Wings by Jason Lethcoe

Note: On the book cover The Mysterious Mr. Spines is also included in the title, but I believe that is the name of the series.

Plot: a teenage boy has an itch on his back he can't scratch that develops into something beautiful and otherworldly. As he discovers new friends in places he'd never imagined, he begins to search for the answer to the secret about himself and his mother.

Comments: a very well done fantasy book, good for reading at night, curled up in a comfy chair and not coming out until you've read the whole thing. Though there are chapters, this book is not good for stop-and-go reading. It's better to read this story all at once, and even better if you have the entire series with you. I think this book ended extremely abruptly and I don't appreciate having to wait for the next book, and then the next, and so on. I think this story would have been better as one big book instead of a few small ones. The characters are not well developed and you don't know much about any of them.

The story is confusing, with names of creatures and places and no image to put them to. I didn't know what hardly anyone looked like (the picture on the front of the main character looks more like eight years old than fourteen, which makes it hard to imagine him) since the descriptions came later in the book rather than sooner. The main character is very likable, and I appreciate the way he thinks, though he's a little rash more than once. I think this book could have been written more carefully and more considerately towards the readers. A bit of mystery is always good, but in this case the line was crossed.

Rating: This book gets a six out of ten.