Book picks similar to
Fableman by Brad Carsten


fantasy
middle-grade
tbr
genre-fantasy

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos


R.L. LaFevers - 2007
    Sneaking behind her father's back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces lurking in the museum's dark hallways.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. Theo will have to call upon everything she's ever learned in order to prevent the rising chaos from destroying her country - and herself.

Paracosm - Bleath: The Hauntings


Anya Allyn - 2015
     The mayor of Bleath provides Zoe with accommodation at the empty Wilmont house. It's not the friendly farmhouse Zoe was picturing, and worse, the house seems to change day by day. The walls change and strange objects appear. Late at night, scratching noises scrape along the staircase banister and inside the trinket box under her bed. And out in the wheat field below her bedroom window, ghostly figures wait . . . . Is Zoe slipping into an imaginary world of her own? Or are the things she's experiencing terrifying real? PARACOSM is a standalone novel. It is part of a wider world, having a deep connection to The Dark Carousel series.

The Magic Factory


Morgan Rice - 2018
    Oliver knows he is different, and senses that he holds powers that others do not. Obsessed with inventions, Oliver is determined to escape his horrible life and make his mark on the world. When Oliver is moved to yet another awful house he is put into in a new sixth grade, one even more terrifying than the last. He is bullied and excluded, and sees no way out. But when he stumbles across an abandoned invention factory, he wonders if his dreams might be about to come true. Who is the mysterious old inventor hiding in the factory? What is his secret invention? And will Oliver end up transported back in time, to 1944, to a magical school for kids with powers to rival his own?

Maya and the Rising Dark


Rena Barron - 2020
    Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation—perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry. But to Maya, it sounds like something from one of Papa’s stories or her favorite comics.When Papa goes missing, Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth. Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark—where an army led by the Lord of Shadows, the man from Maya’s nightmares, awaits. Maya herself is a godling, half orisha and half human, and her neighborhood is a safe haven. But now that the veil is failing, the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it’s up to Maya to stop him. She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer’s over.

Vampire Shifter Academy


Lilly Wilder - 2019
    Nothing Would Ever Be The Same. Following the death of my parents, I found myself attending Ridgeview Academy, a secret education facility reserved only for vampires and Halflings, those with only one vampire parent. The school bully caught up with me on the very first day, as if she could smell fear on me. Then three guys sparked up some possible romance! But I wondered, what are they really after? More importantly, could I trust any of them? On the surface, it all looked nice, just like their manicured lawns and polite ways, but I could feel the darkness within the campus. There was an unspeakable, blood-curdling evil present in Ridgeview Academy, and it was up to me to force it out into the light.

Legacy of the Lost


Lindsey Sparks (Fairleigh) - 2019
    She’s about to uncover the deadliest secret of all... Anxious and reclusive, Cora Blackthorn uses online gaming as her sole tether to the outside world. Due to a condition that makes human touch crippling, she lives her life confined to a small island in the Puget Sound, never accompanying her mother on her tomb-raiding adventures. But when her mom sends home a cryptic SOS in the form of a mysterious package, Cora discovers the shocking truth behind her extraordinary affliction. Her condition isn’t an illness; it’s a gift not of this world. Armed with a powerful, alien amulet and her mother’s journal, Cora heads to Rome on a desperate rescue mission. But on the way, she discovers that a secret society is hot on her trail, and she has no chance of outrunning them. Her only chance is to confront them head on. A clash within the twisty catacombs beneath Vatican City leaves Cora with a perilous choice: find her way through an ancient, deadly labyrinth and save her mom, or fail and die…Legacy of the Lost is the first book in the captivating new sci-fi adventure series, the Atlantis Legacy. If you like ancient mysteries, Greek mythology, treasure-hunting adventurers, and dynamic characters, then you’ll love this exhilarating adventure. Read Legacy of the Lost to unearth the truth about Atlantis today!

A Witchy Mistake


Rhonda Hopkins - 2020
    A misuse of powers. An Unexpected Consequence. Sixteen-year-old Charley Cooper is furious when her cousin Danu uses her powers to get back at a high school nemesis without considering the consequences. When someone attacks the other girl and she ends up in a coma, Danu becomes the prime suspect. As annoyed as she is at her cousin, Charley doesn't want her to go down for something she didn't do. Even though Charley has never had magical abilities of her own, when she has what she believes is a vision about an attack on Danu, she's forced to investigate. Can she find the guilty party before her cousin pays - one way or another?  If you enjoy magic, quirky characters, and small-town mysteries with a touch of romance, you're sure to enjoy A Witchy Mistake!

The Ring of Solomon


Jonathan Stroud - 2010
    Solomon has just begun work on his marvelous temple, charging Khaba, a formidable magician in his royal court, to oversee its construction. The workforce is an ill-behaved bunch of demons, a particularly unruly djinni named Bartimaeus among them. True to form, Bartimaeus promptly gets kicked off the temple project and assigned the even more miserable task of hunting bandits in the desert. There he crosses paths with Asmira, a highly skilled and loyal captain of the Queen of Sheba’s guard, on a suicidal mission to save her country from Solomon’s imminent attack. Of course, Bartimaeus has no intention of helping her. That is, until Asmira makes him an offer he cannot refuse. . . .A spellbinding addition to Jonathan Stroud’s New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus audiobooks, The Ring of Solomon brims with dazzling wit, unforgettable characters, and powerful themes of freedom and slavery, with or without magical bonds.

Wide Awake


K.B. Anne - 2018
    They’re her story. Fans of Linsey Hall and M. Lynn will love Wide Awake. Druids live among us. They worship the forgotten Celtic gods that once ruled the Earth. For centuries, they’ve practiced in Vernal Falls without incident. Gigi knows nothing of Druids or Celtic gods. She only knows the visions began when Breas, the new foreign exchange student, moved in next door. She also knows her best friend Lizzie is obsessed with the spell book they found in her attic. And someone is following her, which she finds oddly comforting. Breas provokes her. Her friends protect her. And a mysterious stranger wants her. But evil forces are at work. Gigi needs to decide if she’s the one to save them all. WIDE AWAKE is the enthralling first installment in The Goddess Chronicles. A YA contemporary fantasy with paranormal romance full of smart dialogue, rebellion, and fierce friendships that will keep you captivated until the very last page. If you love Scorpio Races, Twilight, Mortal Instruments, and The Shade of Vampire, you'll love WIDE AWAKE. Scroll up & click the buy button now!

The Reluctant Witch: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery


Amelia Hopegood - 2020
    

Spiral


Maddy Edwards - 2012
    Her only complaint is that her lifelong best friend, Jackson Cage, doesn't think of her as anything more than that. When mysterious new guy Pierce Jeffry tells her that she's a descendant of unicorns and that there are powerful forces after her, she must figure out how to protect herself and those she loves before it is too late.

Ghost Squad


Claribel A. Ortega - 2020
    Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late. With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.

Menacing Misfits


Robyn Wideman - 2019
     When Jack Vance's grandfather is murdered, his dying words are to get Jack to promise to attend Darkthorn Academy. Jack doesn't like it, but he'll do what is necessary to honor the man who raised him. Surviving Darkthorn Academy won't be easy. Jack will have to make alliances, learn to harness magic and face dangerous enemies, both alive and dead. If he's lucky he might just make it to second year. A coming of age, sword and sorcery fantasy adventure with gamelit aspects, including a slightly overpowered MC, a dragon companion, and a team of adventurers. Inspired by games like Skyrim and Diablo 2 and Fallout.

The Accidental Apprentice


Amanda Foody - 2021
    No danger required. But then Barclay accidentally breaks his town’s most sacred rule: never ever EVER stray into the Woods, for within the Woods lurk vicious magical Beasts. To Barclay’s horror, he faces a fate far worse than being eaten: he unwittingly bonds with a Beast and is run out of town by an angry mob. Determined to break this bond and return home, Barclay journeys to find the mysterious town of Lore Keepers, people who have also bonded with Beasts and share their powers.But after making new friends, entering a dangerous apprenticeship exam, and even facing the legendary Beast of the Woods, Barclay must make a difficult choice: return to the home and rules he’s always known, or embrace the adventure awaiting him.

House of Dark Shadows


Robert Liparulo - 2008
    . . or bad dream?When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into--as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house. They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places--in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.