This book, the first of an intended series, follows Rafe Ryder, a twelve year old British boy sent to live in coastal Maine with his paternal grandmother after his father is diagnosed with ALS. Rafe, by all accounts, is a normal kid, reeling from his father's illness and wishing he understood why they don't want him to be at home to witness his Dad's deterioration. It quickly becomes obvious that Rafe is anything but normal after a crazy encounter on the beach with a little girl, a hawk and a mysterious ball of fire.Rafe is enrolled at Ryder Knight Academy, a school founded by his family and run by his Grandma, Lady Jane. Rafe thinks it's a normal school, but soon begins to realize that what he's experiencing is far from the norm. He meets an old childhood friend, Baylor, one who he remembers spending summers with, and they quickly begin to bond again. Just as Rafe is beginning to settle into his new life in Maine, the Academy's annual Halloween tradition goes haywire after the children lose their way in a corn maze...but they don't just get lost...they get transported to a mystical land called Mystfira - a place where all the mythical creatures of folklore and legend ACTUALLY exist. Not only that, but Mystfira is home to an elite angelic training school and until the powers-that-be can figure out how to get Rafe and his schoolmates back to Ryder Knight Academy safely...they are stuck trying to co-exist with angels, leprechauns, fairies and more.The author provides beautifully detailed descriptions which really bring to life the characters, places and situations. By far, my favorite chapter was the Corn Maze, filled with riddles, chaos and a charmingly brash leprechaun named Seamus who had me chuckling out loud. I loved how the author included a handy guide to places and characters in the print version as well. It helped me to keep the characters straight and understand better how the land of Mystfira worked.I would highly recommend this to parents and teachers of pre-teens and young adults. A fun story to read to yourself, to your kids or to a classroom!