In the post-Harry Potter world, I'm sure there's a glut of "orphan discovers he's a wizard" books, but The Magic Thief: Stolen stands out on several grounds. Our orphan hero, Conn, is an unrepentant street thief and the book has a fairly gritty feel (for, at least, a YA fantasy novel). There really feels like there's a complexity and history to the world and the way magic works in it. And all of the main characters have delightfully human flaws, and redeeming qualities.

FuzzyCo grade: A