Neff's Hound of Rowan

This is the first book in The Tapestry series. I checked the Rowan Academy web site and didn't see the other titles listed yet (but it's a cool site); the author's site, http://www.henryhneff.com/, mentions that the next title is The Second Seige. If Mr. Neff titles the next book something with "third" or "final" in it, I will be eternally grateful.

Must admit that I wasn't in the mood for a 414 page fantasy book, but I was glad of it. There is a subgroup of my students who adore fantasy, and they are voracious. One of them is my son, and this is exactly the sort of book he will love. Firmly based in reality, clever, full of details about the magic involved. I'm thinking this would make a great birthday present. Definitely buying for library.

Max (whose mother is missing, in proper pseudo-orphan tradition), has a mystical experience in a museum, is visited by strange representatives from Rowan Academy, and allowed to enroll their by his busy but loving father. Max has mad skills and turns out to be just the student who can help in the fight against the enemy.

This is where I get vague, because I didn't want to read the book. Astaroth? Isn't this from Bed-knob and Broomstick? What forces are they fighting? Who is stealing the Potentials and why? Somehow, I didn't quite care about Max. There are lots of interesting characters introduced ( I loved Mum, the cook, having to sniff all the students so that she wouldn't eat them!), good lines and interesting magic, but if I had been able to connect to Max more, I would have been more compelled to pay attention. I'll have to reread this when I get a copy for the library.