Children’s Fiction

Sabrena swept away

Riazi, Karuna, author.

Sabrena's destiny -- her qadr -- is strong. Or so her family has always said. After all, according to her dad, they are the descendants of the legendary Sinbad the sailor, who sailed the seven seas in The One Thousand and One Nights. But Sabrena has felt anything but strong lately. Mostly, she has felt worried. Worried about being the new girl in a school everyone else has attended since kindergarten, worried about Grandma's memory failing and her stories getting more outlandish, worried about Mom deciding that Grandma can't even live at home anymore. Worried about the strange -- almost fantastical -- things that keep happening whenever she's around water. And then, one day, the sea's call will not be denied. It floods into her life and sweeps her away, to be fished out of an ocean both strange and oddly familiar. It only takes her a moment to realize that she's in the stories spun by the legendary queen Scheherazade. Yet no one has ever heard of Sinbad, nothing seems to be going quite as it does in the tales as she knows them, and a frightening jinn is terrorizing the kingdom. Can Sabrena find the courage to claim her destiny before it's too late?....

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Junius Leak and the spiraling vortex of doom

Wolf, Allan, author.

When thirteen-year-old Junius Leak — expert on waterbodies and creator of the encyclopedic Amazing Waterbodies of the World — steps foot on Uncle Spot’s rickety dock on Lake Peigneur, the truth assails him: he may love waterbodies, but that doesn’t mean they love him back. The latest in a long line of Junius Leaks, he’s the first to be doomed to ten days of awkwardness and boredom on a houseboat with a relative he doesn’t know while his parents “work on” their marriage. Delcambre, Louisiana, where Junius was born, is awash with unwelcome surprises. He determines to learn why his mom left town when he was a baby — and to conquer his fear of water at the same time. But the lake has other plans for him, plans tied to a hundred-year-old family feud and a swashbuckling mystery. When disaster strikes, Junius must dive deep within to emerge an unlikely hero. Alternating viewpoints spin the perceptions of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) — and the wry voice of a lake with a long memory — into an inventive tale of sunken treasure and buried secrets anchored by a dramatic true event.....

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Another

Tremblay, Paul, author.

When Casey Wilson's parents tell him that his friend is coming for a sleepover, he has no idea who that might be. Ever since the Zoom Incident, everyone treats him like a pariah, and his tics are worse than ever. When Morel appears, he's not like any friend Casey has ever met. His skin is like clay, and he doesn't speak. But Casey's parents are charmed by the strange kid, and it's nice to have someone to talk to besides his sister, Ally, who is away at college. As his normally loving parents grow distant from Casey, they gush and fawn over Morel. Casey knows something is wrong -- but with no end in sight to the sleepover, he's exhausted. And in the dark, out of the corner of his eye, Morel doesn't look like a kid at all.......

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The library of unruly treasures

Birdsall, Jeanne, author.

Gwen MacKinnon's parents are dreadful. Truly, deeply, almost impressively dreadful. So Gwen's not upset at all when she's foisted onto her never-before-seen Uncle Matthew for two weeks. Especially when it turns out he has a very opinionated dog named Pumpkin. Things take a turn for the weird when Gwen makes a discovery in the local library. A discovery that involves tiny creatures with wings. And no, they're not birds. They're called Lahdukan. But why can only Gwen and the youngest children, gathered for storytime, see them? The Lahdukan insist that Gwen is destined to help them find a new home. But how can a girl as unwanted, uncourageous, and generally unheroic as Gwen possibly come to the rescue? Pumpkin has a few ideas.......

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The library of unruly treasures

Birdsall, Jeanne, author.

Gwen MacKinnon's parents are dreadful. Truly, deeply, almost impressively dreadful. So Gwen's not upset at all when she's foisted onto her never-before-seen Uncle Matthew for two weeks. Especially when it turns out he has a very opinionated dog named Pumpkin. Things take a turn for the weird when Gwen makes a discovery in the local library. A discovery that involves tiny creatures with wings. And no, they're not birds. They're called Lahdukan. But why can only Gwen and the youngest children, gathered for storytime, see them? The Lahdukan insist that Gwen is destined to help them find a new home. But how can a girl as unwanted, uncourageous, and generally unheroic as Gwen possibly come to the rescue? Pumpkin has a few ideas.......

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AJ Torres and the treasure of Captain Grayshark

Iriarte, José Pablo, author.

When AJ and Jayden discover a gold coin washed up on the shore of Miami after a hurricane, they think it might be the answer to all of their problems. They suspect the dingy old coin may be part of the long lost treasure of Captain Grayshark, whose loot was valued in the millions. That much money could help the Torres’s sinking family business and more importantly, allow Jayden to stay in Miami with his mom, instead of moving miles away from his best friend. The boys set out on a quest, along with resident ghost expert, Andrea Wade, to unearth the pirate’s treasure on a nearby haunted island. But the pursuit of treasure might prove more perilous than they could ever imagine — with treacherous waters and a crew of angry ghost pirates waiting for them on Scream Island... A slightly scary, laugh-out loud adventure about searching for gold, but finding much more along the way. ....

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Junius Leak and the spiraling vortex of doom

Wolf, Allan, author.

When thirteen-year-old Junius Leak — expert on waterbodies and creator of the encyclopedic Amazing Waterbodies of the World — steps foot on Uncle Spot’s rickety dock on Lake Peigneur, the truth assails him: he may love waterbodies, but that doesn’t mean they love him back. The latest in a long line of Junius Leaks, he’s the first to be doomed to ten days of awkwardness and boredom on a houseboat with a relative he doesn’t know while his parents “work on” their marriage. Delcambre, Louisiana, where Junius was born, is awash with unwelcome surprises. He determines to learn why his mom left town when he was a baby — and to conquer his fear of water at the same time. But the lake has other plans for him, plans tied to a hundred-year-old family feud and a swashbuckling mystery. When disaster strikes, Junius must dive deep within to emerge an unlikely hero. Alternating viewpoints spin the perceptions of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) — and the wry voice of a lake with a long memory — into an inventive tale of sunken treasure and buried secrets anchored by a dramatic true event.....

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The metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter

Roberts, Barbara Carroll, author.

If Bunny Baxter were an insect, she’d have so many ways to slip through seventh grade unnoticed. But she’s tall instead of tiny, has flaming red Medusa hair instead of camouflage, and she suffers from social anxiety, which makes it hard to be part of a swarm. Worst of all, she’s been redistricted to a new middle school away from her best friend who she could always hide behind when her anxiety got the best of her. The first day at E.D. Britt Middle School does not go well. Bunny trips on the steps, falls into the cutest boy in the school, and causes a kid domino pile-up. At lunch, she unintentionally causes an uproar in the cafeteria, which lands her and another girl in the principal’s office. Bunny decides there is only one option: to get expelled so she can transfer to the school her best friend attends. She soon discovers that it isn’t that hard to get in trouble — don’t turn in your homework, walk around the track instead of run in P.E., pretend you deliberately hit someone with a badminton birdie. What isn’t so easy for Bunny is realizing she now has a reputation as a troublemaker. And even more confusing, when it looks like her plan to get expelled might work, she’s no longer sure what to do.....

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Fetch!

Alfano, Maria Bea, author.

Ten-year-old Gio Barker is down in the dumps. His mom has uprooted him to a new school and a new town, all so she can start her own business. Gio used to see friends after school, but now he's stuck hanging around his mom's new doggy day care. Then one day he mistakes a dog biscuit for a human cookie, and suddenly he can talk to the dogs! The day care dogs become the friends Gio desperately needs. They tell him some of the great secrets of dog life, and he takes them for wild romps in the park. But when the dogs realize that Gio is struggling, they take it upon themselves to teach him everything they know. Sure, they're lessons from dog school, but some of these skills are useful in any context. Take Fetch, for instance. It's a game of give and take -- perfect skills to practice if Gio wants to make the soccer team or find a human friend!....

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Blood in the water

Jackson, Tiffany D., author.

This summer, there's blood in the water...watch out for sharks! Kaylani is a born-and-bred Brooklyn girl. She expects to feel like a fish out of water spending the hot and sticky summer on Martha's Vineyard with family friends, the Watsons. But her mother insists, especially since Kaylani still spends long hours on the phone with her imprisoned father. The Watsons live in the town of Oak Bluffs, a place with a rich Black history that fascinates Kaylani. Though the Watsons' daughter, London, is snobby and unfriendly, Kaylani ends up connecting with some other kids in the town, who show her around. The beach IS really nice, and there's good ice cream to be had. Maybe there's something to Martha's Vineyard...But then a shocking murder--or was it a drowning? A shark attack?--rocks the community to its core. Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery but in order to do so, she will come face-to-face with sinister truths and shocking secrets that promise to forever change her life as she knows it. ....

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The village beyond the mist

Kashiwaba, Sachiko, 1953- author.

Lina’s father had suggested she go "someplace different" for the summer, and she's beginning to wish she hadn’t listened. She could be at her grandma’s house in Nagano now, instead of trudging through a forest in search of a town that might not even exist. But when a gust of wind carries off her umbrella, it leads Lina down a secret path between the trees to a strange and incredible world. In the hidden village of Misty Valley, centaurs roam the cobblestone streets and gnomes visit shops stuffed with spellbooks and enchanted desserts. All magic has a dark side, though, and sometimes even sorcerers need a human’s helping hand.....

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The village beyond the mist

Kashiwaba, Sachiko, 1953- author.

Lina’s father had suggested she go "someplace different" for the summer, and she's beginning to wish she hadn’t listened. She could be at her grandma’s house in Nagano now, instead of trudging through a forest in search of a town that might not even exist. But when a gust of wind carries off her umbrella, it leads Lina down a secret path between the trees to a strange and incredible world. In the hidden village of Misty Valley, centaurs roam the cobblestone streets and gnomes visit shops stuffed with spellbooks and enchanted desserts. All magic has a dark side, though, and sometimes even sorcerers need a human’s helping hand.....

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The metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter

Roberts, Barbara Carroll, author.

If Bunny Baxter were an insect, she’d have so many ways to slip through seventh grade unnoticed. But she’s tall instead of tiny, has flaming red Medusa hair instead of camouflage, and she suffers from social anxiety, which makes it hard to be part of a swarm. Worst of all, she’s been redistricted to a new middle school away from her best friend who she could always hide behind when her anxiety got the best of her. The first day at E.D. Britt Middle School does not go well. Bunny trips on the steps, falls into the cutest boy in the school, and causes a kid domino pile-up. At lunch, she unintentionally causes an uproar in the cafeteria, which lands her and another girl in the principal’s office. Bunny decides there is only one option: to get expelled so she can transfer to the school her best friend attends. She soon discovers that it isn’t that hard to get in trouble — don’t turn in your homework, walk around the track instead of run in P.E., pretend you deliberately hit someone with a badminton birdie. What isn’t so easy for Bunny is realizing she now has a reputation as a troublemaker. And even more confusing, when it looks like her plan to get expelled might work, she’s no longer sure what to do.....

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The labyrinth of lost and found

Lees, Jordan, author.

It began with a crack in the wall... Eleven-year-old Benjamiah Creek believes in science, logic, and the power of reason. He definitely does not believe in magic. But when he receives a mysterious doll in the mail—a doll that can transform into a bird—he is led into an impossible (and most definitely magical) realm: Wreathenwold. Wreathenwold is dangerous and holds many secrets within its labyrinthine walls—magi prowl, Hanged Men stalk, and at the center of its shifting streets lurks the Minotaur, a beastly creature and object of terror. In no time at all, Benjamiah is swept into a perilous adventure with the fierce and brilliant Elizabella, a girl determined to solve the disappearance of her missing brother, who may be caught up in a decades-old conspiracy that could doom them all. Will Benjamiah ever find his way home? Or will he be lost forever in the labyrinth?....

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Snoop

Korman, Gordon, author.

If Carter hadn't been checking his phone, he might have seen his brother coming down the ski slopes in his direction. And if Carter had seen his brother in time and avoided the crash, he might not have two broken legs right now. Oops. Now Carter is stuck at home for weeks, with both his legs in casts. Bored, he starts checking out the live feeds from police cams around his town. Before he knows it, he's obsessed -- watching his classmates when they don't know he's looking, and discovering some other VERY STRANGE things going on that no one else is noticing. But what happens when Carter is found out... and the people he's watching know where he lives?....

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Another

Tremblay, Paul, author.

When Casey Wilson's parents tell him that his friend is coming for a sleepover, he has no idea who that might be. Ever since the Zoom Incident, everyone treats him like a pariah, and his tics are worse than ever. When Morel appears, he's not like any friend Casey has ever met. His skin is like clay, and he doesn't speak. But Casey's parents are charmed by the strange kid, and it's nice to have someone to talk to besides his sister, Ally, who is away at college. As his normally loving parents grow distant from Casey, they gush and fawn over Morel. Casey knows something is wrong -- but with no end in sight to the sleepover, he's exhausted. And in the dark, out of the corner of his eye, Morel doesn't look like a kid at all.......

View in Catalog

Blood in the water

Jackson, Tiffany D., author.

This summer, there's blood in the water...watch out for sharks! Kaylani is a born-and-bred Brooklyn girl. She expects to feel like a fish out of water spending the hot and sticky summer on Martha's Vineyard with family friends, the Watsons. But her mother insists, especially since Kaylani still spends long hours on the phone with her imprisoned father. The Watsons live in the town of Oak Bluffs, a place with a rich Black history that fascinates Kaylani. Though the Watsons' daughter, London, is snobby and unfriendly, Kaylani ends up connecting with some other kids in the town, who show her around. The beach IS really nice, and there's good ice cream to be had. Maybe there's something to Martha's Vineyard...But then a shocking murder--or was it a drowning? A shark attack?--rocks the community to its core. Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery but in order to do so, she will come face-to-face with sinister truths and shocking secrets that promise to forever change her life as she knows it. ....

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Adia Kelbara and the High Queen's tomb

Hendrix, Isi, author.

Adia Kelbara may have defeated the power-hungry god Olark and saved Zaria, but now she must face something even more terrifying: her first semester as a student at the Academy of Shamans. As her abilities are tested during orientation, a mysterious affliction causes everyone except for Adia and Thyme to pass out--and a reanimated corpse appears, with a horrifying message. As if that wasn't bad enough, Emperor Darian sends news that the same phenomenon is happening across the kingdom and that someone is siphoning energy from the living to resurrect corpses, creating cracks between the realms of the living and the dead. Now it will be up to Adia to push her powers to their limit and journey to the tomb of the ancient High Queen in search of answers and a cure for the sleeping sickness besieging Zaria. But rising corpses aren't the only threats that stand in her way--a new enemy looms, and if Adia can't defeat them, Zaria may soon become another realm of the dead.....

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The labyrinth of lost and found

Lees, Jordan, author.

It began with a crack in the wall... Eleven-year-old Benjamiah Creek believes in science, logic, and the power of reason. He definitely does not believe in magic. But when he receives a mysterious doll in the mail—a doll that can transform into a bird—he is led into an impossible (and most definitely magical) realm: Wreathenwold. Wreathenwold is dangerous and holds many secrets within its labyrinthine walls—magi prowl, Hanged Men stalk, and at the center of its shifting streets lurks the Minotaur, a beastly creature and object of terror. In no time at all, Benjamiah is swept into a perilous adventure with the fierce and brilliant Elizabella, a girl determined to solve the disappearance of her missing brother, who may be caught up in a decades-old conspiracy that could doom them all. Will Benjamiah ever find his way home? Or will he be lost forever in the labyrinth?....

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Fetch!

Alfano, Maria Bea, author.

Ten-year-old Gio Barker is down in the dumps. His mom has uprooted him to a new school and a new town, all so she can start her own business. Gio used to see friends after school, but now he's stuck hanging around his mom's new doggy day care. Then one day he mistakes a dog biscuit for a human cookie, and suddenly he can talk to the dogs! The day care dogs become the friends Gio desperately needs. They tell him some of the great secrets of dog life, and he takes them for wild romps in the park. But when the dogs realize that Gio is struggling, they take it upon themselves to teach him everything they know. Sure, they're lessons from dog school, but some of these skills are useful in any context. Take Fetch, for instance. It's a game of give and take -- perfect skills to practice if Gio wants to make the soccer team or find a human friend!....

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The impossible trials of Benjamiah Creek

Lees, Jordan, author.

In the months since Benjamiah returned from his adventure in Wreathenwold, he has been dying to return to those labyrinthine streets. Desperate to find anything that will bring him to the impossible magic, the Minotaur, and most of all, his best — and only — friend Elizabella, he looks through his mother’s things and finds a strange witchstone mask that leads him back. The only problem? Once the mask is on, it won’t come off... But Wreathenwold is not how Benjamiah left it. Nor are Elizabella and her father where he left them. Worse still, children have been disappearing, and no one knows where they are or who has been taking them. Benjamiah has to find Elizabella and, with the help of two new companions, undertake a series of magical trials to remove his mask and save the missing children of Wreathenwold before Midsommer ends and they are all lost forever.....

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Beyond Mulberry Glen

Florence, Millie, author.

Eleven-year-old Lydia Green doesn’t want anything to change. She lives happily in Mulberry Glen with her mismatched family of a fairy guardian, a philosopher, and twin troublemakers known as the Zs. But now, rumors swirl about The Darkness, a powerful force that dwells in the forest Tenebrae. Lydia knows The Darkness is nothing to be trifled with, but when a foolish choice by the Zs puts her family in danger, she must leave home and face the strange magical world of The Valleylands. Among the shifting library shelves and new friends of her quest, Lydia uncovers more questions than answers, and the Darkness begins to creep into her mind. If she wants to save her family, she will have to be braver than ever before.....

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Beyond Mulberry Glen

Florence, Millie, author.

Eleven-year-old Lydia Green doesn’t want anything to change. She lives happily in Mulberry Glen with her mismatched family of a fairy guardian, a philosopher, and twin troublemakers known as the Zs. But now, rumors swirl about The Darkness, a powerful force that dwells in the forest Tenebrae. Lydia knows The Darkness is nothing to be trifled with, but when a foolish choice by the Zs puts her family in danger, she must leave home and face the strange magical world of The Valleylands. Among the shifting library shelves and new friends of her quest, Lydia uncovers more questions than answers, and the Darkness begins to creep into her mind. If she wants to save her family, she will have to be braver than ever before.....

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AJ Torres and the treasure of Captain Grayshark

Iriarte, José Pablo, author.

When AJ and Jayden discover a gold coin washed up on the shore of Miami after a hurricane, they think it might be the answer to all of their problems. They suspect the dingy old coin may be part of the long lost treasure of Captain Grayshark, whose loot was valued in the millions. That much money could help the Torres’s sinking family business and more importantly, allow Jayden to stay in Miami with his mom, instead of moving miles away from his best friend. The boys set out on a quest, along with resident ghost expert, Andrea Wade, to unearth the pirate’s treasure on a nearby haunted island. But the pursuit of treasure might prove more perilous than they could ever imagine — with treacherous waters and a crew of angry ghost pirates waiting for them on Scream Island... A slightly scary, laugh-out loud adventure about searching for gold, but finding much more along the way. ....

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Silverborn : the mystery of Morrigan Crow

Townsend, Jessica, 1985- author.

When Morrigan is invited into Nevermoor’s wealthy Silver District, she discovers a world of extravagance and a family mystery she’s eager to unravel. She could never imagine where it will lead: a white wedding, a golden dragon, and a red pool of blood. Embroiled in suspicion and danger, Morrigan leaps head first into a murder investigation, while also grappling with her ever-growing Wundersmith powers. And although her friends are there to help, she fears that could change if they learn she’s keeping a terrible secret of her own. As shadowy forces awaken in Nevermoor, can Morrigan find a killer and solve the mystery in her own past … before the clock strikes midnight?....

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Silverborn : the mystery of Morrigan Crow

Townsend, Jessica, 1985- author.

When Morrigan is invited into Nevermoor’s wealthy Silver District, she discovers a world of extravagance and a family mystery she’s eager to unravel. She could never imagine where it will lead: a white wedding, a golden dragon, and a red pool of blood. Embroiled in suspicion and danger, Morrigan leaps head first into a murder investigation, while also grappling with her ever-growing Wundersmith powers. And although her friends are there to help, she fears that could change if they learn she’s keeping a terrible secret of her own. As shadowy forces awaken in Nevermoor, can Morrigan find a killer and solve the mystery in her own past … before the clock strikes midnight?....

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Snoop

Korman, Gordon, author.

If Carter hadn't been checking his phone, he might have seen his brother coming down the ski slopes in his direction. And if Carter had seen his brother in time and avoided the crash, he might not have two broken legs right now. Oops. Now Carter is stuck at home for weeks, with both his legs in casts. Bored, he starts checking out the live feeds from police cams around his town. Before he knows it, he's obsessed -- watching his classmates when they don't know he's looking, and discovering some other VERY STRANGE things going on that no one else is noticing. But what happens when Carter is found out... and the people he's watching know where he lives?....

View in Catalog

The impossible trials of Benjamiah Creek

Lees, Jordan, author.

In the months since Benjamiah returned from his adventure in Wreathenwold, he has been dying to return to those labyrinthine streets. Desperate to find anything that will bring him to the impossible magic, the Minotaur, and most of all, his best — and only — friend Elizabella, he looks through his mother’s things and finds a strange witchstone mask that leads him back. The only problem? Once the mask is on, it won’t come off... But Wreathenwold is not how Benjamiah left it. Nor are Elizabella and her father where he left them. Worse still, children have been disappearing, and no one knows where they are or who has been taking them. Benjamiah has to find Elizabella and, with the help of two new companions, undertake a series of magical trials to remove his mask and save the missing children of Wreathenwold before Midsommer ends and they are all lost forever.....

View in Catalog

Sabrena swept away

Riazi, Karuna, author.

Sabrena's destiny -- her qadr -- is strong. Or so her family has always said. After all, according to her dad, they are the descendants of the legendary Sinbad the sailor, who sailed the seven seas in The One Thousand and One Nights. But Sabrena has felt anything but strong lately. Mostly, she has felt worried. Worried about being the new girl in a school everyone else has attended since kindergarten, worried about Grandma's memory failing and her stories getting more outlandish, worried about Mom deciding that Grandma can't even live at home anymore. Worried about the strange -- almost fantastical -- things that keep happening whenever she's around water. And then, one day, the sea's call will not be denied. It floods into her life and sweeps her away, to be fished out of an ocean both strange and oddly familiar. It only takes her a moment to realize that she's in the stories spun by the legendary queen Scheherazade. Yet no one has ever heard of Sinbad, nothing seems to be going quite as it does in the tales as she knows them, and a frightening jinn is terrorizing the kingdom. Can Sabrena find the courage to claim her destiny before it's too late?....

View in Catalog

Adia Kelbara and the High Queen's tomb

Hendrix, Isi, author.

Adia Kelbara may have defeated the power-hungry god Olark and saved Zaria, but now she must face something even more terrifying: her first semester as a student at the Academy of Shamans. As her abilities are tested during orientation, a mysterious affliction causes everyone except for Adia and Thyme to pass out--and a reanimated corpse appears, with a horrifying message. As if that wasn't bad enough, Emperor Darian sends news that the same phenomenon is happening across the kingdom and that someone is siphoning energy from the living to resurrect corpses, creating cracks between the realms of the living and the dead. Now it will be up to Adia to push her powers to their limit and journey to the tomb of the ancient High Queen in search of answers and a cure for the sleeping sickness besieging Zaria. But rising corpses aren't the only threats that stand in her way--a new enemy looms, and if Adia can't defeat them, Zaria may soon become another realm of the dead.....

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