I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy since before I can remember—and to this day, from reading to writing to gaming, fantasy worlds remain my favourite places to stay. I’m the author of six books so far, five in the Blackthorn Key adventures; my latest series is Thieves of Shadow.
The most important element of urban fantasy is its worldbuilding. The best of the genre creates a city that’s not only familiar but feels even better than the real thing, the kind of place a young reader wishes they could live. Well, Jonathan Stroud is about as good at worldbuilding as it gets. Here he infuses modern London with a problem—or, rather, The Problem—the dead just won’t stay dead, in a series that’s tense and creepy, but also filled with his signature wit and humour.
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see-and eradicate-these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment…
Jurassic Park meets Lord of the Rings. Need I say more? Fablehaven, and its sequel series, Dragonwatch, draws upon centuries of mythology to create a wildlife haven—or, rather, a "monsterlife" haven—protected by a kindhearted cast of rogues. The series’ biggest strength is that author Brandon Mull understands there’s something sinister lying behind most fairytales, and he brings that danger to every scene.
The dragons that have been kept in sanctuaries want their freedom—and their revenge—and the world’s only hope is the reformation of the ancient order of Dragonwatch in this New York Times bestselling first novel of a new sequel series to Fablehaven from author Brandon Mull.
In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The…
Most readers were introduced to Hardinge’s work when The Lie Tree won the Costa Book of the Year Award (only the second children’s book ever to do so; Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass was the first). But fans who’ve been reading her since Fly By Night, the first book in her Mosca Mye series, already knew that Frances Hardinge is the most imaginative writer in children’s fantasy today. Her brilliant debut introduced the charmingly hostile Mosca Mye, her murderous goose, Saracen, and her hapless partner-in-crime, Eponymous Clent—and the sequel, Twilight Robbery, is even better. There are only two books in the series so far; I hope every year for a third.
Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad. Mosca Mye was born at a time sacred to Goodman Palpitattle, He Who Keeps Flies out of Jams and Butterchurns, which is why her father insisted on naming her after the housefly. He also insisted on teaching her to read-even in a world where books are dangerous, regulated things. Eight years later, Quillam Mye died, leaving behind an orphaned daughter with an inauspicious name and an all-consuming hunger for words. Trapped…
If you like stories that keep you guessing, then Jennifer Nielsen’s Ascendance series was written for you. Featuring a clever, likable protagonist (Sage, a thief from the streets, recruited into a plot to impersonate the dead Prince Jaron and steal the throne), the first book, The False Prince, is a slow burn of secrets, lies, and conspiracies—and totally worth the price of admission on its own.
If you love the danger and sword-fighting of MERLIN, you'll like this! In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. As Sage's…
When your main characters are all dragons, your biggest challenge is making them relatable. Sutherland does this expertly, showcasing her dragonets’ alien nature through fun, dragonlike qualities, all the while imbuing them with an inner humanity that will have young readers rooting for the heroes as soon as the Mudwing, Clay, lumbers onto the page. With fourteen books already out—and one more to come—this series is a dragon lover's dream.
The beginning of a thrilling new dragon saga-- now in paperback!
Clay and his friends have grown up under a mountain, secretly raised by the Talons of Peace to fulfill a mysterious prophecy. The five young dragons are destined to end the war that's been raging between the tribes of Pyrrhia -- but how they'll do this, none of them knows.But not every dragonet wants a destiny. When one of their own is threatened, Clay and his friends decide to escape. Maybe they can break free and end the war at the same time -- or maybe they'll risk everything…
Five kids with unusual talents must commit an impossible crime in a thrilling new fantasy heist series.
Lured by the promise of more money than they've ever dreamed of, five young thieves are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. But as every thief knows, it's best to stay away from magic. It can turn on you at any moment, make you think you're running the con game, when in reality you're the one being fooled. Faced with insurmountable odds, can the new friends pull off this legendary heist? Or has their luck finally run out?
Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks left by browsing deer, predatory weasels, and inquisitive bears, skunks, and raccoons. Master tracker Kim A Cabrera provides photos and illustrations.
Winner of the prestigious John Burroughs Medal, Russell also writes about community, a sense of place, and a renewed connection with the nonhuman world. She explores the health of…
What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs
Did a red fox pass this way? Could that be a bobcat print there in the dirt? Do those tracks belong to a domestic dog or a coyote? Combining lyrical memoir with an introduction to wildlife tracking, What Walks This Way explores the joys of learning to recognize the traces of the creatures with whom we share our world.
The nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife-mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice-near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. With wit and compassion, she guides readers through…
