The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Glaser is unusual in comparison to normal young adult novels, mainly because it translated from German. The opening scene quickly draws in readers and entices them to stay in the beautiful world Glaser establishes. Main character Emma attends school in a castle called Stolzenburg, of which her father is headmaster. Her and her best friend, Charlotte, begin settling in when Emma notices a book in one of the chests in the unused library. The rest of the novel follows the discovery and intrigue of this mysterious book.

The main issue I found while reading happened within the sentence structure. The translation may have changed the way that the book is actually read. The pertinent pieces of the storyline still make it through clearly, but sentences/paragraphs do not flow as well as a book may without a translation. There is an extended period of time before anything highly interesting occurs, unfortunately. Even with the theoretically exciting plotline, I had trouble staying engaged with the book, even during the peak of action and adventure.

Glaser establishes a humorous yet enthralling narrator, who, throughout the novel proves herself curious and smart. Her curiosity draws her into dangerous situations, and the magical book she begins writing in can change her and the future of all of the other students at Stolzenburg. As she ventures through mystery and fantasy alike, she discovers a darkness about her school that she never knew existed. With magical elements like fairies and fauns, lovers of fantasy will enjoy many aspects of this.

A few other things that I discovered while reading was mild swearing and some drinking. Emma is underage for drinking to Americans, but it is legal for those in Germany. The book overall is highly suspenseful once the beginning plotline is explained, but it is not a quick read. With a little over 300 pages, those interested should block out some time on their schedules to pick this up.

Overall, I chose this novel thinking I was going to fall in love with everything about it, as we saw from my blog from December. An extended period of time passed before I felt fully invested, but I highly enjoyed the suspense throughout the entirety of reading and fell in love with the magical grounds of Stolzenburg. The myths that surround the school draw in readers and make them feel like they too, are students there. This book is for those who enjoyed other adventures like The Hobbit or The Alchemist.

Glaser’s other work that has been translated into English is called The Book Jumper, which originally hit American shelves on January third of last year. Her other works all are written in her native language and include five other works which can be found on her Goodreads profile.

This book can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Juliana Lozano can be reached via email and Twitter.

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