So You Want to Be a Wizard

I'm doing a reading challenge where I needed to read a book published the year I was born. This was my choice. Somehow I never read this as a kid even though it would have been up my alley. Many people describe it as an American Harry Potter feel but the magic and word building is much darker. It's also a lot more esoteric and without explanation. That's honestly kind of cool. The book has been updated for modern audiences so there's references to things like MP3 players and texting. I'd recommend it to older kids who are interested in magic and have already exhausted the usual suspects.