By Nicole Martin

Lauren Oliver’s “Liesl & Po” starts off strong with quite an interesting story. Young Liesl has been locked in her room for approximately 1,758 days, following the death of her father.
During those days, the sun has not shone and Liesl’s only friends have been mice and shadows, until one day, from the Other Side, appears Po — a ghost — and his shaggy companion, Bundle.
At the same time, a young alchemist’s apprentice named Will is in charge of transporting “the Most Powerful Magic in the World,” but bungles the delivery and ends up with something much less impressive.
With these two incidents, the fates of Liesl, Will and Po will intertwine.
“Liesl & Po” was not exactly what I was expecting. With less fantasy-driven adventure and more classical fairy tale fantasy, Oliver has weaved a tale of the power of friendship and its ability to light even the darkest of places.