Recommended Age: 10+ years
by The Book Pup on September 17, 2025
Blurb for the book (on Goodreads):
Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level.
After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them—and ends up in The Outskirts. The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. It’s an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds.
And once you come to the Outskirts, it’s very hard to leave.
With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, it’s up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home…before his existence is forgotten.
My Summary:
Cole Randolph's Halloween night takes a terrifying turn when he follows his friends into a haunted house that turns out to be a portal to another world. He finds himself trapped in the Outskirts, a realm made up of five kingdoms that exist between reality and dreams.
In this strange new world, Cole discovers that his friends have been enslaved, and he's determined to rescue them. He becomes a sky raider, sailing through the clouds in airships while learning about the unique magic system of each kingdom.
But the Outskirts are dangerous, and there are powerful enemies who want to stop Cole from finding his friends. As he navigates this new world, he'll have to learn to survive, make new allies, and discover powers he never knew he had.
My Review (Non-Spoiler)
What really got me to pick up this book was the cover. It looks amazing and really attracted my attention, and I was curious to see how his worldbuilding would work in a middle-grade fantasy, especially because I'm usually used to books for older age groups.
And honestly, this was an amazing kind of adventure. Cole is such a relatable protagonist. He's not some chosen one with special powers (for now), just a regular kid who gets thrown into an impossible situation and has to figure things out as he goes.
What I loved most was Mull's worldbuilding. The Five Kingdoms concept is fascinating, and each kingdom having its own type of magic makes the world feel rich and expansive. The sky raider elements were especially cool—who doesn't want to sail around in magical airships?
The pacing was amazing for a middle-grade book. There's plenty of action and adventure to keep younger readers engaged, but it never felt rushed or overwhelming. The friendship dynamics were sweet, and I appreciated how Cole never stops thinking about rescuing his friends from our world.
My only minor complaint is that some of the explanations about how the magic works felt a bit heavy-handed at times, but that's probably meant for the target age group.
This is definitely a book that would appeal to kids who love adventure stories and imaginative worlds. It has that classic "kids get transported to magical world" feel but with Mull's signature creative magic systems.
I'm usually into YA books, and I got a little bored while reading this book, but for kids in the middle-grade level, it'll be perfect!
3/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾
You can find the book on Goodreads here!
Spoiler Review (⚠️ Warning: this includes spoilers to those who haven't read Sky Raiders ⚠️)
I really enjoyed how Mull handled Cole's introduction to the Outskirts. The haunted house portal was a clever way to get him there, and finding out that his friends are being used as slaves immediately gives him clear motivation.
The whole sky raider culture was probably my favorite part of the book. The airships, the different crews, the politics between them—it all felt very well thought out. Mira was a great companion character, and I liked how her mysterious past was revealed gradually.
What impressed me was how Mull managed to make the magic system accessible for younger readers without dumbing it down. The shaping abilities in Sambria are easy to understand but still feel unique and interesting.
Despite the book's good aspects, something that could be done better was the shape-crafting explanation. I usually read more advanced books, and even I didn't understand what shape-crafting really is.
The ending with Cole joining Mira's quest to find her sisters sets up the series well. I'm definitely interested in seeing the other kingdoms and how their magic systems work.
For a middle-grade book, this had surprisingly good character development and world-building. It never talked down to its readers, which I always appreciate in books for younger audiences.
3/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾
You can find the book on Goodreads here!
Thanks, and may your bookmark never fall out (like mine did this morning)!
The Book Pup