THE METROPOLITANS, by Carol Goodman

The story: Four very different teens are thrown together on Pearl Harbor Day, and discover that their mission is to pick up where King Arthur and his followers left off in medieval Britain in order to fight the evil that has survived since Arthur's day--now manifesting itself as the Nazis. But in order to realize their own powers, they'll have to learn to trust and work with total strangers--strangers who are NOT like them. Can they move past their differences and save the day before a Nazi plot poisons millions in New York City?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; adult themes (prejudice, war, death of a parent, abandonment, Nazi atrocities) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this one a lot, but I think regular readers of fantasy might be put off somewhat by the 1940s setting and slang (not the usual gritty urban fantasy or classic high fantasy set-ups they're used to) and by the unfortunate little-kid look of the front cover (the characters are actually in their early teens, not in grade school). Even so, it's worth hand-selling to any kid who likes a story with magic--or one with kids learning to face their fears. Keep an eye out for a sequel, because the set-up was totally there.