Book picks similar to
Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras
fantasy
middle-grade
mglit
middle-grade-fiction
Thirteens
Kate Alice Marshall - 2020
Her birthday, which falls on Halloween, is just around the corner, and she hopes that this year will be a fresh start at a new life. But then one morning, an ancient grandfather clock counting down thirteen hours appears outside of her bedroom. And then she spots a large black dog with glowing red eyes prowling the grounds of her school. A book of fairytales she's never heard of almost willingly drops in front of her, as if asking to be read. Something is wrong in the town of Eden Eld.Eleanor and her new classmates, Pip and Otto, are the only ones who see these "wrong things," and they also all happen to share a Halloween birthday. Bonded by these odd similarities, the trio uncovers a centuries-old pact the town has with a mysterious figure known as Mr. January: every thirteen years, three thirteen-year-olds disappear, sacrificed in exchange for the town's unending good fortune. This Halloween, Mr. January is back to collect his payment and Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are to be his next offering...unless they can break the curse before the clock strikes thirteen.
The Lost Property Office
James R. Hannibal - 2016
Hannibal presents a thrilling adventure through history, complete with mysteries, secret items, codes, and a touch of magic in this stunning middle grade debut. Thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles is great at finding things. Not just a missing glove or the other sock, but things normal people have long given up on ever seeing again. If only he could find his father, who has disappeared in London without a trace. But Jack s father was not who he claimed to be. It turns out that he was a member of a secret society of detectives that has served the crown for centuries and membership into the Lost Property Office is Jack s inheritance. Now the only way Jack will ever see his father again is if he finds what the nefarious Clockmaker is after: the Ember, which holds a secret that has been kept since the Great Fire of London. Will Jack be able to find the Ember and save his father, or will his talent for finding things fall short?"
Zane Halloway Omnibus
P.T. Hylton - 2015
But when a series of seemly unrelated jobs pull Zane and Lily into a conflict between nations, Zane is forced to confront secrets from his past. Welcome to a morally ambiguous world of magic, mystery, and political intrigue. It’s an epic sword and sorcery tale told in novella-sized chunks. This omnibus edition includes: Thorns and Tangles Assassin Zane Halloway has been hired to kill Irving Farns, a reclusive genius whose innovations brought about a golden age of magic. Zane and his apprentice Lily will need to infiltrate the mysterious Abditus Society and find a way to assassinate the world’s leading expert in protective magic. Swords and Shadows After a run-in with one of the pirate Longstrain's deadly widows, an injured Zane Halloway is enlisted for a special assignment. The nation is on the brink of war, and the king hopes a daring assassination of his enemy's enemy will prevent things from escalating. To complete the job, Zane and Lily will have to join forces with the King's Shadow, the only man in the kingdom with access to the royal armory of magical devices. His name is Jacob Von Ridden. Long ago, he altered the course of Zane's life, and Zane has been waiting for the chance to kill him ever since. Lightning and Thrones Several months ago, Zane Halloway was hired to kill magical genius Irving Farns. Now he has a new client, Irving's daughter. Beth Farns hires Zane and Lily to locate her father's greatest creation, a new type of magical device, neither thorn nor tangle. She believes it's hidden beyond the Blue Wall. To complete the job, Zane and Lily will need to infiltrate restricted elvish territory, face off against a charismatic, young leader, and unravel the mystery of why the elves surrendered from a war they were winning and allowed themselves to subjugated by the people of Opel. Flames and Water Zane Halloway is hired to find the pirate he killed twelve years ago, and Zane and Lily soon find themselves on opposite sides of a pirate war. They'll soon learn that everything is a game for the Longstrains. Even revenge. Lies and Crossroads Zane and Lily search for a dangerous traitor hiding in the mysterious nation of the Crags. Zane will have to steal a family heirloom from the nation's most powerful warrior, and Lily will have to learn what magical secrets are hidden in the mountain palace of the High Prince of the Crags. Crowns and Dead Men War between Opel and Tavel has been brewing for years, and now it has finally come. While Zane is hunted by three of his own, Lily must shoulder the burden of saving her nation from the consequences of her past mistakes.
Zenith Part 1
Sasha Alsberg - 2016
Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness: a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her fearsome glass starship the Maurader, she’s just Andi, their captain and protector. When a routine mission goes awry, the all-girl crew’s resilience is tested as they find themselves in a most unfamiliar place: at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter connected to Andi’s past and a harrowing betrayal. Meanwhile, on the far side of the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The final pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship—or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles towards the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only thing certain is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted. From internet sensation Sasha Alsberg and author Lindsay Cummings comes a new serialized space opera, full of action, fantastical intrigue, and steamy star-crossed romance. For fans of popular sci-fi books and fantasy books for teens such as Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Wool by Hugh Howey, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
Spider-Man: Homecoming: The Junior Novel
Jim McCann - 2017
A junior novel based on the web-slinging teenaged hero in MARVEL's Spider-Man: Homecoming!
© 2017 MARVEL © 2017 CPII
Dragonwatch
Brandon Mull - 2017
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 time has come to break free and reclaim his power.No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?
The Serpent's Secret
Sayantani DasGupta - 2018
until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world.To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they've come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld and the Rakkhoshi Queen in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it...
The Talent Thief
Alex Williams - 2006
Unlike his superstar sibling, this twelve year-old boy excels at absolutely nothing, although his sister would argue that he's the master of getting on her nerves. But when a mysterious creature as old as time steals her talent, it's Adam who fearlessly leads the charge to retrieve it and stop the creature before it can take the talents of other children. Brimming with colorful characters and dastardly villains, and recalling the best of Roald Dahl, Alex Williams presents a humorous adventure about where talent truly lies.