Ava

Dream Ring #1

by Hannah Hoffmeister

When sassy, funny, fashionista Ava Popolis gets informed by her mother that she is a witch-on her thirteenth birthday-her world is turned upside down. Even worse, she must leave the comfort of her New Hampshire home to travel to a school on the remote planet of Neptune. Her only comfort is that her best friend, Victoria, is also a witch and will be making the journey with her.

At the school, Ava and Victoria learn magical spells and potions and, of course, how to fly a broom. It is interesting and entertaining to Ava....except that the evil sorcerer Widdidorm, is out to get her. Will Ave survive multiple encounters with this wicked power? Will she finally understand the reason for his fury? Told in a humorous, fresh point of view, Ava describes all of her adventures during the first year at her school.

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm trying not to be too harsh since the author was only 13 when she wrote it. If this had been written by an adult, I probably would have given it 2 stars. I think the biggest issue with this book is that I am too old to be enjoying it. When I was in middle school I'm sure this book would have been my life.

I'm actually two steps away from Hannah Hoffmeister. My uncle (by marriage) is her cousin or something, and my little cousin has signed copies of the book. He enjoyed the book, and he's in elementary school, so I would trust his review over mine.

My main problem with the book is I think that Ava is a too frivolous and a little ungrateful. She definitely has the mind of someone in middle school.

This book would be perfect for kids in late elementary and middle school. Very reminiscent of Harry Potter, and I still can't get over that a 13 year old wrote it. I wish I could be that talented.

[Dinah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book won a Moonbeam Children's Book Award. The author was 13 years old when she wrote it. I found that impressive. However, it did seem to be a lot like Harry Potter in that the girl is born half witch, she goes to a special school, there is an evil sorcerer that wants to kill her...This book is also a series where every school year is a different book.

I enjoyed Ava, the main character. I could see how a 13 year old had written this as she had the young teenage character very convincing. The adult characters (the parents) not so much. But then again, how would the author know since she has never been a parent?

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Ava in the dream ring series for the second time. I have read it before and it was a really good book. Ava is a 13 year old girl who finds out she is a witch on her 13th birthday. Her bestfriend, Victoria is also a witch and they go to a school called Dream Ring on Neptune. She gets in trouble a couple of times, trying to do something that she thinks will benefit her, but in the end it just gets her in trouble. Eventually she fights a very evil sorcerer named Widdidorm and she is left with many battle scars. She goes to the school hospital and gets treated by a nurse and then the school year ends and she goes back to earth to be with her family. Through this whole story, her dad thinks that she is at a boarding school far away, where he cant see her, but she is really on a whole different planet. Her dad is a human, her mom is a witch, which makes Ava half witch.

[Eleanor VM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a very good setting and plot. But it isn't written that well. It's a fun, short book to read.

[Diana Duell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the book because of the title and I read the author's grandfather. The book was very good and I ended up reading the entire series because I loved the characters.

[Selena Lundy]

My family does craft shows and actually met Hannah when she was selling her books there. They bought a copy for me, and she signed it for me when they told her that I wanted to be an author. I have to admit, that's pretty cool.

Now, as for the book, I think I should have stopped at reading her words of wisdom she wrote on the inside cover, but I felt an obligation to read it since she was nice enough to sign it. Her characters weren't natural and many of her ideas were so close to Harry Potter. I get that she was 13, it's amazing that she got a book published, but it wasn't for me. I read this a few years ago - 16 I think - so I think I was out of the age range to appreciate this book for what it was. It's great for kids her age when she wrote it, just not for anyone much older.

I'm not rating this with stars because it would be a two in my opinion of the book in and of itself, but a three or four for the fact that she was in fact a kid of 13. It doesn't represent well enough how, though it wasn't for me, Hannah is on track for a bright future.

[D.L. Price · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hannah Hoffmeister is a thirteen year old who has shown her writing skills in this book. I particular like chapter 29 where the characters go to the Sky Garden. I rated this book only at a two star rating due to the lack of original creation. As I read this book, I could not help think of another similiar story which was written much better and at the time an original. I am anxious to read an original story from Hannah in the future.

[Aniston Cumbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was too much like Harry Potter. But if you haven't read Harry Potter than you will enjoy this book. Ava is too rude to her mother and the professors for me to enjoy it. She is also the total opposite of me even though I am 13 too. I can't believe some one can be that ungrateful, sassy, and rude.

[Madi Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author to this book and she is such a sweet girl. In writing this book she was only thirteen which I think is amazing. She inspired me and many of my of my friends to write our own. Anyways, I think it's cool that throughout this series you can see her improve as a writer. Great book

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is amazing! this book is like harry potter, so if you're a fan, you'll like it.

Edit: After rereading this book, i have decided to lower the star rating because I feel it's WAY to similar to harry Potter. It would have been a 3.3, but i rounded it down to 3

[Emelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You came to are school and talked to us about how you got the idea and stuff is was a lot of fun

[Madeline Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Being a 12 year old author and close to her age, it was refreshing to see her work.

[Andrea Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to rate this book bc I’m an adult and it is written for kids. I read it for a project I’m working on. The book is refreshingly clean. No curse words, no nudity or sexuality. No crazy violence. I would put this book in the late gradeschool levels for reading.