The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly by Ted Sanders

He's a very good student and excels at science.  So how did he get involved in a such fantastic magical adventure?

HarperCollins and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 3rd, so you can grab a copy then.

Horace is riding the bus home from school when it gets rerouted due to road work.  He can't believe it when he sees a sign down an alley on a business that has his name on it.  How can that be?  He doesn't realize that investigating it could be dangerous...

All you need to enjoy this story is a little imagination.  I enjoy stories with a lot of action, danger, magic, and good chemistry between the characters.   This one has all that.

Horace finds that the odds and ends in the store (which no longer has his name on it) are fascinating.  Even more fascinating is that there is one particular one there that belongs to him.  He has to search for it but when he finds it, he knows it.  When he figures out how to use it, he's amazed.  It goes against science but it functions.  The man and woman he meets at the store tell him he's in need of training, but he's not sure.  When he meets a girl who also has a special gift, he begins to understand there may be some truth in what the man told him.

The young ones are being asked to be Guardians.  There is a faction that has separated from the group of Guardians and now has become their enemy.  They want the magic items for the power they bring, not to do good.  Whether Horace really wanted to do it or not, he's being followed by one of them.  If he uses the box, the tall skeletal man who follows can find him.  That's not a good thing.

One of my favorite parts in this story is how Horace uses his head to get him out of tight spots and conquers his own worst fear to save his friend.  Horace is a good kid and I'm already looking forward to reading more in this series.  Why don't you give it a try?