A wonderful way to start a new series. Cooper B. is left alone, so alone he is named after the city he was found in. He was moved from home to home until he landed at St. Mary's Academy where he is soon joined by fellow orphans Aria and Miles. The three friends create their own adventures as distractions from the world, but after crossing paths with a mysterious girl in the woods, their lives are forever changed and the real adventure begins.
This book was a delightful read, and while it's labeled as middle-grade, it is worded and structured in such a way that an elementary student might find it exactly what they are looking for. The level of adventure was perfect - think first-year Harry Potter, a few levels removed. Just enough tension and thrill to keep the book moving, but not enough to create nightmares. Some of the spellings might create some difficulty for a 9-year-old; however, they are all tied to the new world that Cooper B., Aria, and Miles find themselves in, so it does not detract from the story in any way.
As this is the first book in a six-book series, Leighton also did a fantastic job of building a path forward for the rest of Cooper B.'s exciting story. Would highly recommend this be put on your child's, or even your own, TBR shelf. I can't wait to see what happens next!