook
of the Lost and Found?
Try this one!

Moria Fowley-Doyle's sophomore effort is seeped in a perfect blend of magic and strangeness, an ideal combination as we approach the Halloween Season (which, as we all know, begins October 1), when all things mysterious and magical are appreciated even more so than any other time of year. The shifting viewpoints take some getting used to, but as you get deeper into the story things quickly come together, piece by piece. And the Big Reveal makes it all worth the effort. So stick with this book! Follow the trail of clues! You'll be more than glad you did.

And if you enjoyed Spellbook of the Lost and Found (because of course you did), be sure to check out Fowley-Doyle's other book, The Accidenet Season, which is just as engrossing and just as magical.

--AJB