Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull

Fablehaven is a novel series written by Brandon Mull. Its name comes from the Fablehaven Fantasy Preserve, which it depicts within its pages. The Fantasy Preserve acts much like a nature preserve protecting the creatures of myth and legend from the outside world. It is a sanctuary protected by a contract of rules which each creature inside must abide by. The most common rules are focused upon "the law of the harvest" and "the law of retribution." The book mainly displays the latter, as the characters can often be found agitating the creatures within, thus allowing retribution to occur against them. If they physically harm a creature, the creature may physically retaliate. If they use magic, magic may be used against them. The Fablehaven books are published by Shadow Mountain, a division of Deseret Books, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Shadow Mountain children's publishing director Chris Schoebinger commissioned the series as a response to the popularity of Harry Potter books among Mormon youth.  -http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Fablehaven

I started reading the Fablehaven Series last year and finally finished.  It's kind of sad but the series feels complete if that makes sense.  I've read several fantasy series both created for adults and children and this is one that ranks at the top of the list for me.  The characters, both human and otherwise, were believable and had dimension.  They grew and developed just as real people would.  The problems they encountered remained in the fantasy realm but it felt as if it could happen.  If someone drove me to Fablehaven and said "Those stories were actually non-fiction" I wouldn't be surprised. 

It's difficult to pick a favorite character because they all had traits that I could understand and connect with.  Each had to deal with problems that they had to sort out themselves but at the same time they depended on each other just as family and friends should.  They were confronted with difficult decisions and life altering experiences and they handled them in a believable fashion.  The preserve and its inhabitants was also extremely believable.  I could envision each species and felt that they were presented in a way that made sense.  It was nice that there wasn't any one character that was all-powerful although there were some that were very powerful.  It helped to show that although the way may be problematic or difficult nothing is impossible. 

When Gwen is older I plan on reading this series with her and talking about its implications.  I was a bit surprised that this series was commissioned in response to the success of Harry Potter but I would say that I enjoyed Fablehaven as much as I did Harry Potter.  Great read!