When I do my long distance traveling, I adore audiobooks. They allow me to enjoy stories I would not ordinarily have a chance to read, and encourage me to choose a series I might not otherwise get to know.

Such was the situation when I rented The Akhenaten Adventure, the first book in the children’s series Children of the Lamp. I’ve read quite a lot of fantasy over the years, and it’s hard to surprise me, but this one did. Author P.B. Kerr has postulated that there are actually THREE major classes of Beings: Humans, made of Earth; Angels, made of Air — and the Djinn (or, as humans are wont to call them, Genies), made of Fire. We find this out through the lives of John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve year old twins who discover that while their father, Edward, is human, their mother, Layla, is Djinn — and therefore, so are they.

Each Djinn has a "focus word" that enables him or her to grant wishes and use their Djinn power. Watching the children — who had no idea, until age 12, that they were anything but human — learn about their abilities through trial and error is greatly entertaining. In their education, they find that Djinn are the controllers of “luck” for mankind, and the six Djinn tribes fight for control of it. Three tribes — including the Marid, John and Philippa’s folk – are good Djinn and support good luck. The other three tribes are evil, supporting bad luck (who do you think invented casinos?), and the tribe known as the Ifrit figures prominently in the storylines, being the perennial adversaries for the Gaunt children.

The world is wonderfully thought out, with magic and logic intertwined, and bits of history lessons woven into the story in both obvious and subtle ways (for instance, those of you who know English history will recognize the children are named after “John of Gaunt” and his sister Philippa, both children of King Edward III). Every character is beautifully developed, from the twins' amazing Uncle Nimrod, to his one-armed butler Mr. Groanin, to Mr. Rakshasas, the Djinn from India who speaks with an Irish accent, to the family Rottweilers, Alan and Neil. (There's a reason for such unusual dog names, which is revealed during the series. I won't spoil it for you.) There are four books currently in the series, with more on the way. Don’t be surprised, either, if you see it on the big screen in the not-too-distant future: Dreamworks has optioned the series.

Another of the treasures from Scholastic Publishers, this series is a perfect summer read. I know you’ll find it as Djinn-triguing as I did.