If you ever ended up in a fantasy world, what would be the one thing you would want to have? Potions from a wizard? A dragon companion? A unicorn to ride? How about a magical sword?
The kids in these books either have a magical sword, or are looking for one. If you’re a fan of fantasy books, you’ll know that they usually prove to be useful…if not right away, then eventually. If you love fantasy, one of these books is sure to fit your reading needs.
Our “5 Books…” lists include five books (usually with a couple extras) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if the story sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (Can you guess which is which?)
Lark is determined to escape her squalid life at Miss Starvenger’s boarding house, but she needs to find the coin to do it. Her grand scheme? To steal her fortune from the Royal Museum.
Unfortunately, her heist goes off the rails, and Lark ends up stealing a magical sword right out from under the nose of Prince Jasper, who’s none too happy to have his plans thwarted. Lark soon discovers that the Sword has a mind of its own, and has chosen her to be the next Nightingale, a fabled hero who must vanquish an ancient evil that is waking after centuries of sleep.
Working alone has its limitations, but relying on others after a lifetime of disappointments feels impossible. Still, Lark will need the help of her boarding house roommates if she wants to defeat the villainous forces that threaten to dismantle everything she holds dear.
For the past two hundred years, the demon sword Asperides has led a quiet life. While his physical form has been tasked with guarding the body of an evil sorcerer, the rest of his consciousness has taken a well-earned vacation. That constant need to trick humans into wielding him (at the price of their very souls, of course) was rather draining.
Nack Furnival, on the other hand, is far from satisfied with his existence. Nack has trained since birth to be a brave and noble knight–but, unfortunately, he isn’t especially good at it. Determined to prove his worth, Nack needs a quest. And to complete that quest, he’ll need the one thing no knight can do without: a sword.
When an attempt to resurrect the evil sorcerer throws Asperides into Nack’s path, the demon sword can’t help but trick the boy into making a contract to become his new owner. And with the newly undead (and very, very angry) sorcerer on their trail, Asperides and Nack find themselves swept up in a bigger adventure than either of them bargained for: saving the world.
Part of the spell has already been broken. The first stones have begun to crumble.
In Artie Kingfisher’s world, wizards named Merlin, fire-breathing dragons, and swords called Excalibur exist only in legends and lore–until the day his video game Otherworld springs to life. You are special, Arthur, says the mysterious message in his game. In one week’s time you will come to me at the it.
Cryptic clues lead Artie to a strange place called the Invisible Tower, where he discovers that nothing in his life is as it seems. Artie is none other than King Arthur, brought to life in the twenty-first century. Artie has won the battle in the virtual Otherworld–now the key to saving the real Otherworld lies in his hands as well.
Green dragons, hungry wolves, powerful sorcerers–suddenly Artie must battle them all as he wields Excalibur and embarks on a quest worthy of the Knights of the Round Table. With his sister, Kay, by his side, Artie steps into the Otherworld–straight toward his destiny. Magical swords REALLY come into play in book two,The Seven Swords. But read the whole series!
Harry Crewe is a Homelander orphan girl, come to live in Damar from over the seas. She is drawn to the bleak landscape, so unlike the green hills of her Homeland. She wishes she might cross the sands and climb the dark mountains where no Homelander has ever set foot, where the last of the old Damarians, the Free Hillfolk, live.
Corlath is the golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the legendary Lady Aerin. When he arrives in Harry’s town to ally with the Homelanders against a common enemy, he never expects to set Harry’s destiny in motion: She will ride into battle as a King’s Rider, bearing the Blue Sword, the great mythical treasure, which no one has wielded since Lady Aerin herself.
Legends and myths, no matter how epic, no matter how magical, all begin somewhere.
Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy–her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft–but only if she saves a lost cause. Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend.
He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power. To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and re-forge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail–and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
All Momo wants for her twelfth birthday is an ordinary life–like everyone else’s. At home, she has to take care of her absentminded widowed mother. At school, kids ridicule her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.
But then Momo’s mother falls gravely ill, and a death hag straight out of those childhood stories attacks Momo at the mall, where she’s rescued by a talking fox . . . and “ordinary” goes out the window. It turns out that Momo’s mother is a banished Shinto goddess who used to protect a long-forgotten passageway to Yomi–a.k.a. the land of the dead. That passageway is now under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and wreak havoc across the earth.
Joined by Niko the fox and Danny–her former best friend turned popular jerk, whom she never planned to speak to again, much less save the world with–Momo must embrace her (definitely not “ordinary”) identity as half human, half goddess to unlock her divine powers, save her mother’s life, and force the demons back to Yomi.
Daystar has never seen his mother, Cimorene, actually perform magic. Nor has he ever known her to enter the Enchanted Forest in all the years they have lived on its edge. That is, not until a wizard shows up at their cottage the day after his birthday. Much to Daystar’s surprise, Cimorene melts the unsavory wizard. And the following day, she comes out of the Enchanted Forest carrying a sword. With that and a few supplies, she kicks him out of the house and into the Forest.
Two rules one must always remember when traveling in the Enchanted Forest: always be polite and never say yes to a favor until you know what you’re being asked to do. Daystar has no idea why he’s tromping around the forest fighting wizards and monsters with what is obviously a magical sword, but he keeps those rules in mind as he stumbles upon a quick-tempered firewitch and a baby dragon. Daystar realizes that the sword is leading him to adventures beyond what he ever imagined. This is a stand-alone conclusion to the Enchanted Forest Chronicles–although you might want to brush up on all Cimorene’s adventures before reading this one!
* * *
And there you have it. A phalanx of swords–or sword books, anyway. If you’d like more, just type Excalibur into our Library Catalog, and see what else pops up. You’ll have enough reading to last you through the rest of the winter!
Check out these books, on display over the paperbacks, and see what catches your fancy.
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, ask one of our librarians for help. We love pairing books and readers!
It’s our third list of this Triple Movie Feature! Five books that read a little like the movie Night at the Museum. If you like museum exhibits coming to life…or being in a museum overnight…or trying to escape living exhibits…you’ll like these books!
Our “5 Books…” lists include five books (occasionally with a few extra!) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (Can you guess which is which?)
* * *
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that? Read the whole series!
Nightingale by Deva Fagan
Lark is determined to escape her squalid life at Miss Starvenger’s boarding house, but she needs to find the coin to do it. Her grand scheme? To steal her fortune from the Royal Museum. Unfortunately, her heist goes off the rails, and Lark ends up stealing a magical sword right out from under the nose of Prince Jasper, who’s none too happy to have his plans thwarted. Lark soon discovers that the Sword has a mind of its own, and has chosen her to be the next Nightingale, a fabled hero who must vanquish an ancient evil that is waking after centuries of sleep. As it turns out, working alone has its limitations, but relying on others after a lifetime of disappointments feels impossible. Still, Lark will need the help of her boarding house roommates if she wants to defeat the villainous forces that threaten to dismantle everything she holds dear.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
This is the story of unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard who doesn’t believe in anything that can’t be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty, the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia’s help. As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy’s own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world. A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.
The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman
The day Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, four thirteen-year-olds converge at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where an eccentric curator is seeking four uncommonly brave souls to track down the hidden pages of the Kelmsbury Manuscript, an ancient book of Arthurian legends that lies scattered within the museum’s collection, and that holds the key to preventing a second attack on American soil. When Madge, Joe, Kiku, and Walt agree to help, they have no idea that the Kelmsbury is already working its magic on them. But they begin to develop extraordinary powers and experience the feelings of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, and Lancelot- courage, friendship, love…and betrayal. Are they playing out a legend that’s already been lived, over and over, across the ages? Or can the Metropolitans forge their own story?
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
Kyle Keeley is the class clown and a huge fan of all games–board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the construction of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot as one of twelve kids invited for an overnight sleepover in the library, hosted by Mr. Lemoncello and riddled with lots and lots of games. But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library–it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route! (Not a museum, but with all the exhibits and figures and information, it could be!) Read the entire series…you’ll love it!
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr
John and Philippa Gaunt, two not-very-identical twins, live a privileged life on the Upper East of Manhattan with their wealthy parents and two curiously-mannered Rottweilers named Alan and Neil. The twins realize there’s something amiss with their world when a string of strange things begin to happen after their wisdom teeth are extracted–they dream the same dreams, become stronger, their zits clear up, and wishes wished in their presence inexplicably come true. And, when their estranged Uncle Nimrod asks them to come to England for the summer during one such shared dream, the discovery of their destiny is set in motion. John and Phillippa discover that they are descended from a long line of Djinn, have great inherent powers. They must call on these powers a lot sooner than they anticipated, though, because the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten is not as dead as history has so far declared and his legion of seventy magical djinn could tip the balance of power in the magical realm and affect the whole world order. Read the whole series!
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers
Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theo–and only Theo–who is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. When Theo’s mother returns from her latest archaeological dig bearing the Heart of Egypt–a legendary amulet belonging to an ancient tomb–Theo learns that it comes inscribed with a curse so black and vile that it threatens to crumble the British Empire from within and start a war too terrible to imagine. Intent on returning the malevolent artifact to its rightful place, Theo devises a daring plan to put things right. But even with the help of her younger brother, a wily street urchin, and the secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, it won’t be easy . . . she quickly finds herself pursued down dark alleys, across an ocean, through the bustling crowds of Cairo, and straight into the heart of an ancient mystery. Theo will have to call upon everything she’s ever learned in order to prevent the rising chaos from destroying her country–and herself!
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester
Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts. The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Read the whole trilogy!
Archer’s Quest by Linda Sue Park
In Dorchester, New York, Kevin is doing his homework when suddenly an arrow comes out of nowhere and pins his baseball cap to the wall. The man who shot the arrow claims he fell off a tiger . . . and wound up in Kevin’s room. It’s not long before Kevin realizes that the man, who calls himself Chu-mong, or Great Archer, is no ordinary burglar, but a traveler from far away in both space and time. A visit to the local museum confirms that there was a king named Chu-mong in ancient Korea who was legendary for many accomplishments, including exceptional skill with bow and arrow. Kevin knows little about his own Korean heritage, but he understands that unless Archer returns to his people and his throne, history will be changed forever. And he’s determined to help Archer go back, no matter what it takes.
The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them–Set-has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe — a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs. Read the whole series!
* * *
So there you have it…several mysterious museums with a lot more going on than a casual visitor would guess! None really with the exact same premise as Night at the Museum, but pretty close!
(There is one book that is VERY similar to Night at the Museum, but sadly, it is long our of print. It Looks Alive to Me! by Thomas Baum has a very similar same plot–a new moon rock exhibit apparently brings everything in the museum to life…dinosaurs, famous people, mummies and more…and Burdick and his new friend Lola have to get everything back to normal before the moon sets. If you can find an old copy, you’ll enjoy it!)
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books at the library, ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching books and readers!
So I’ve been on a fantastical creatures kick lately. There are so many good books featuring dragons and unicorns, but not so many of the lesser known creatures, like phoenixes, or hippogryphs, or…gryphons! (I prefer the British spelling, it looks more…magical.) But since maybe not so many people know them, apart from the Harry Potter books, I thought it might be fun to do a 5 Books Feature! But when nine titles came up, it was too difficult to decide what to remove…
For some reason, quite a few of these titles are the second book in a series. The links to the first books have been included, so readers can check both out. Remember, our 5 Books Feature is a booklist of five books (or this time, nine books) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!
After the events of The Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, Rowan is now the Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, is destined to be king. But her mother’s cousin Heward is still determined that his children be the ones to inherit the titles; and he will stop at nothing to show that Rowan and Rhydd are too immature to properly lead. After the gryphon that Rowan captured gives birth but then dies, Rowan is left with a baby gryphon she knows she cannot keep. And it grows faster than anyone can imagine… In order to save face after an accident involving the troublesome young gryphon, Rowan and her friends Dain and Alianor (along with an entourage of monstrous companions), must journey to the mountains to release the gryphon back into the wild. What starts off as a simple enough task soon becomes a dangerous quest, as the group encounters numerous rare and deadly monsters along the way, including wyverns and ceffyl-dwrs. Nothing is easy when you’re a “monster magnet” like Rowan. (You should read the first book first, but the second one is the title with a gryphon on the cover! The whole series is excellent.)
With her thirteenth birthday just around the corner, Giada Bellantuono has to make a big decision: Will she join the family business and become a healer or follow her dreams? But even though she knows her calling is to heal vulnerable animals, using her powers to treat magical creatures is decidedly not allowed. When a group of witches kidnaps her beloved older brother, Rocco, and her parents are away, Giada is the only person left who can rescue him. Swept into the magical underground city of Malafi, Giada will need the help of her new companions to save her brother–or risk losing him forever. To save her family, she’ll have to make a dangerous bargain and tip the scales of balance. (Another series, but this time the gryphon is in the first book!)
Meet Gerald. Gerald is a griffin–a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. According to the Code of the Griffins, that means he should be: 1. Brave and fierce in all situations! 2. A guardian of a great treasure! 3. Completely and totally hidden from the human realm! But what if a Griffin ISN’T brave or fierce? What if he’s NEVER found a great treasure (or ANY treasure for that matter)? What if he feels like such an embarrassment that the only thing left to do is run away? And what if the only place no one will look for him is . . . the human world? A laugh-out-loud adventure, full of humor and heart. (Also the second book in a series, but each title is about a different magical creature.)
It’s now been two years since Ben and Firedrake defeated Nettlebrand and rescued the silver dragons. Both boy and dragon have finally found homes, but they must live hundreds of miles apart and can only see each other every once in a while. During one such visit, news reaches Ben, the Greenblooms, and their friends that the last Pegasus in the world has been discovered. The legendary horse has three unhatched eggs with him, but the only way they’ll ever hatch — and continue the survival of this incredible magical species — is to place them under a griffin’s feather. But griffins are the most dangerous creatures in the world, and their mortal enemies are dragons… Ben has vowed not to tell Firedrake about his quest, to protect him. But as he and the Greenbloom team set off for a remote island where the terrible griffins are rumored to live, he may just need the help of his best friend and dragon… Make sure to read the first Dragon Rider book too!
Haunted by a dream of a mythical gryphon, Sam London uncovers an ancient secret that will change the way he sees the world forever. Recruited by Dr. Vance Vantana, an eccentric zoologist and park ranger sent by the government, Sam is whisked away on an adventure that takes him to the farthest reaches of the globe. Along this journey, Sam learns an incredible truth: mythical creatures are real and living among us in our national parks. A special department in the U.S. government ensures that their existence remains hidden. But Sam’s dream is an omen that the secret may now be in danger. Someone seeks the power to expose these creatures and overthrow humankind–and that power can only be found in a magical talisman known as the gryphon’s claw. (First in a trilogy!)
A castle that is constantly rearranging itself, and a young royal family sworn to protect it… Celie, Rolf, and their beloved Castle Glower are back in this exciting sequel. When her brother Rolf dares her to catch magical Castle Glower creating a new room, Princess Celie takes the challenge! No one knows the Castle better than she does. But as usual, the Castle has ideas of its own. Celie finds the new room first, and inside it is hidden a giant egg. It looks like The Castle wants Celie to care for the egg and whatever creature it hatches. Celie hadn’t bargained for a pet, and caring for this one will prove to be especially tricky, once Celie and her siblings realise what else the Castle is hiding… Make sure to read all the Castle Glower series, starting with Tuesdays at the Castle!
Mr. Chesney operates Pilgrim Parties, a tour group that takes paying participants into an outer realm where the inhabitants play frightening and foreboding roles. The time has come to end the staged madness . . . but can it really be stopped? Master storyteller Diana Wynne Jones serves up twists and turns, introduces Querida, Derk, Blade, and Shona and a remarkable cast of wizards, soldiers, kings, dragons, and griffins, and mixes in a lively dash of humor. With all the ingredients of high fantasy, this unforgettable novel will delight fans old and new. Make sure to read the sequel too: Year of the Griffin! (Don’t be alarmed by the covers…for some reason, this wonderful author’s books usually have rather frightening cover images. But they definitely fit the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”…because they are delightful.)
For Kate, ordinary life in Minnesota is just a memory, especially when she and her brothers discover a magical baby griffin while vacationing in a small Italian town. Suddenly, they find themselves in an extraordinary magical adventure of mystery and a whole world of trouble. Kate’s father’s work has brought the family overseas to a countryside estate in Tuscany. Kate spends much of her time with her younger brother, nine-year-old Michael, roaming the beautiful estate grounds. When they find a lost baby griffin–a strange, fantastical creature with colorful downy feathers and tufts of fur–they are swept into a journey of excitement and fear, marked by the sinister Prince Eduardo. Kate and Michael try to keep Grifonino safe and his existence a secret, but greedy paparazzi and eager scientists threaten the creature’s safety. With the help of their older brother Stephen, the siblings set out to return the magical creature to his mysterious home. Will they succeed? (The only one on this list that’s a single title.)
All her life Wren has hoped for an adventure. Now she has one-with a kidnapped princess, a handsome prince, and a magician. What does it matter if the princess is only Tess, her best friend from the orphanage; if the prince is a youngest son with no chance of becoming king; and the magician is an apprentice? Wren leads the other three over mountains and past killing spells, fighting battles along the way. But then she finds herself up against some shape-changing magic that may end her life as a human forever! (The first of a wonderful–but diffictult to find–series.)
* * *
And there you have it…lots and lots of gryphons. (And even more, if you read all the series.) Would you want a pet gryphon? What would you do with it? Let us know if we’ve missed any of your favorites.
As always, if you need help finding these (or any other) books in the library, just ask one of our librarians. We love matching kids and readers!
Recently, I traveled to the West Coast, where I spent some time with friends in and around San Francisco. Before I went, I did a lot of reading up on the area. Ever since I read Phyllis Whitney’s The Mystery of the Green Cat, San Francisco was somewhere I always wanted to visit. And now I have!
I was going to do a “Five Books Featuring” post on the Bay Area, but there are just so MANY books out there…even when whittled down to just what’s in our middle grade collection! So here is a booklist—divided into three parts—of books based in and around San Francisco. Enjoy!
* * *
Historical From Barbary Pirates to the Gold Rush to the earthquakes of 1906 and 1989…
Victoria Blaisdell longs for independence and adventure, and she yearns to accompany her father as he sails west in search of real gold! But it is 1848, and Tory isn’t even allowed to go to school, much less travel all the way from Rhode Island to California. Determined to take control of her own destiny, Tory stows away on the ship. Though San Francisco is frenzied and full of wild and dangerous men, Tory finds freedom and friendship there. When Tory’s father loses his job and decides to seek a share of the newly discovered gold in California, Tory stows away on the westbound ship carrying her father and younger brother, Jacob. Though San Francisco is mud-caked, frenzied, and full of wild and dangerous men, Tory quickly finds friends and independence – until her father leaves for the gold fields and the care of Jacob falls to her. Then Jacob vanishes, kidnapped, perhaps hidden among the hundreds of ships – called Rotten Row – that have been abandoned in the bay. If he is there, Tory must find him in a treacherous search. Tory comes close to losing everything in her quest for her own and her brother’s freedom.
Lily is the oldest of three children; a Chinese American girl living in San Francisco’s Chinatown. When the 1906 earthquake destroys her home and sets her neighborhood on fire. Her family survives the quake, but the as the city starts to burn, Lily is separated from her parents and Lily must help her younger brother and neighbor escape San Francisco. As the city burns, Lily struggles to keep her group close as they face peril and racism. Will Lily be reunited with her parents and make it across the bay to the safety of Oakland? Will the rest of the family and friends be there waiting for them? Between the fire and the anti-Chinese violence it is not certain that any of them will survive.
San Francisco, 1900. The Gilded Age. A fantastic time to be alive for lots of people . . . but not thirteen-year-old Lizzie Kennedy, stuck at Miss Barstow’s snobby school for girls. Lizzie’s secret passion is science, an unsuitable subject for finishing-school girls. Lizzie lives to go on house calls with her physician father. On those visits to his patients, she discovers a hidden dark side of the city–a side that’s full of secrets, rats, and rumors of the plague. The newspapers, her powerful uncle, and her beloved papa all deny that the plague has reached San Francisco. So why is the heart of the city under quarantine? Why are angry mobs trying to burn Chinatown to the ground? Why is Noah, the Chinese cook’s son, suddenly making Lizzie question everything she has known to be true? Ignoring the rules of race and class, Lizzie and Noah must put the pieces together in a heart-stopping race to save the people they love.
Murderers, mob bosses, and convicts…these guys are not your average neighbors. But it’s 1935, and Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to Alcatraz, the infamous island that’s home to criminals such as notorious escapee Roy Gardner, Machine Gun Kelly, and, of course, Al Capone. Mosse doesn’t actually get to meet the cons; but he does meet Piper Williams, the warden’s daughter, who comes up with so many schemes that she might as well be a criminal! Now Moose has to try to fit in at his new school, keep his parents happy, avoid getting caught up in Piper’s countless plots, and keep an eye on his sister, Natalie, who’s not like other kids. All Moose wants to do is stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
With their parents attending the 1989 World Series, Fran stays home with her bratty brother, Sidney, and Jennie, a visiting friend. Their reunion is awkward until the earthquake shakes them into action: they lift a Volkswagen off a neighbor, turn off combustible propane tanks, and help at the school emergency shelter. The hours and days after the quake are a time in which the Fran and their neighbors fumble toward survival, showing themselves to be “the best kind of hero…an everyday sort.” With unsettling realism, Franny describes the aftershocks, the struggle to rebuild homes and lives, the triumphs of restoring basic services, and the steps she and her family take to re-establish their lives. Together, they become closer as they cope with the frightening events.
When Jack’s aunt is forced to sell her beloved mansion but is still unable to raise enough money to pay her debts, the twelve-year-old goes to California in search of gold to help her. Joined by his trusty butler, Praiseworthy, Jack finds adventure and trouble at every turn. Brimming with riveting adventure, the story is set during the Gold Rush. The fast-moving plot follows the high spirited young Jack and Praiseworthy set out to strike it rich in order to support the financially strapped and beloved Aunt Arabella. As Jack and the loyal butler travel by sea and land, the pair meet a series of memorable characters such as the daring, crusty sea Captain Swain and the diabolical Cut-Eye Higgins. Will Jack strike gold in San Francisco or come home empty-handed?
It’s April 18, 1906, and a powerful earthquake has just rocked San Francisco. Photographer Edith Irvine and her teenage assistant, Daisy Valentine, survive the tragedy. Armed with Edith’s camera, the two young women set out to document the devastation–even as buildings crumble around them and soldiers promise to shoot anyone trying to photograph the crippled city. Based on the real-life experience of photographer Edith Irvine, this harrowing tale of bravery and survival includes many of Irvine’s now-famous photographs.
Just off the coast of California, north of San Francisco, Jonathan Palmer is camping with his family on deserted Magpie Island. When his mother breaks her ankle, it is nearly a mile to get to the car; because Jonathan’s sister Abby uses a walker, her progress on the trail would be too slow for such an emergency. So Jonathan and Abby stay at the camp while their parents go to the hospital. But it’s October, 1989, and suddenly, without warning, an earthquake hits…the biggest since the 1906 quake. Jonathan and Abby are stranded, and Jonathan must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives.
Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, helps two new friends survive the Great San Francisco Earthquake! Ranger travels to San Francisco and meets Lily Chen. She was sent from China to America to work as a young servant, but she dreams of studying to be a doctor. When the Great Earthquake hits, Ranger arrives in time to rescue Lily from falling beams in the mission house where she lives. Together they flee to safety, stopping to help another girl, May Wong, save her little brother from the family’s collapsed market. Lily and May try to make their way through the ruined city with Ranger at their side. But can they escape crumbling buildings and raging fires, all while facing anti-Chinese discrimination? As they make their way through the ruined and burning city Ranger finds that he must also accomplish something else–finding Lily a new family who will care for her. Read all of Ranger’s time-traveling adventures.
Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco — not only does he get to make some money to help his family, he’s free to explore the amazing, hilly city as it changes and grows with the new century. Horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny new automobiles, new businesses and families move in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible. But early one spring morning, everything changes. Leo’s world is shaken — literally — and he finds himself stranded in the middle of San Francisco as it crumbles and burns to the ground. Does Leo have what it takes to survive this devastating disaster?
At home on Sacramento Street, Henry Travis hears a low rumbling. It sounds like a train coming. But then windows rattle, doors thump. There’s a crash above him. Across town in Chinatown, Henry’s friend Chin waits for the trembling to stop. But it goes on and on and on… When the quake subsides, Chin and Henry and their families are lucky to be alive. But now they must escape the fires that have broken out and find their way to safety-before it’s too late. Will Henry and Chin survive to see each other again?
* * *
Mysteries, Adventures and Realistic Fiction From mysterious mansions to treasure hunts to just hanging out in the city with friends…
Ever since her father died, kooky Gilda Joyce has been working hard to sharpen her psychic skills. She’s determined to communicate with spirits from the Other Side and become a crack investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. After wrangling an invitation to visit San Francisco relatives, Gilda discovers just how much her dreary, tight-lipped uncle and his strange, delicate daughter need her help to uncover the terrible family secret that has a tortured ghost stalking their home. From poignant to hair-raising and hilarious, this is a behind-the-scenes, tell-all account of the very first case in the illustrious career of Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator. Read all the titles!
For Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it’s the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger–a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game. Racing against time, Emily and James rush from clue to clue, desperate to figure out the secret at the heart of Griswold’s new game–before those who attacked Griswold come after them too. Make sure to read the rest of the series–Alcatraz Escape and The Unbreakable Code—where Emily and James must solve other clues and solve puzzles around San Francisco!
Take a look at Casey and Lacey Nicefolk and you’ll see two regular, all-American kids. But these brother-and-sister twins have a secret. Hidden in the family barn is the most magical-and coolest-gadget unknown to man: a mystical box that can turn any small object into a life-size replica. When the twins’ parents go out of town, the two decide to put the box to use. Taking a model boat, they create a fully functioning powerboat and enter a race up the Sacramento River from San Francisco. But this is no ordinary boat, and this is no ordinary race. What follows is a nautical adventure where being the first to cross the finish line is not the only prize.
Amateur sleuth Hal Beck is excited to embark on an adventurous journey with his journalist Uncle Nat. This time, they’re set to ride the historic California Comet from Chicago to San Francisco. Hal mostly keeps to himself on the trip, feeling homesick and out of place in America. But he soon finds himself drawn into another mystery when the young daughter of a billionaire tech entrepreneur goes missing! Along with new friends–spunky Mason and his younger sister, Hadley–Hal races against the clock to find the missing girl before the California Comet reaches its final destination. Read Hal’s other Adventures on Trains as well.
Emmy is the only one in her family who can’t make music to save her life. And now that her dad’s symphony job has uprooted her to San Francisco and a new school, everything seems even more off-key than usual. Until a computer class changes her tune—Emmy discovers that her coding skills can really sing! Now life is starting to seem a little more upbeat, especially with computer whiz and possible best friend Abigail around to share tips and tricks with. But can Emmy hold on to her new-found confidence with bad news and big secrets just around the corner, or will her new life come to a screeching halt?
After thwarting a notorious villain at an eco-summit in Paris, the City Spies are gearing up for their next mission. Operating out of a base in Scotland, this secret team of young agents working for the British Secret Intelligence Service’s MI6 division have honed their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t. Sydney is a surfer and a rebel from Bondi Beach, Australia. She’s also a field ops specialist for the City Spies. Sydney is excited to learn that she’ll be going undercover on the marine research vessel the Sylvia Earle. But things don’t go exactly as planned, and while Sydney does find herself in the spotlight, it’s not in the way she was hoping. Meanwhile, there’s been some new intel regarding a potential mole within the organization, offering the spies a lead that takes them to San Francisco, California. But as they investigate a spy who died at the Botanical Gardens, they discover that they are also being investigated. And soon, they’re caught up in an exciting adventure filled with rogue missions and double agents! This mission is hot! The City Spies are a go! Read all the City Spies adventures as they globe-trot through famous locations.
When Julie discovers a mysterious note written in Chinese, she brings it to her friend Ivy to translate. The note speaks of a story from long ago, but doesn’t quite make sense. Julie suspects it may be written in a secret code. That same night, the girls’ beloved dolls are stolen. As Julie and Ivy search Chinatown, they decipher clues in the note that seem to link the stolen dolls to a long-lost friendship, and maybe a long-lost treasure. Then they realize that they aren’t the only ones trying to figure out the message’s puzzle…
When an oil spill threatens the sea birds of San Francisco, Julie is eager to lend a hand. So when she learns that her friend T.J. is helping with an auction to raise money for the clean-up efforts, she decides to get involved, and she’s thrilled to find out that a valuable silver guitar that belonged to a famous rock star will be sold as part of the auction! But then she finds out that T.J. is in trouble, and Julie just can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something from her. As Julie sets out to follow the clues and prove T.J. is innocent, the guitar begins to reveal it’s secrets…and Julie realizes that both she and T.J. may be in danger… Read all of the adventures of American Girl Julie and her best friend Ivy in San Francisco
Penny is excited to welcome her new sibling, so throughout her mom’s pregnancy she writes letters to it (not it, YOU!). She introduces herself (Penelope, but she prefers “Penny”) and their moms (Sammy and Becky). She brags about their home city, Oakland, California (the weather, the Bay, and the Golden State Warriors) and shares the trials and tribulations of being a fifth-grader (which, luckily, YOU won’t have to worry about for a long time). Penny asks little questions about her sibling’s development and starts to ask big questions about the world around her (like if and when her moms are ever going to get married “for real”). Honest, relatable, and full of heart, Love, Penelope explores heritage, forgiveness, love, and identity through the eyes (and pen) of one memorable 10-year-old in a special year when marriage equality and an NBA championship made California a place of celebration.
Jeanne Ann is smart, stubborn, living in an orange van, and determined to find a permanent address before the start of seventh grade. Cal is awkward, sensitive, living in a humongous house across the street, and determined to save her. Jeanne Ann wants Cal’s help just about as much as she wants to live in a van. As the two form a tentative friendship that grows deeper over alternating chapters, they’re buoyed by a cast of complex, oddball characters, who let them down, lift them up, and leave you cheering. A warm, funny and poignant story about the wonderful weirdness of friendship and family, and learning how to accept help enough to help yourself.
With the nation reeling from the recent terrorist attacks, Q and Angela leave Chicago and arrive in San Francisco. Their parents are determined to continue the Match tour but for safety’s sake, they have decided to send Q and Angela to boarding school. Not happy at the thought of being taken off the trail of the ghost cell, Q and Angela race against time with Boone and the SOS team to find Number One, the leader of the world’s most feared terrorist organization. It’s the final showdown of the I,Q series. This is the final book of the adventerous IQ series. In the books, Q and Angela travel all over the world. Starting with the last one probably won’t work very well, so you’ll just have to read the first five to have this one make sense!
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny are visiting San Francisco. They see the Golden Gate Bridge, ride the cable cars, and eat in Chinatown. On Fisherman’s Wharf, they meet Charlie, who takes the Alden kids and their grandfather for a ride on his fishing boat. But while they’re enjoying the trip, they discover that someone is giving Charlie trouble. Unexplainable things are happening–like the fresh fish he delivers mysteriously disappear, and his fishing nets are cut. This seems like something deliberate, not accidental. Does someone want Charlie out of the fishing business? Can the Boxcar Children solve this mystery? Book #57 in this beloved series! (And these you can read out of order…as long as you read the first one first!)
* * *
Fantasy who knew so many fantasy books begin in San Francisco?
Siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything they could ever want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job. Now the family must relocate to an old Victorian house, formerly the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff–a house that simultaneously feels creepy and too good to be true. By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they’re banished to a primeval forest way off the grid. Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible–and to fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they’ll discover that it’s not just their family that’s in danger . . . it’s the entire world. Read the entire House of Secrets trilogy.
Sam London didn’t mean to uncover an ancient secret, but when he found out that mythical creatures are real and living in our national parks, he became the newest recruit to the Department of Mythical Wildlife. Ever since, the middle schooler has been anxiously awaiting the call for his next case . . . and it finally arrives with the brazen appearance of a selkie in San Francisco Bay. Along with Dr. Vance Vantana and the guardian Tashi, Sam pursues the selkie, who has taken a peculiar interest in fashion’s newest “it” girl and social media star, Pearl Eklund. But the closer he gets, the more questions emerge about Pearl’s mysterious connection to the mythical world. Is she the long-lost hope for an entire civilization or the harbinger of its doom? It’s up to Sam to find out the truth, and fast. . . . The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Read all the Sam London Adventures.
Nicholas Flamel is the greatest Alchemyst to ever live. The records show that he died in 1418, but what if he’s actually been making the elixir of life for centures? The secrets to eternal life are hidden within a book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed, and in the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. There is only one hope… While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, twins Sophie and Josh suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between the rival alchemists. Are they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or are they the end of the prophecy that will save the world..? Read all the books in this exciting series–and look for the new graphic novel coming out next summer!
Sheltered within her high-society world, Isabel plays the part of a perfectly proper little girl–she’s quiet, well-behaved, and she keeps her dresses spotlessly clean. She’s certainly not the kind of girl who goes on adventures. But that all changes when Isabel breaches an invisible barrier and steps into another world. She discovers a city not unlike her own, but magical and dangerous. Here, war rages between the fairies of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Only Isabel, with the help of a magical necklace and a few new friends, stands a chance of ending the war before it destroys the fairy world, and maybe her own as well…
When her older sister dies trying to prevent the theft of one of her people’s great treasures, twelve-year-old Scirye sets out to avenge her and recover the precious item. Helping her are Bayang, a dragon disguised as a Pinkerton agent; Leech, a boy with powers he has not yet discovered; and Leech’s loyal companion Koko, who has a secret of his own. All have a grudge against the thieves who stole the treasure: the evil dragon Badik and the mysterious Mr. Roland. Scirye and her companions pursue the thieves from San Francisco to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island being created by magic. There, they befriend Pele, the volatile and mercurial goddess of volcanoes. But even with Pele on their side, they may not be able to stop Mr. Roland from gaining what he seeks: the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yu. Together, the treasures will give him the power to alter the very fabric of the universe. Be sure to read the entire trilogy!
Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet-a ridiculous notion! Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters- the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late. Read the trilogy.
Tom Lee’s life changes forever the day he meets a talking tiger named Mr. Hu and discovers that he has magical powers and great responsibilities that he never imagined. Despite his doubts and fears, Tom joins Mr. Hu’s ragtag band of creatures in their fight to keep an ancient talisman out of the hands of the worst possible enemy. This action-packed fantasy reveals a hidden world within our own where animals take human form, where friendship is the final weapon in the battle between good and evil, and where a young boy is responsible for saving the world he knows . . . and the one he is just discovering. Read the whole trilogy–and watch for a movie, based on the trilogy, when it comes out in the near future!
As a member of the Jade Society, twelve-year-old Faryn Liu dreams of honoring her family and the gods by becoming a warrior. But the Society has shunned Faryn and her brother Alex ever since their father disappeared years ago, forcing them to train in secret. Then, during an errand into San Francisco, Faryn stumbles into a battle with a demon–and helps defeat it. She just might be the fabled Heaven Breaker, a powerful warrior meant to work for the all-mighty deity, the Jade Emperor, by commanding an army of dragons to defeat the demons. That is, if she can prove her worth and find the island of the immortals before the Lunar New Year. With Alex and other unlikely allies at her side, Faryn sets off on a daring quest across Chinatowns. But becoming the Heaven Breaker will require more sacrifices than she first realized. . . What will Faryn be willing to give up to claim her destiny? A new series for fans of Percy Jackson!
* * *
Some older titles our library no longer has, but are worth looking for if you’re a San Francisco fan:
Book covers were supposed to be in alphabetical order, but they had a mind of their own. The books are in alphabetical order by author below:
Hitch at the Fairmont by Jim Averbeck Someone is Hiding on Alcatraz Island by EveBunting Bridge of Time by Lewis Buzbee Into the Firestorm by Deborah Hopkinson Searching for Candlestick Park by Peg Kehret Quake! Disaster in San Francisco By Gail Langer Karwoski Newsgirl By Liza Ketchum Three Pennies by Melanie Krowder Earthquake! A story of old San Francisco By Kathleen Kudlinski I Am Lavina Cumming by Susan Lowell You’re Bacon Me Crazy by Suzanne Nelson Mystery at Thunderbolt House by Howard Pease Paperquake by Kathryn Reiss The Strange Case of Baby H by Kathryn Reiss Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace The Mystery of the Green Cat by Phyllis Whitney The Case of the Lion Dancer by Laurence Yep Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep
I’ve read all but two of the books above, and they are excellent books! Most are out of print or difficult to locate. However, some are still available at other Minuteman Libraries or through Interlibrary Loan.
* * *
One of the best things to do if you’re planning to travel is to read a book set in the place you’re traveling to…or bring it with you and compare it to the location! It always makes it more fun if you can recognize places, or know a little of the history. So you should always do some reading before (or after, which can be fun too!) your travels. As always, if you need help finding these, or any other books, in our collection, just ask one of our librarians. We love matching kids and books!
It’s another magical fantasy list…featuring djinn…sometimes also called genies! Everyone knows the most famous genie…do you? (He helped Aladdin.) But there are other books featuring these mythical characters–and these djinn, or jin, or genies go from silly to helpful to downright scary! I know which type I’d prefer to meet! Do you?
Check out any of these books and see what you think.
(This was going to be a Five Books featuring…but there were just too many good books! It would have been difficult to decide on what to leave out. So…Booklist! But you can keep that in mind, because there’s still at least one old book, one new book, one award winner, one kids’ favorite, and one staff favorite!)
Here we go…grab your magic carpet and settle in to read!
On the day of a rare super blue blood moon eclipse, twelve-year-old Amira and her little brother, Hamza, can’t stop their bickering while attending a special exhibit on medieval Islamic astronomy. While stargazer Amira is wowed by the amazing gadgets, a bored Hamza wanders off, stumbling across the mesmerizing and forbidden Box of the Moon. Amira can only watch in horror as Hamza grabs the defunct box and it springs to life, setting off a series of events that could shatter their world–literally.
Suddenly, day turns to night, everyone around Amira and Hamza falls under a sleep spell, and a chunk of the moon breaks off, hurtling toward them at lightning speed, as they come face-to-face with two otherworldly creatures: jinn.
The jinn reveal that the siblings have a role to play in an ancient prophecy. Together, they must journey to the mystical land of Qaf, battle a great evil, and end a civil war to prevent the moon–the stopper between realms–from breaking apart and unleashing terrifying jinn, devs, and ghuls onto earth. Or they might have to say goodbye to their parents and life as they know it, forever…. Also read the second book: The Quest for the Ring of Power.
Sophie can’t wait to start middle school. She’s ready for positive thinking and cute clothes. So when an odd (okay, totally weird, orange and floating) Zac Efron look-alike appears and offers Sophie his fabulous rhinestone ring–well, why would she refuse?
But Sophie soon discovers that by wearing the ring she’s become a djinn–and things rapidly start to spin out of control. Who wouldn’t enjoy having the power to grant wishes? But when Sophie develops RWD (Random Wish Disorder) and can’t STOP granting wishes, things get more than a little mixed-up!Now she’ll have to learn to manage her new powers–and her new, not-always-entirely-helpful djinn guide–just to survive the first week! Read the other books in this fun trilogy.
Maeve Merritt chafes at the rigid rules at her London boarding school for “Upright Young Ladies.” When punishment forces her to sort through the trash, she finds a sardine tin that houses a foul-tempered djinni with no intention of submitting to a schoolgirl as his master.
Soon an orphan boy from the charitable home next door, a mysterious tall man in ginger whiskers, a disgruntled school worker, and a take-no-prisoners business tycoon are in hot pursuit of Maeve and her magical discovery. It’ll take all of her quick thinking and sass to set matters right. Maeve Merritt is one feisty heroine you won’t soon forget. The final book in this trilogy is coming out in March ’23!
All 12 years of Eden’s life have been spent in an antique oil lamp. She lives like a princess in her luxurious home, but to Eden, the lamp is nothing but a prison. She hates being a genie, all she wants is freedom. When Eden finds a gateway to Earth, she takes her chance. This time, she won’t be sent back after three wishes!
Posing as the new kid at a California school, Eden revels in all of Earth’s pleasures – but quickly learns that this world isn’t as perfect as she always thought it was. Eden soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old conflict between powerful immortals. A ruthless organization run by a former genie will do anything to acquire the lamp and it’s power. To save her new friends and protect the lamp’s magic, Eden must decide once and for all where she belongs. Read Eden’s Escape too!
Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho’s sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there’s no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.
Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent–he’s real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!
Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.
Read the trilogy–the third book comes out this month!
One darknight, Emma finds a mysterious green bottle floating in the ocean. When she pulls out the stopper, she sets a blue genie free!
Most genies grant three wishes, but Karim can’t grant even one anymore. A yellow genie stole his magic nose ring, leaving him small, powerless, and trapped in that bottle. Emma and Tristan, her noodle-tailed dog have to help Karim get his nose ring–and his magic–back. And if it takes a magic carpet ride to the distant land of Barakash to help…well, that’s just what they’ll do!
Life is a blast when you have your very own genie. But when Parker Quarry is shipped from sunny Los Angeles to live with relatives in a quiet New Hampshire college town and releases a 2,000 year-old jinn from an ancient canister ‘borrowed’ from the university building where his uncle works, the biggest blasts comes from the millennia old power struggle he reignites.
Now it’s up to Parker, his mild-mannered cousin Theo, and their whiz-kid classmate Reese to stop a battalion of battle-ready jinn from restarting an all-out war–one with humanity in the crosshairs.
Nura longs for the simple pleasure of many things–to wear a beautiful red dupatta or to bite into a sweet gulab. But with her mom hard at work in a run-down sweatshop and three younger siblings to feed, Nura must spend her days earning money by mica mining. But it’s not just the extra rupees in her pocket Nura is after. Local rumor says there’s buried treasure in the mine, and Nura knows that finding it could change the course of her family’s life forever.
Her plan backfires when the mines collapse and four kids, including her best friend, Faisal, are claimed dead. Nura refuses to believe it and shovels her way through the dirt hoping to find him. Instead, she finds herself at the entrance to a strange world of purple skies and pink seas–a portal to the opulent realm of jinn, inhabited by the trickster creatures from her mother’s cautionary tales. Yet they aren’t nearly as treacherous as her mother made them out to be, because Nura is invited to a luxury jinn hotel, where she’s given everything she could ever imagine and more.
But there’s a dark truth lurking beneath all that glitter and gold, and when Nura crosses the owner’s son and is banished to the working quarters, she realizes she isn’t the only human who’s ended up in the hotel’s clutches. Faisal and the other missing children are there, too, and if Nura can’t find a way to help them all escape, they’ll be bound to work for the hotel forever.
A one-armed chauffer? Twin djinn? Three wishes? Qwertyuiop? What does it all add up to?
John and Philippa Gaunt, two not-very-identical twins, live a privileged life on the Upper East of Manhattan with their wealthy parents and two curiously-mannered Rottweilers named Alan and Neil. The twins realize there’s something amiss with their world when a string of strange things begin to happen after their wisdom teeth are extracted: for some strange reason, they dream the same dreams, they become stronger, their zits clear up, and wishes wished in their presence inexplicably come true!
When their estranged Uncle Nimrod asks them to come to England for the summer during one such shared dream, the discovery of their destiny is set in motion. John and Phillippa discover that they are descended from a long line of Djinn and have great inherent powers. They must call on these powers a lot sooner than they anticipated, though, because the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten is not as dead as history has so far declared and his legion of seventy magical djinn could tip the balance of power in the magical realm and affect the whole world order.
Read all eight books in this adventurous fantastical series!
When Abby and her brother Jonah travel through their mirror into the story of Aladdin, they’re excited. There is sure to be magic lamps and genies granting wishes, right?
Wrong.
The genie they meet isn’t quite as helpful as they expected. And if Aladdin’s wishes don’t come true, he won’t get to marry the princess and live happily ever after. Now they have to escape an enchanted cave, find forty buckets of jewels, plan a parade and learn to fly a magic carpet. Otherwise they’ll run out of wishes…and never get home! Read all the other Whatever After books, where Abby and Jonah visit other fairy tales.
Five and a half feet might seem pretty tall for a twelve-year-old, but it’s not when your parents are giants. Lena has kept the fact that she’s a tiny giant secret, using magic to grow when out in the giant village. But hiding who she is has always felt wrong, even though she knows the other giants might not accept her. Fortunately, Lena has friends down in the Cursed City who understand that looking different doesn’t make her less of a giant.
Someone who knows not to judge by appearances is Jin, a young genie currently serving one thousand and thirty-eight years of genie training that requires him to fulfill the wish of whoever holds his magical ring. In Jin’s case, it’s the power-hungry Golden King. At least the king only has two wishes left, one of which is for Jin to go to the Cursed City and capture its protector, the Last Knight–one of Lena’s closest friends.
What Lena and Jin don’t know is how close the Golden King’s plans are to coming together, between his dark magic and his horrible Faceless knights. If Jin does find the Last Knight and bring him to the Golden King, why, that could doom the entire fairy-tale world. Um…This sounds like it’ll end badly, doesn’t it?
This popular author’s series are great…and this is his most recent trilogy!
Nathaniel is a young magician’s apprentice, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic. He believes he’s ready to take on more challenging spells than those just for beginners! But when a devious hotshot wizard named Simon Lovelace ruthlessly humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to kick up his education a few notches and show Lovelace who’s boss. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all: summoning the all-powerful Bartimaeus, a 5000-year-old djinni. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, rebellion and revolt.
Will he control Bartimaeus, or will Bartimaeus control him? Read the whole trilogy and find out! (This book has also been made into a graphic novel…which is also good!)
Meet Princess Cimorene–a princess who refustes to be proper. She is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomobyish smart… And bored.
So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon. And not just any dragon, but Kazul–one of the most powerful and dangerous dragons arounds. Of course, Cimorene has a way of hooking up with dangerous characters, and soon she’s coping with a witch,a a jinn, a death-dealing talking bird, a stone prince, and some very oily wizards.
If this princess ran away to find some excitement, it looks like she’s found plenty! Although the djinn only appears in the first book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the rest are great reads too!
A genie that grants ALL your wishes–it’s a dream come true! Want to fly, turn invisible, or get a lifetime supply of sandwiches? Done, done and done! Ask and you shall recieve. But there are a FEW catches…which Ace is about to learn the hard way.
Ace’s life is about to change in the most unexpected and magical ways–all because of a peanut butter jar.
When he opens it, he inadvertently releases a genie named Ridge. Now a Wishmaker, Ace is given a week to complete a seemingly impossible quest, and if he fails the world will end in the most tragic (but cuddly) way imaginable.
Luckily, Ridge can help by granting Ace an unlimited number of wishes…as long as Ace is willing to accept the consequences. The bigger the wish, the greater the consequence. So, if Ace wants to avoid having pogo sticks for legs or his clothes turn invisible, he’ll have to be careful what he wishes for and get a little creative. But as consequences begin to pile up, Ace finds himself wondering if he’ll actually be able to save the world…or if he might be the one to doom it altogether!
So…there you have it; fifteen plus books about djinn. Or genies. Or jinn. Read them all and see what kind of things happen when you make wishes. And if you find a strange lamp on the beach, or in a storage chest, or up in your attic…would you rub it or not?
If you need any help finding these or any other books at the library, just ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching kids and books!
It’s Dia de los Muertos…and we’re celebrating with some great fantasy adventure!
Whether our characters are facing La Llorona, La Cuca, El Sombreron, K’ukumatz, Qutzacoatl or even a Chupacabra…they’re prepared for anything! Anyone who has enjoyed Percy Jackson should enjoy these books as well, featuring a whole different world of mythology. So check out one of these books, set in Mexico or featuring mythological creatures. You’ll be happy you did!
Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (usually with a few fun extras) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Mostly Middle Grade, with the occasional younger or older or graphic title thrown in for flavor.
Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!
Adventure to the Underworld! A prophecy predicts that a young boy, half-human and half-mystical being, will defeat the evil king and lead the kingdom back to justice. But can Sayam pass the three impossible tasks the king sets out for him?
The first in a projected graphic novel series set on the Yucatan peninsula a thousand years ago.
Charlie Hernández has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. He loves the culture, the art, and especially the myths. Thanks to his abuela‘s stories, Charlie possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and ghouls who have spent the last five hundred years haunting the imaginations of children all across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Central and South America. And even though his grandmother sometimes hinted that the tales might be more than mere myth, Charlie hasn’t believed in them. But when Charlie begins to grow wings, he is suddenly swept up in a world where the mythical beings he’s spent his entire life hearing about. And even stranger, they seem to know more about him than he knows about himself!
Soon, Charlie finds himself in the middle of an ancient battle between La Liga, a secret society of legendary mythological beings sworn to protect the Land of the Living, and La Mano Negra (a.k.a. the Black Hand), a cabal of evil spirits determined to rule mankind. With only the help of his lifelong crush, Violet and his grandmother’s stories to guide him, Charlie must navigate a world where monsters and brujas rule and things he couldn’t possibly imagine go bump in the night. That is, if he has any hope of discovering what’s happening to him and saving his missing parents (oh, and maybe even the world). No pressure, muchacho.
Zane would much rather explore the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico than go to school with kids who bully him for his limp. But what Zane doesn’t know is that the volcano in his back yard is actually a gateway to another world, a world he’s thrust into with his dog, Rosie, and the new girl at school, Brooks. Once he enters the hidden tunnels that lead to the center of the volcano, he is kicking off an epic adventure full of surprising discoveries, dangerous secrets, and an all-out war between the gods.
To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can’t even walk well without a cane? To prevent the Mayan gods from battling each other and destroying the world, Zane will have to unravel an ancient prophecy, stop an evil god, and discover how the physical disability that makes him reliant on that cane also connects him to his father and his ancestry.
Jorge is lonely and resentful after being sent to live with his grandparents. His first day at his new school doesn’t go well after catching the attention of his belligerent principal and the school bullies, so Jorge might be a little desperate for a friend.
But the only kid who shares his interest in junk food and games turns out to be a young chupacabra-a legendary monster whose kind is known for being bloodthirsty livestock killers. The truth is, Carter is anything but savage-he’s kind, a good listener, and has great taste in sneakers. Being friends with a mythical creature should be amazing, but when local cattle turn up dead and his principal suspects the truth, Jorge is torn. Should he trust that his friend is innocent and protect him from exposure, or reveal his dangerous existence and change the world forever?
After encountering a Jersey Devil while on a field trip to the Pine Barrens, Elliot and his new friend Uchenna help their weird teacher Professor Fauna rescue the mythological creature from a pair of greedy billionaire brothers. In this volume, a new adventure begins for Elliot and Uchenna when Professor Fauna bursts into their classroom with a frightening report from the Texas-Mexico border: something has completely drained the blood from a cow’s body! The team must fly to Laredo, where tempers are running high.
Teaming up with local kids Lupita and Mateo–plus their brilliant mother, Dr. Alejandra Cervantes, and her curandero husband, Israel–can the Unicorn Rescue Society save the region’s animals and help bring a divided community together once more? And what is that spiny, bloodsucking, adorable little creature?
Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky kid being raised by his globe-trotting aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the anything-but-ordinary. Captured by the menacing Hightower Corporation, which is bent on using the guardian’s magic for its own nefarious purposes, Shinji must team up with a brilliant young tech whiz named Lucy and her robot mouse, Tinker, in order to escape.
Together the two turn to the venerable Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its ragtag cast of spelunkers, hackers, mapmakers, pilots, and mythology experts (among other things) to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic–which seems to be draining his life force. Time is ticking, the Hightower Corporation is in hot pursuit, and success or failure might depend on one small thing–Shinji finally coming around to the belief that he is anything but ordinary.
Omega Morales’s family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena. But over the years, the town’s reputation for the supernatural is no longer one the people carry with pride. So Omega’s family keeps to themselves, and in private, they’re Empaths–diviners who can read and manipulate the emotions of people and objects around them. But Omega’s powers don’t quite work, and it leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own family.
When a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl–known in Mexican folklore as La Lechuza–shows up unannounced, Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend.
Suddenly Omega’s magic begins to change, and the key to understanding her powers is more complicated than she thought. Omega will have to decide what’s more important–trusting the instincts of others or learning to trust in herself.
Space-obsessed Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. Pao has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila river at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths. Pao organises a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it’s the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mum was right…
Paola has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mists, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and myth.
Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.
Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration–but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas–witches of Mexican ancestry–who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake.
Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business–even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet.
And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong?
* * *
So what do you think? Will you join Paola, Charlie, Omega, Zane and all these other kids on the adventure of a lifetime? On El Dia de los Muertos, it’s the perfect time to visit the library and check out one of these titles. Since most of them are series, you’ll have plenty of reading to keep you going!
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books at the library, ask one of our librarians. We love matching kids and books! (and hearing about it afterwards, too!)
Have you ever wanted to fall into a wondrous fantasy world? If you did, who or what would you want there to watch your back and help you out? A magic sword? A unicorn friend? An enchanted book? A wily wizard? Well, if you’re anything like the kids in these stories…you would want your brother or sister!
Check out these books where siblings are best friends…and the most reliable help you’ll ever find on a quest to save the world…or maybe just your family.
(This was supposed to be a “5 Books Featuring…” entry. But do you know how many stories there are with siblings on a quest? Lots!)
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton–if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real. Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny–especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.
After their parents vanished, Alex and Emma are sent to live with strict Uncle Mordo. Only Emma’s pet rabbit, Pimawa, keeps them company. But when flying skeletons called Rag-o-Rocs storm their once-quiet home, the kids escape just in time with Pimawa leading the way. The rabbit takes the siblings to the Conjurian, a land where magic exists and Pimawa can talk. But the Conjurian is in trouble. Magic has been disappearing, and the Shadow Conjurer, the most mysterious sorcerer of all, is on the hunt for the Eye of Dedi, an object so powerful it could destroy the Conjurian and human worlds. The battle to control all magic has begun. There’s only one problem: Alex and Emma don’t have any! The first book in The Conjurers.
When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to the hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Soon their house is ransacked by unknown intruders, and a very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, a secret underground city called Lundinor where ordinary objects have amazing powers. There are belts that enable the wearer to fly, yo-yos that turn into weapons, buttons with healing properties, and other enchanted objects capable of very unusual feats. But the forces of evil are closing in fast, and when Ivy and Seb learn that their family is connected to one of the greatest uncommon treasures of all time, they must race to unearth the treasure and get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late. The first book of The Uncommoners.
It is said that in the thirteenth century, in a town called Hamelin, a piper lured all of the children away with his magical flute, and none of them were ever seen again. Today, tough, pink-haired Max and her little brother, Carter, are stuck in modern-day Hamelin with their father . . . until they are also led away by the Piper to a place called the Summer Isle. There they meet the original stolen children, who haven’t aged a day and who have formed their own town, vigilantly guarded from the many nightmarish beings that roam the land. No one knows why the Piper stole them, but Max and Carter may be the key to returning the lost children of Hamelin. Together they set out on the Peddler’s Road to find their way back to the real world. The first in The Secrets of the Pied Piper trilogy.
Twins Cam and Cass have never known their parents. They’ve been told their mother died, and Cass is certain their father abandoned them. Cam isn’t so sure. He wants to prove her wrong; he must. Cam’s wish is soon granted in the form of a glistening, golden sign with elaborate flourishes that reads: The Hotel Between. With doors that open to countries all over the world, magical trollies, charmed corridors that can be altered on a whim, stone elephants that come to life, sweets made from rocks; everything is possible in the Hotel. Cam has a hunch his father is somehow connected to this magical place, and may even be lost within its hidden halls. Every journey has its risks, and The Hotel Between is full of dangerous secrets. If Cam’s not careful, his stay may be over before his vacation has even started. Read the sequel as well!
Tess and her brother, Max, are sent for the summer to their aunt’s sleepy village in the English countryside, where excitement is as rare as a good wifi signal. So when Tess stumbles upon an old brass key that unlocks an ornately carved gate, attached to a strangely invisible wall, she jumps at the chance for adventure. And the world beyond the gate doesn’t disappoint. She finds rose gardens, a maze made of hedges, and a boy named William who is just as lonely as she is. But at William’s castle, strange things begin to happen. Carnival games are paid for in wishes, dreams seem to come alive, and then there’s William’s eerie warning: Beware of the hawthorn trees. A warning that chills Tess to the bone. The first in a trilogy.
Neither Susan nor her brother, Colin, ever thought that war would be waged over a simple gemstone in her bracelet. But that’s what happens when the children visit Alderley Edge, a spooky place in a remote part of England. There, they meet the wizard Cadellin, who needs the stone to rouse his allies in the never-ending battle between good and evil. But when the stone vanishes, Susan and Colin must find it before the forces of evil use it to destroy all the goodness that ever existed in the world. Read the sequel too! (And if you think this is an ugly cover…you should have seen the one on the version I read!)
In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches. Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after. Read the whole trilogy!
Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don’t have much to look forward to. Why can’t Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane — that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she’s never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow. Kate and Tom’s parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas — and so does the Silver Arrow — and soon they’re off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all.
When their parents die in a horrible accident, Gwendolyn and Eric–otherwise known as Cat–have only one living relative, and it turns out that he’s the person who supervises all magic use in their world. Everybody says that Gwendolyn is a gifted witch with astonishing powers, so it suits her enormously when she is taken to live in Chrestomanci Castle. Cat is not so keen, for he has no talent for magic at all. However, life with the great enchanter is not what either of them expects and soon sparks begin to fly as Gwendolyn and Chrestomanci clash over everything. Eric doesn’t know why Chrestomanci seems to think he knows what his sister is up to…even though he knows her better than anyone, Gwendolyn is a force of nature. But so is Chrestomanci… The first book in the Chrestomanci series.
Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris in 1330. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418, but his tomb is empty. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest alchemyst of his day. But twins Sophie and Josh Newman don’t know anything about Flamel or his specialty when they take summer jobs in San Francisco across the street from one another: she at a coffee shop, he at a bookstore owned by Nick and Perry Fleming. Adventure ensues when, in their first week, armed goons garbed in black storm the bookshop, take Perry hostage and swipe a rare Book (but not before Josh snatches its two most important pages). The stolen volume is the Codex, an ancient text of magical wisdom. It turns out that Nick Fleming is really Nicholas Flamel, the same alchemist who could turn base metal into gold, and make the potion that ensures immortality. Sophie and Josh learn that they are mentioned in the Codex’s prophecies: “The two that are one will come either to save or to destroy the world.” Which will it be? Read all the books in this series and find out!
Deep within an enchanted forest lies a castle where a set of triplets and their sorceress mother have lived for years–safe from the decades-long war for the Raven Throne that rages in the kingdom. Cordelia, one of the triplets, has the power to become any animal with just a thought, and she yearns to discover more about the world outside her castle. But one day, the world comes to her, when the eldest of the triplets becomes the newest heir to the throne. Knowing that being named heir means certain death, Cordelia’s mother hid the truth about which child is the eldest when she hid them in the forest. When her family is captured, it’s up to Cordelia to use her powers to keep her siblings Rosalind and Giles hidden and discover the truth about the Raven Heir–before it’s too late.
Seven years ago, the Ballastian sisters’ parents left them in the magical Straygarden Place, a house surrounded by tall silver grass and floating trees. They left behind a warning saying never to leave the house or go into the grass. “Wait for us,” the note read. “Sleep darkly.” Ever since then, the house itself has taken care of Winnow, Mayhap, and Pavonine–feeding them, clothing them, even keeping them company–while the girls have waited and grown up and played a guessing game: Think of an animal, think of a place. Think of a person, think of a face. Until one day, when the eldest, Winnow, does the unthinkable and goes outside into the grass, and everything Mayhap thought she knew about her home, her family, and even herself starts to unravel. In their house where beloved little dogs crawl into their owners’ minds to sleep, sick girls turn silver, and anything can be stolen–even laughter and silence.
On holiday in Cornwall, Simon, Jane and Barney Drew discover an ancient map in the attic of the house where they are staying. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that — the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. As the Drews race against the forces of evil, they must piece together the text’s clues to find the grail–and keep its secret safe until a new champion rises. Read the whole Dark is Rising sequence!
After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old Victorian mansion they’ve just moved into, left to them by a mysterious relative, Jared; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own–the world of faerie. Strange things start to happen around the house, and when one of the kids disappear, the others have to find him. Jared, Simon and Mallory want to share their story and get some help, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them….
It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings–Martha, Mark and Katharine–are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does…her wish is granted. Only not quite: only half of her wish comes true. It turns out the coin grants wishes–but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Wishing for two times some things is a cinch, but other doubled wishes only cause twice as much trouble. What is half of twice a talking cat? Or to be half-again twice not-here? And how do you double your most heartfelt wish, the one you care about so much it has to be perfect? The first book in The Tales of Magic, a series with multiple siblings of different generations, crossing over their adventures out of time.
Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie’s favorite days. That’s because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. Even her older siblings Rolf, Lilah and Bran admit that Celie knows the Castle better than anyone. But when King and Queen Glower and Bran are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it’s up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle’s never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom.
When siblings Susan, Max, Nell, Kate, and Jean tumble one by one through a glowing cobalt window, they find themselves outside their cozy home — and in a completely unfamiliar world where everything looks wrong and nothing makes sense. Soon, an ancient prophecy leads them into battle with mysterious forces that threaten to break the siblings apart even as they try desperately to remain united and find their way home. Thirteen-year-old twins Max and Susan and their younger siblings take turns narrating the events of their story in unique perspectives as each of the children tries to comprehend their stunning predicament — and their extraordinary new powers — in his or her own way.
All Betty Widdershins wants is an adventure–one that takes her far away from Crowstone, the gloomy island where she’s always lived. But instead of an adventure, Betty and her sisters, Fliss and Charlie, are given of a set of magical objects, each with its own powers: a scruffy carpet bag, a set of wooden nesting dolls, and a gilt-framed mirror. And these magical objects come with their own terrible secret: the sisters’ family is haunted by a generations-long curse that prevents them from ever leaving their island–at the cost of death. The sisters set out to break the curse and free their family forever. But after stumbling upon a mysterious prisoner who claims to be able to help them, they find themselves in great danger. And in order to break the curse–and stay alive–they must unravel a mystery that goes back centuries, one that involves shipwrecks, smugglers, and sorcery of the most perilous kind. The first of a projected trilogy.
Caprona, the Italian city of spellmakers, is in danger! A mysterious evil enchanter has made the feud between the Montana family and their rivals, the Petrocchi family, worse then ever. Armies are poised to invade Caprona, and the Duke seems incapable of stopping the impending disaster. That leaves it up to the youngest siblings of each family–Tonino and Paolo Montana and Angelica and Renata Petrocchi–to try to stop the evil enchanter and save their city. But the enemy they must bring down is powerful and cunning, especially for Tonino and Angelica, who have both have trouble making their spells work properly. To overcome the evil enchanter, the children must enlist the help of a special cat and find a way to get their feuding families to work together.
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a “savvy”–a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it’s the eve of Mibs’s big day. As if waiting weren’t hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs’s birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman’s bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up–and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin. Read the whole connected trilogy, each featuring another of Mibs’ family.
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. “Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.” A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. Soon Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem. The first of the Time Quintet...also featuring Sandy and Dennys, Meg and Charles Wallace’s twin brothers.
Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke–an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings–Leigh, Sage and Ty– are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke locked away while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle and also whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, non-magical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily–a lot less fun. So Rose and her siblings experiment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke. A few Love Muffins and Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they? The first in a trilogy.
Neil and Liz Maloney have a secret: Their father is the keeper of the Weatherbox, a magical phone booth that rings four times a year, signaling the changing of the seasons. But this summer when the family gathers to send off the season, the phone doesn’t ring and autumn does not arrive. Instead a mysterious tourist of magic shows up at their doorstep, along with two nonsensical hags and one cat-shaped bog beast. The only one not taken by surprise is their neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald, who seems to be able to make the elements of weather itself do her bidding. Now it’s up to Neil and Liz–and even their little brother Owen–to discover the source of Mrs. Fitzgerald’s power and restore order to the climate.
The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby’s father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? Fast-forward ten years, when it becomes apparent that Jenna has her own grand destiny to fulfill. As for Septimus, could it be that his death is more presumed than actual? Read this whole Septimus Heap series!
Lily and Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family–and their friendship. Little do they know that a mysterious boy has been watching them from the oak tree outside their window. A boy who intends to take them away from home for good, to an island of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children, to a sea of merfolk, pirates, and a giant crocodile. A boy who calls himself Peter Pan.
The great sorceress Morgana Shee is guardian of the only remaining passage between our world and the Wildworld. Only she has the power to pass between both worlds, and only on December 21, the Winter Solstice. When Morgana is betrayed and imprisoned by the evil magician Cadal Forge, the passage is left unguarded. Now Cadal plans to come through and enslave the world. But Morgana has a secret–the California siblings she has befriended, and her ally, a fox vixen. It’s up to Claudia, her older sister Alys, and the twins Charles and Janie to get through Cadal Forge’s forces, reach Morgana and free her…and save both the Wildworld and Earth. Read the sequel for the conclusion of this exciting fantasy!
Siblings Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about. Until now. Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world . . . a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And–if an ancient prophesy is true–what they do can change history, and it’s up to them to set things right. The first of The Books of Beginning.
Rowan, Meg, Priscilla, and their little brother, James, are off to the English countryside to stay with relatives at the Rookery. The children are looking forward to exploring the ancient mansion and perhaps discovering a hidden secret or two. Little do they know this is a seventh summer. Every seventh summer, a fairy war is fought on the Green Hill–to the death–with a human champion. And Rowan has been chosen as one of the champions. Meg is desperate to save her brother. But the Midsummer War is far more than a battle between mythic creatures: Everything that lives depends on it. How can Meg choose between family and the fate of the very land itself?
So Many Siblings! So Many Adventures! Are there any of your favorite brothers and sisters that we missed?
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books in the library, just ask one of our librarians. We always love to match books and readers! (Or to help you find something new…)
Wolves get a bad rap, there’s no disputing that. From knocking down little pig houses to gobbling grannies to following a boy named Peter…there’s no end to the Big Badness of Fairytale Wolves.
But really, wolves are admirable animals. They educate their young, they’re playful, and most of all, they’re completely devoted to their families. So here are some GOOD wolves in fantasy literature…something to get the image of wolves as bad characters out of your mind forever!
Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (occasionally with a few extras) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Five Books–One Old, One New, One Popular with Kids, One Well-Reviewed, and One Favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!
While thirteen-year-old Matt Thorsen has always known he’s a modern-day descendent of Thor, he’s been living a normal kid’s life. In fact, most people in the small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt’s classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. No big deal.
But now Ragnarok is coming, and it’s up to the champions to fight in the place of the long-dead gods. Matt, Laurie, and Fen’s lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team, find Thor’s hammer and shield, and prevent the end of the world.
Rowan is destined to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the oldest child is always next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her monster hunting aunt’s glorious sword and joining her queen mother for boring diplomatic teas. But tragedy shatters the longstanding rule, and Rowan finds herself hunting the most dangerous monster of all: a gryphon.
Accompanied by a feisty baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, Rowan sets off on a journey that will see her join other unlikely allies: a boy with monster-hunting ambitions of his own, and a girl hiding dangerous motives. It will take all of Rowan’s skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this adventure on track. The future of her kingdom depends on it.
Tell your lord to beware, the wolves smell danger in the wind… Wolfhaven Castle has been attacked, and only four escape capture …
Tom is trained to scrub pots not fight, Elanor is the Lord’s daughter, Sebastian is a knight in training and Quinn is the witch’s apprentice. They’re the only four to escape capture after Wolfhaven Castle is attacked. Somehow, if they are to save their people, these unlikely heroes must find four magical beasts from legend. But first, they have to make it out of the castle alive…
Feo’s life is extraordinary. Her mother trains domesticated wolves to be able to fend for themselves in the snowy wilderness of Russia, and Feo is following in her footsteps to become a wolf wilder. She loves taking care of the wolves, especially the three who stay at the house because they refuse to leave Feo, even though they’ve already been wilded.
But not everyone is enamored with the wolves, or with the fact that Feo and her mother are turning them wild. And when her mother is taken captive, Feo must travel through the cold, harsh woods to save her–and learn from her wolves how to survive.
Everyone in Vallen knows that ice wolves and scorch dragons are sworn enemies who live deeply separate lives.
So when orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Family or not, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away.
To rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. But for Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shapeshifting force of all. Will he find Rayna again, and if he does, will she be the same sister he remembers?
John and Margaret Begbie are picnicking with their parents in the Black Forest when they are mysteriously spirited back through time into the Middle Ages. There they meet Mardian, one-time servant and closest friend of Duke Otho, ruler of the country. He tells them a terrible secret – he is under the enchantment of the evil sorcerer Almeric, and is forced to assume a wolf’s shape every night. Unable to return to the castle, the children are his only hope.
And so John and Margaret disguise themselves as children of the court and embark on a thrilling and frightening quest to reveal Almeric’s true nature and gain the Duke’s confidence. But then Almeric becomes suspicious, and suddenly all their lives are in danger…
Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans–especially witches–but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga.
Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf’s keen nose for a secret plan she’s brewing . . . Before Zima knows what’s happening, the witch has cast a switching spell and run off into the woods, while Zima is left behind in Baba Yaga’s hut–and Baba Yaga’s body!
Meanwhile, a young village girl named Nadya is also seeking the witch’s help, and when she meets Zima (in Baba Yaga’s form), they discover that they face a common enemy. With danger closing in, Zima must unite the wolves, the witches and the villagers against an evil that threatens them all.
A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.
One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help.
United in purpose, they work to save Tam against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old.
* * *
And there you have it! Good wolves, helping people, protecting family and saving their world. Do you know of any other good wolves in books of fantasy? There are several books that are realistic fiction featuring wolves too…A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, Lone Wolf by Katherine Lasky, Summer of the Wolves by Polly Carlson-Voiles, and Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George all come to mind. But there are many, many more.
If you would like to learn more about real wolves, the Dewey Decimal number is J 599.77 or J 599.773.
As always, if you need help finding any of the books on this list, or if you would like assistance finding these, or any other titles, just ask one of our librarians. We love to match readers and books!
It’s that time again…time for a new Audio Book! And this one is magical…
Have you ever wished to have magical powers? To be able to see magical things? Maybe even to do magic yourself? In some books it’s fun. In other books it’s scary. Sometimes, it’s a little of both.
Most of the time, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Check out 13 Treasuresand find out why!
Tanya has always been able to see faeries and magical beings; she doesn’t remember a time when she couldn’t. When she was little, everyone thought it was cute…a little girl chattering away to her imaginary friends. But as she got older, people around her were less accepting, and she became “that weird girl who talks to herself.” Even her parents don’t believe her when she tries to explain.
So Tanya learns to ignore the beings only she can see. But that just makes them angry. Instead of just talking to her, they started tormenting her; causing accidents to happen around her and to her. Sometimes she can center herself it by writing about what is happening in her diary, but the little people don’t like that. If they find out, it makes it worse.
And then it gets just about as bad as it can get. Tanya’s mother gives up on her daughter after her bedroom is destroyed–again–and brings her to stay with her grandmother. Tanya doesn’t want to go, the house is miles from everything, crumbling and old. It even has a name: Elvesden Manor. Her grandmother, Florence, is cold and unapproachable, although she mostly ignores Tanya. Warwick, the man who takes care of everything at the manor, including Florence, is a silent man, not given to talking much. His son, Fabian is more of a nuisance. Tanya and Fabian have never gotten along in the past, and Tanya doesn’t expect that to have changed. To have to spend weeks with this three people she doesn’t even like seems like a never-ending sentence of dreadfulness.
And then, to make matters worse, it turns out that the manor is also full of unwelcoming creatures, from the stone gargoyles on the gate to the slinking cat who catches and chews on fae folk, to the goblins in the garden. Tanya is grateful to have been able to bring her dog Oberon with her, but even he can’t warn her about everything.
On the first day, Tanya discovers an unlocked door in the house–a door that has never been unlocked before. Going in, she finds a library of books, including books about Faerie lore and the Unseen world. Out of one of the books, several newspaper clippings fall out about a girl gone missing fifty years earlier. Her grandmother finds her in the library and scolds her, but also seems afraid. She tells Tanya to keep the silver charm bracelet she found in the library…something she would have never done in the past. Tanya is intrigued by both the mystery of the missing girl, who had been her grandmother’s friend, and the thirteen charms on her new bracelet.
Strange things start to happen when Tanya goes to town. First Mad Morag, a woman Fabian calls “crazy” gives her a strange brass compass. Then a man tries to buy it from her…and when she won’t sell, he tries to steal it! She doesn’t understand anything happening around her.
When Oberon chases a goblin into the woods, Tanya has to follow him. Fabian comes with her. Soon they find themselves lost in the woods, with only the compass to guide them. A compass that points to…H? Fabian turns out not to be so bad, and they agree to cooperate to find Oberon and get out of the woods. But their discoveries there lead them to a tighter friendship as they work together to solve the mysteries surrounding Tanya. Is her life actually at risk? Will they figure out what is going on before the fae folk get to her?
The audio of 13 Treasures is wonderful. I loved the narrator’s voice and her accent. I don’t really know what it is, but it’s either British or Irish or something in between. The descriptions of the manor, the woods and the town make you feel like you are in the story. Actually, all the descriptive passages are quite nice. I do like her voices for all the characters, including the creatures. Maybe especially the creatures! One of my favorite passages is when Tanya encounters goblins, and they talk in rhyme. Tanya has to answer in rhyme, for them to hear and understand her. I enjoyed the way it unfolded as you listen; feeling like you’re figuring out what to do along with Tanya.
13 Treasuresis a fun and spooky story; the first in a trilogy that includes 13 Curses and 13 Secrets. There’s also a prequel called One Wish. I have always enjoyed stories featuring the world of Faerie, and this one is delightfully menacing, with characters you grow to admire and want to succeed. It’s an adventure story, a story of an unlikely friendship, and a mystery, all rolled into one.
This book is appropriate for fourth through seventh grade readers who enjoy a good mystery or fantasy. The audio is enjoyable for listeners of all ages, and anyone going to stay in a creepy woods in England (Ireland?) should definitely read or listen to this one! Some read alikes are The Spiderwick Chroniclesby Tony DiTerlizzi, The Thickety by J. A. White, Under the Green Hillby Laura Sullivan, The Jumbiesby Tracy Baptiste, The Green Children of Woolpitby J. Anderson Coats, and Come Fall by A. C. E. Bauer.
* * *
So there you go…another audio book for your next trip–or maybe just to listen to around town. If you like chills and thrills, with a bit of mystery and some heartwarming family bonding (sort of) this one is for you!
As always, if you need help finding this or any other book in the library, just ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching books and readers!
So snow…I think our last entry of The Clockwork Crow doomed us to the same eternal snowstorm as those characters endured in that book! Our Talking Tuesday entries have been totally destroyed by that pesky white stuff.
So, to escape, this entry features summer! Not a snowflake in sight…just green grass and bright sunshine and flowery breezes. And, oh, maybe a slight problem with some crazy Fey, a few monsters and a bit of danger. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves…
Rufus doesn’t make mistakes, he makes fatal errors. Fatal errors like the ones that made sixth grade the worst year of his life. And it looks like seventh grade isn’t going to be much better, if he doesn’t keep doing things that put him in the spotlight. But that’s a whole summer away, so he doesn’t have to think about it.
Instead, he’ll concentrate on the place he can always escape to, and the person who will always sympathize. His Grandpa Jack and his house Feylawn have become Rufus’s safe place from fatal errors. Feylawn is a large piece of land, with a house and barn and lots of places to explore, from fox dens to granite standing stones and a creek that winds across it all. For Rufus, it’s always been a little fun, a bit dangerous, and sometimes even inexplicably mysterious–like how it’s so hard to find, even with directions. And how sometimes technology, like cell phones, don’t work. But it’s their family land, and Grandpa Jack always understands what he’s going through. But to Rufus’ dismay, it turns out that refuge could be in jeopardy.
When Grandpa Jack has an accident and has to call Rufus’ father for a ride to the hospital (because the ambulance can’t find Feylawn) Rufus’s dad is furious at his own father. Grandpa Jack excuses his broken arm and burns as Feylawn feeling “cantankerous”. Apparently that means fires are starting in the kitchen and holes are opening under his feet in the barn, sending Grandpa Jack hurtling to the floor below. While his father works to get his grandfather ready to travel, Rufus is told to be quiet and NOT to go into the barn, even though Grandpa Jack was trying to get to a mysterious treasure when he fell.
There’s no way Rufus can resist the pull of treasure, so he just goes out to the barn for a little peek…and he finds the bag Grandpa Jack had mentioned. Unwrapping it, he finds an old time toy steam engine, that looks to be in perfect condition. It’s strange how real the locomotive looks–like it was once people size, and shrunken down to model train size. While Rufus is admiring it, a blue jay lands nearby and tries to grab the bag still partially wrapped around it to fly off with the whole package. Rufus gets it back from the bird, but in the struggle, the tiny train bell chimes, with an echoing, silvery tone. With the sound, Rufus knows something has changed. He is determined to go back and investigate the barn and find out more about the engine.
But the next day, his parents sit him down and explain that Feylawn is dangerous. That Grandpa Jack is too old to take care of everything, and the houses and barn are too neglected to be safe. That Rufus has to find something else to do with his summer…they’re not going to let him waste the whole time puttering around with Grandpa Jack at Feylawn. Rufus is told he needs to find a camp to attend, or something to keep him busy, and he is forbidden to go to Feylawn. But Rufus has to go back at least once, to talk to Granpa Jack and not leave him just wondering what happened. And that’s when Rufus finds out his most recent fatal error–he rang the bell.
Because now he can see that Feylawn is full of Feylings. Little creatures who are causing all the destruction on the property and around Grandpa Jack. Little creatures who are supposed to be immortal, but who are dying because they need to get back home. And Iris, their leader, tells him the way to do that is to restore the rest of the train that Rufus found. But that won’t be easy. Now his parents have decided that not only is Rufus to stay away from Feylawn, they’ve decided that Grandpa Jack isn’t safe there either. They want to sell the property and find him a nice place in town.
No one else can see the Feylings, and no one believes he can. It’s Rufus against his parents and the whole world, without an ally. But when his Aunt Chrissy and cousin Abigail arrive, ostensibly to visit, but really for Aunt Chrissy to help persuade Grandpa Jack to sell Feylawn and move….Rufus discovers that snooty Abigail can also see the Feylings. And she doesn’t believe that he’s only just had his eyes opened.
Soon Rufus and Abigail have formed a reluctant alliance to help Iris and find the rest of the train. It has to be secret, because everyone would think they were crazy if they admitted to seeing Feylings. It’s also dangerous, because it seems like someone…or something…is also looking. They have a time limit looming too, as their parents are determined to sell the land and get Grandpa Jack out. Will Rufus save the day, or make a fatal error? With mysterious giants, bird shape shifters and petulant trolls hindering their progress, the cousins are all the more determined to save the Feylings, Grandpa Jack AND Feylawn!
The audio for The Book of Fatal Errorswas quite enjoyable. The narrator did a wonderful job supplying the voices of the characters–from youthful Rufus to scratchy Grandpa Jack to impatient and irritable Iris. (Also the bad guys, but I don’t want to give away who they are here.) The pacing was good, and Rufus seemed to mature not only in the story, but in how the narrator portrayed him by voice. I found myself sitting in the car once I had reached my destination, not willing to turn off the CD.
There are some dangling threads left in The Book of Fatal Errors, so I do hope there will be a sequel. There was a good amount of world-building that shouldn’t go to waste with just one story!
The Book of Fatal Errorswould be appropriate for kids in fourth through seventh grade. For listening, it could go younger, although some of the characters might be a little frightening for younger listeners. The relationships between Rufus and his dad, Rufus and Grandpa Jack, and Rufus and his cousin could make for some interesting family discussions. Similarly, Rufus’ “fatal errors” could be a great source of discussion about school and what real friendship is.
So there you go. A summer adventure with lots of time outside and some good sleuthing. (Which wasn’t mentioned, but is a vital part of the story!) In addition, there’s a great-grandmother who wrote books for children, which is not something you see every day. Also, I would love to visit Feylawn. If you check out the map above, I think you would like to as well. Check The Book of Fatal Errors out…I think you’ll like it!
As always, if you need help finding this or any other book at the library, please ask one of our librarians. We’re always happy to help you find your next favorite book!
BellaOnBooks's Blog 