Description: On his 11th birthday, Will Stanton learns that he is the last born of the Old Ones. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid in the final battle between the Dark and Light.

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Children's Literature Review: With Harry Potter taking up residence in the first, second, and third places on all the bestseller lists, it may be time to revisit other fantasy stories to recommend to young readers who want to read adventure tales "just like Harry Potter." Susan Cooper's first fantasy featuring young Will Stanton, an eleven-year-old boy who takes on the Dark forces threatening to envelope the world, is a worthy alternative. Will finds out on his birthday, days before Christmas, that he is the very last Old One, the seventh son of a seventh son gifted with powers to defeat encroaching evil. Will is guided by a time traveler named Merriman who helps unearth the six magical Signs of Light which will ultimately defeat the Dark. A sinister snowstorm foreshadows similar meteorological disturbances in Stephen King's more recent, Storm of the Century. In fact, Mr. King seems to owe a great debt to Ms. Cooper and this book for its storm motifs. This is fantasy unleavened by wit; it is classic in its good ver...

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