Sandra Ingerman is an award-winning author of twelve books, including ‘Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self,’ ‘Medicine for the Earth’ and ‘The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred into Everyday Life.’ She is also a renowned teacher on shamanic journeying, healing and using spiritual methods to reverse environmental pollution. Katherine Wood taught reading and writing to middle and high school students for 31 years. She is a shamanic practitioner and teacher as well as an avid reader, writer and journeyer who loves to travel in both ordinary reality and in the hidden worlds. They are co-authors of ‘The Hidden Worlds,’ a novel for young readers about four middle school students who work together for a common purpose even though they are completely different people.

The protagonists in ‘The Hidden Worlds’ are middle school aged students. It begins with a look into Isaiah’s life, complete with home and school drama. Then come Magda, the popular soccer star whose goal in life is to get a soccer scholarship for college, George, the quiet boy who is frequently bullied because he requires “special services” and Rose, the Chinese girl who is always angry and gets into trouble for fighting. One day, they are playing near the forest when they come across several dead birds and are compelled to work together and find out what is poisoning and killing off the wildlife. They get together and brain storm in shared dreams, where they each find their power animal: Isaiah has a great grizzly bear, George an octopus, Rose a giraffe and Magda a black panther. Their dreams lead to real life adventures when they discover a toxic waste plant illegally disposing of poisons. Strangers in the beginning, their friendships grow as they work together with their Power Animals to close down the plant.

Isaiah, George, Rose and Magda are normal middle schoolers who are dramatically different but have similar interests that bring them together as they work for a common cause – the environment. In ‘The Hidden Worlds,’ shamanism is introduced in a nonchalant way when they need guidance and feel no one can help them when they desperately want to make a difference. Wikipedia defines Shamanism as “a practice that involves reaching altered states of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the spirit world and channel those transcendental energies into this world.” The chapters are short and the story is easy to read and understand. It may be a small book, but it touches on important topics such as bullies and the importance of standing up for yourself, school drama, puberty, environmental concerns and shamanism. Stand out chapters include Chapter 16: Organizing, which explains how cause and effect works when the environment is concerned and Chapter 13: Journeying – it explains what journeying means and the kids learn what the Hidden Worlds are and how shamans help people communicate with spirits. Aside from having the usual teen drama such as school, family life and personal issues, ‘The Hidden Worlds’ also touches on magic, spirit guides, power animals and journeying. It is recommended for readers of any age with an interest in these topics and who have an open mind and are willing to discover new ways of seeing the world.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.