My father and I just finished The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, the second book of the Winterhouse trilogy

My father and I just finished The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, the second book of the Winterhouse trilogy.

Again Elizabeth comes for the New Year, but also again something is queer. A seal on the floor and rumors of doors, strange guests not come for a rest along with new rules as she and Freddy search for clues. For Granger's game is not done, more secrets await, a map a words to a choice either to love or hate. For what is not dead may in eternal lie, and even seeing the body Winters did not die. So the hunt went on, Elizabeth is brave, and once more Winterhouse did she save. But a rumble below, a barely felt echo, tells that the tale did not end under rock, ice, and snow.

I have started The Shadow Roads, Book Three of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell

I have started The Shadow Roads, Book Three of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell.

What are the wars between the Renné or Wills over a crown or the deathless enmity of the children of Wyrr when Death himself now threatens the land between the mountains? For dark bargains have been made as two wars, the open and ancient, now overlap with a third that is older still and far more than thrice as dangerous. Now fell roads must be taken through lands hidden and mapped to find the sleeping sons of the swan, for only they can hold the line between life and Death. What hope is there of victory? All sides bear the swan banner, and only together, I think, can Death be stopped and peace restored to the One Kingdom of Ayr.

I have just finished The Isle of Battle, Book Two of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell

I have just finished The Isle of Battle, Book Two of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell.

Thus do the children of Wyrr and the Knights of the Vow walk the earth once more, and the land between the mountains trembles with the force of battles fought and yet to come. For though the Isle of Battle stands, treachery lurks like a snake; and while both friends and foes have escaped the Stillwater, the key is missing. Yet beneath it all the true sons of the swan stir from ancient slumber, their movements rousing even Death to action.

A song of and for Fantasy

Here is a song that I feel is a lovely tribute to the spirit of adventure that is the beating heart of the Fantastic; a sentiment most of the Youtube commenters firmly agree with.

My father and I just finished Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, the first of the Winterhouse trilogy

My father and I just finished Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, the first of the Winterhouse trilogy.

Riddles and puzzles, magic and lore, together make a book that is never a bore; and for Elizabeth and Freddy words are the key to unraveling a generational mystery. But enemies abound, and a hatred that is a curse, which along with a blessing is wrapped in cipher and verse. So they searched for clues and made a few mistakes, plus a feeling that causes objects to shake. But the Falls family did not fall but has stood, for in the end Elizabeth did choose the good. Yet though she did in this adventure prevail, we are far from done with the Winterhouse tale.

The Principles of Riddle Mastery

Having taught 3rd-6th graders riddles for years to long past the point of having developed a whole system of Riddle Mastery, here are the collected Principles of Riddle Mastery which, as the name implies, describe the semi-culture – for lack of a better phrase – and knowledge the activity imparts on those of my students who throw themselves into riddles.

1. Knowing the four basic types of riddles: Logic, Wordplay, Scenario, and Combination. (Plus the semi-fifth Knowledge-type)
   
2. Knowing the ranks of difficulty: Easy, Lower through Upper Middle-ranking, Hard, Master, and Sovereign-class.
3. Knowing that simply knowing the answer to a riddle means nothing. It is solving them that make the Riddle Master.
4. If you solve a riddle, give no hints and tell no one the answer so others get a long chance to solve it.
   
5. Knowing that everyone's minds works differently, some riddles are easy to some but not for others; that even Master Solvers struggle on some Easy-ranked ones.
6. Knowing that no one solves every riddle.
7. Knowing that Mastery in Solving and Making takes a lot of practice and that very few are naturally gifted.
   
8. Knowing that there are two kinds of Riddle Masters: the Riddle Solver and the Riddle Maker, the latter of whom creates riddles. It is the Makers' task to train the Solvers' in answering, and the Solvers' task to challenge the Makers' in creating as well as test new riddles. Neither can truly flourish without the other.
   
9. Knowing that how fast one solves a riddles means little. It is the solving that matters, not the speed.
10. Knowing that riddles are supposed to be fun, the overall purpose being to stretch minds.
11. Knowing that riddles are not a competition and that who solves the most riddles is not the point.
    
12. Knowing that poor Solvers can make great Makers and great Solvers poor Makers, that some are naturally better at Solving or Making Wordplay over Logic and vice versa.
13. Knowing that 95% of all riddles are Middle-ranking and that one must test a riddle on many people to determine its rank.
14. Knowing that a good riddle has only one perfect answer and that a Maker who finds a flaw in a riddle must fix it, because Solvers will point out the flaw by coming up with the other possible answers and then explain why their other answer works when you say it is not correct. Even deeply experienced Riddle Masters Makers do not think of everything and can make mistakes.
    
15. Knowing that the riddle reflects the Maker's mind.
    
16. Knowing that the riddles with the most obvious answers are often the hardest to solve.
17. Knowing that the overall point of riddles is for people to solve them. If you create mostly/only Hard through Master and above riddles, how many do you think will solve them? The answer: very few. What happens when very few people solve your riddles? The answer: very few will want to hear them.
18. Knowing that everyone is better at riddles than they think they are at first.
19. Knowing that one must never lie about whether or not one has solved a riddle.
20. Knowing that Riddle Mastery is voluntary, and that there is no shame in one or others losing interest or taking a break.
21. Knowing that there is always more to learn. That, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "all is a riddle, and the key to a riddle...is another riddle."
22. Above all, knowing that Riddle Mastery is about respecting the riddle, the answer, and the effort, dedication, and skill it takes to make, solve, and achieve Mastery. This is why Riddle Masters respect each other, for they all abide by the Principles of Riddle Mastery (and get angry at those who break them).
    

I have started The Isle of Battle, Book Two of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell

I have started The Isle of Battle, Book Two of The Swan's War Trilogy by Sean Russell.

The strange River Wynnd, a haunted river of many branches and secrets that may take travelers to lands on no maps; a river once called the Wyrr, for the mighty enchanter said to sleep within. Yet his children sleep not and war rises as ghosts from a forgotten past with them, for the Westbrook Fair has ended in tragedy, plots revealed and plans gone awry. Now all who would seek and avoid war, be they Renné or Wills or otherwise, must chart a course through those hidden lands, for Alaan alone holds the key.