Book picks similar to
Garden In The Sands by Ellie Mitten


fantasy
middle-grade
temporarily-dropped
young-adult

King’s Last Hope: The Complete Durlindrath Trilogy


Robert Ryan - 2017
     Brand is the youngest bodyguard to ever protect the king, but he may never grow any older. A horde of mankind’s ancient enemies lays siege to Cardoroth city. During the day, the clang of blades, the mad shrieks of the foe and the hiss of swift-flighted arrows cuts the air. At night, the sorcerous chanting begins. Brand ignores it all. His one duty is to guard the king. But the realm teeters on the brink of destruction and the king knows that his bodyguard, touched by fate in ways that neither of them understand, is the only man with the skills to save it. He asks Brand to undertake a last-chance quest to save all that they love. Brand accepts the mission. Soon, enemies track him across strange lands, beasts of foul magic stalk him and an emissary of evil hunts him. Amid it all, he meets a beautiful but deadly girl who aids him – for reasons of her own. She knows secrets that she will not tell, but she does reveal that more is at play than just the fate of kings and realms. Ancient forces, drenched in long-forgotten blood, seek to plunge the world into the dark. The odds pile against him, but not for nothing was he the king’s last hope. This boxed set contains the entire Durlindrath trilogy.

Kallos


Khelsey Jackson - 2013
    Secrets revealed are toо much to bear and her past life as a goddess, unimaginable. A visit from the goddess Aphrodite, Kallos is told her soul mate must be found or her life will be forfeit. Kallos desperate to find her one true match has discovered she may have two possibilities. Kallos has a choice to make and her decisions may have life ending consequences.

The Amplified Trilogy: The Amplified Books 1-3


Lauren M. Flauding - 2017
    Includes The Amplified, The Dissenters, and The Restrainers.

A Touch of Darkness


Scarlett St. Clair - 2019
    The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a Goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.

The Goddess Girls Set: Athena the Brain; Persephone the Phony; Aphrodite the Beauty


Joan Holub - 2011
    In each book, readers get to see how each goddess became who we know today. These much-beloved classic myths are given a modern twist and follow storylines familiar to modern tweens, from dealing with bullies (Athena and Medusa) to first crushes (Persephone and Hades). Athena the Brain follows Athena's first days at Mount Olympus Academy. She always knew she was smart and special, but she didn't realize that she was a goddess! When she's whisked away to MOA, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she's ever had.In Persephone the Phony, Persephone develops a crush on bad-boy Hades. Her mom (Ceres) doesn't approve, and neither do her friends. Persephone finds herself sneaking around to see him, but he ultimately tells her that she should tell them the truth and it's revealed that he isn't all that bad, just misunderstood! The GG support her and eventually her mom comes around too.Aphrodite the Beauty features Aphrodite, goddessgirl of love, as she deals with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover (godboys pay more attention to her!), and dealing with a crush from an unlikely place -- the nerdy Hephaestus (god of the smith).

The Color of Bones


Tracy Edward Wymer - 2012
    Lights live on the Northside of the Line, Darks live on the Southside. Hillside has been that way ever since the Line appeared naturally from the ground, much like a spring welling up from deep inside the earth. Now the Line controls the town, keeping Hillside separated, zapping those who come near it and killing those who dare cross it. But when Derby, a Northsider, finds a pile of bones stacked on the Line, he sets out to uncover the person's identity. While doing so, he befriends a Southside girl and soon begins to challenge the Line and the town's rules. And then, before he can turn back, Derby goes too far.

It's Just A Skirt


Matthew Potter - 2017
    After a non-life threatening accident as a child, he hasn't quite developed like other boys his age. A group of older classmates take advantage of George's nature and force him into a situation that leads him to discover some interesting things about himself.

Touch


Natalia Jaster - 2014
    But they're wrong—I’m far worse.My name is Love. I spend my immortal years hunting within a frosted forest, matching human hearts with each mischievous strike of my arrow.But in all my centuries, I've never known desire—until now. He’s a mortal. And the longer I'm with him, the more I crave his touch.Yet binding myself to this human is forbidden. Without a doubt, it's fatal.When I discover that he possesses abilities beyond his knowledge—a force strong enough to eradicate my kind—I have to make a choice.One, destroy him before he destroys my race.Or two, contain his magic by sealing his heart with someone else's.*Mature young adult/new adult: sexual content and language. For readers 17 and older.**New alternative cover edition. Original ASIN: B00OE7SWFA*

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo


Rick Riordan - 2013
    Three golden women--living statues--appear in front of them, and sing one blissful chord. Apollo has a concert tonight at Mount Olympus, and he needs the Celedones as his backup singers. But there should be a quartet, not a trio--one of the singers has gone rogue. It's up to Percy and Grover to find the missing Celedon somewhere in New York City before she causes any problems. Capturing an attention-seeking automaton in a crowd of mortals is going to require some cagey thinking. Will Percy and Grover succeed, or hit a sour note?

Forty Days


Stephanie Parent - 2013
    For years the old man has prophesied that a great flood is coming, a flood disastrous enough to blot out the entire earth. He’s even built an enormous ark that he claims will allow his family to survive the deluge. But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic……until the rain starts. And doesn’t stop. Soon sixteen-year-old Neima finds her entire world transformed, her life and those of the people she loves in peril. Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family, and a noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a way to survive?With lions, tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with rivalries and betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected romance, FORTY DAYS is not your grandfather’s Noah’s Ark story.FORTY DAYS is approximately 45000 words, the length of a shorter novel, and is the first installment in a two-part epic story. It does contain a cliffhanger ending.Readers looking for a traditional, religiously oriented version of the Noah’s Ark story should be warned that FORTY DAYS may not appeal to them. The novel will, however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a pet.

The Wild Things


Dave Eggers - 2009
    The Wild Things — based very loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 8


Kumanano - 2021
    Unenthused about attending a rich kid's party, Yuna sets out nonetheless. On her way, she walks straight into a face full of drama: a town with not one, but two warring feudal lords! Can the Bloody Bear calm these troubled waters? Or must she pick a side to support?

The Icicle


Carolyn Marie Castagna - 2022
    Illustrator and writer's Carolyn Marie Castagna's first shared short story.A small icicle hanging from a roof peers inside a window at a small reading room, and learns about magical human qualities, and the importance of the one most special human feeling.

Betrayal


Mayandree Michel - 2011
    betrayal.At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night.After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mysterious boy from her dreams, who reveals who and what she is, a descendant of the Greek gods. At that moment everything she knows of her world is a lie, and she must leave the present and go into the past to assume the role she was put on this earth for, safeguarding her ancient empire amidst evil forces that toil hastily to destroy it. In a race against time, Cordelia must decide if she is truly a part of this dangerous world, or risk defying the gods, and ultimately lose the boy who has put a claim on her heart.Betrayal is the debut novel by Mayandree Michel. She is currently hard at work on the second installment of the Descendants series. Learn more about Mayandree at www.mayandreemichel.blogspot.com.

The Jrystal Sword: Knights of Aquinas Book 1


Dave Villager - 2020
    Now he and three friends must embark on an epic quest, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.A new epic fantasy story from the creator of the Dave the Villager series.