Mis-Spelled: Book One of the Stellaluna Chronicles by T.H. Leatherman
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was a fast, fun, fantasy read that revolved around found family, unlikely problem solving, and humor.

Evan is a normal high school kid from Earth who escapes one sticky situation at school only to find himself in another world--a world of elves, goblins, and magic. The only way back is a magic spell, which the elf queen will only teach him if he can perform three impossible tasks. I love that Evan isn't a charge in, guns blazing kind of character. He's considerate and clever. He uses his head to find solutions that won't get him killed.

As Evan clears each quest, he finds more friends and develops stronger bonds that leave him wondering if he really wants to go home. One the one had, he misses his dad and grandma, but on the other, he's made a family of sorts in this new world that it would break his heart to leave--Sina, a pretty she-elf warrior princess who's engaged to marry a jerk but likes Evan better. Gemma, a massive green troll who wants to learn to cook. Pi, a juvenile dragon looking for loot. And Geezer, a fellow Earthling who found his way to the other side decades ago and has since become a powerful wizard.

The pacing is quick, and Leatherman squeezes a lot into each short chapter to keep the story racing along. And of course, being the author of several joke books, Leatherman seasoned the story with an ample peppering of puns that will have you laughing, groaning, and rolling your eyes alongside the characters. If you're looking for a lighthearted fantasy adventure filled with humor and out-of-the-box heroics, this is your book. My only real complaint is that it could have used a touch more editing, as there were several instances of my getting knocked out of the story by typos or formatting errors.

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