Fourteen-year-old Alex Stone’s morning is not going as planned.  Alex’s overly large dog, Butch, has destroyed the house, and her mom is making her clean it.  As Alex’s mother leaves the house, Alex calls her “your majesty”…  Little does Alex know that she’s not too far off the mark.

Later that night while walking home from a babysitting job with her friend, Sarah, Alex is hit by a glittering rock that transforms their local park into a world packed with adventure.  With Alex’s pet squirrel, Pops, and Butch as traveling companions, Alex and Sarah find themselves in a magical world with talking animals and trees.  After Alex learns her mother is the Queen of this enchanting new world, she also learns that she alone can help save Rock Kingdom from evil forces---one of which is an uncle she knew nothing about. 

They head off on a journey that will change their lives.  As they discover the truth between good and evil, they explore the meaning of friendship and learn a few things about themselves along the way. 

THE ROCK OF REALM is going to find a lot of appeal with those a little too young for one of the full-length Harry Potter books, but who still desire the same experience.  Lea Schizas does an incredible job bringing Rock Kingdom to life and keeping you glued to the pages with her easy, yet absorbing, writing style.  My son is a bit advanced when it comes to reading, he felt this read was suitable towards his fifth grade peers, but it was my second grade daughter who thought the book was amazing.  The language was easy for her to comprehend, the characters delighted her and the length was enough to challenge her without becoming so long and tedious that it caused her to give up. 

THE ROCK OF REALM may be a bit of a sleeper hit due to its small publisher status, but it is one you need to consider adding to your child’s reading shelf.