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Welcome Blog
Once upon a time…our very favorite words of all time and the start to so many adventures.
Once upon a time
…a girl who loved horses had to solve a mystery to save one
…a brother and sister stepped through a magical door into a story and lost their way
…a brave boy helped his alien friend hide from dangerous marauders
…a boy switched places with his math teacher
All stories ask, what if? The answers bring magic and possibilities into our lives. You will never be able to meet every interesting person in your lifetime (and all people are interesting in their own way), so long ago, clever people told stories. As time went on, these stories were written down and passed around.
Now, we are so fortunate to have this incredible tool—books—so we can meet and go on adventures with people all over the world and all over time—even into the future.
We are writers here. We want our stories to light a fire of imagination in your mind and offer a chance to explore the world. Come with us as we find new places and new people. Solve mysteries. Find treasure. Make friends.
Create your own, Once upon a time.
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From the World of Percy Jackson: The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
New York Times #1 best-selling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?
Nico di Angelo is feeling antsy. It’s been almost three months since he and his boyfriend, Will Solace, returned to Camp Half-Blood from their journey to Tartarus, and there hasn’t been a demigod quest or a conflict with monsters in all that time. So, when Nico’s half-sister, Hazel Levesque, asks him and Will to join her at Camp Jupiter on the West Coast, he shadow-jumps at the chance to get away and do something.
In her Iris message, Hazel had said that she needed the boys’ help with an “issue” with some “new guests.” What she didn’t say was that she’s providing a haven for a group of monsters who escaped the Underworld! Apparently, the self-proclaimed “mythics” learned from Nico and Will themselves that they have options and don’t have to be evil. But their integration into the Roman demigod camp isn’t exactly going smoothly.
As Nico and Will endeavor to build bridges between the refugees and the demigod campers, the mythics start disappearing from camp, one by one. A mysterious dark force is at work, and its plan is to punish all monsters for their past crimes. Things only get worse when Hazel learns that she is closely connected to that force . . .
For readers 11+, in this brilliantly inventive and laugh-filled adventure, the best-selling team of Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro manipulates the Mist to make readers see things in a whole new light.
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Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book
Sixth-grader Jeremy Thatcher discovers a strange magic shop he has never seen before. He enters, and his life changes forever.
After he leaves Mr. Elives’ magic shop with a strange marbled egg, it soon becomes clear that this is one pet he wasn’t prepared for! How is he supposed to keep a flame-breathing dragon with razor-sharp teeth and an out-of-control appetite in his bedroom?
But if the playful baby dragon is ever to grow up to become a magnificent beast of myth and legend, it needs Jeremy. And though he doesn’t know it yet, Jeremy needs a dragon.
For readers 8-10 from kid-favorite author Bruce Coville and illustrator Gary A. Lippincott.
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Demigods and Monsters
Which Greek god makes the best parent?
Would you want to be one of Artemis’ Hunters?
Why do so many monsters go into retail?
Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson’s world—a place where the gods bike among us, monsters man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.
Find out:
- Why Dionysus might actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have
- How to recognize a monster when you see one
Why even if we aren’t facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our own livesPlus, consult our glossary of people, places, and things from Greek myth: how Medusa got her snake hair extensions, why Chiron isn’t into partying and paintball like the rest of his centaur family, and the whole story on Percy’s mythical namesake.
For readers 11-14 from kid favorite author Rick Riordan.
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Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Mr. Lemoncello series comes a race across the country full of rousing riddles and laugh-out-loud humor as two brothers try to solve the million-dollar puzzle of an eccentric genius!
Benjamin and Ethan Broderick don’t fit together. Twelve-year-old Ben loves retro arcade games and puzzles, while his older brother would rather play sports and hang out with his friends. The only thing they have in common is how much they resent being forced to go on a summer road trip.
But at the quirky diner where the brothers make their very first stop, they discover a clue leading to a giant puzzle race with a million-dollar prize! Along with five other families, the Brodericks are thrust into a high-stakes competition along the famous Route 66.
Can Ben and Ethan put their heads together—and put aside their differences—to beat out the other families and solve Ms. Pennypickle’s ultimate puzzle?
For readers 8-12, by kid favorite author Chris Grabenstein.
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The Screaming Monkey: Ava & Carol Detective Agency
A hidden pirate treasure. A legendary artifact. Two teen detectives caught in a dangerous game of secrets and lies.
Join teen detectives Ava and Carol in this action-packed, Nancy Drew meets National Treasure mystery adventure as they hunt for the legendary Screaming Monkey statue and unearth the secrets hidden on Nantucket.
When Ava and Carol cross paths with celebrity adventurer Sebastian Strong and his film crew, they stumble onto a legend of lost pirate treasure: the Screaming Monkey statue, rumored to have vanished with the shipwreck of the Whydah Gally. But the deeper they dig, the more they realize this isn’t just a ghost story—it’s a deadly game of secrets, betrayal, and hidden treasure.
Armed with forensic science, fearless determination, and the help of quirky characters, Ava and Carol follow clues through Nantucket’s cemetery and a centuries-old schoolhouse. From coded letters hidden in old Bibles to fingerprints and fibers left behind, every piece of evidence brings them closer to the truth—and closer to ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing to protect their legacy.
Perfect for fans of Nancy Drew, Enola Holmes, and fast-paced treasure hunt mysteries, The Screaming Monkey combines history, adventure, and heart in a thrilling page-turner for junior detectives and mystery lovers of all ages.Will Ava and Carol solve the cipher and uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will the Screaming Monkey claim its next victims?
For readers 8-14, from author Thomas Lockhaven. This is Book 11 of 13.
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Adventures in a Video Game: Never Trust a Robot
In the next installment of Adventures in a Video Game, Diego and his new friends, including a robot, must solve Guntir Island’s many mysteries before the clock hits zero.
With its beautiful coral reef, lush jungle, and powdery white beach, Guntir Island is paradise. Too bad it’s going to explode in two hours.
Diego has just arrived on Guntir Island with no memory of how he got there, where he’s from, or even who he is. Now, he must team up with five other kids in the same predicament to defuse the bomb. Their guide on this deadly mission will be Robbie, a frustratingly friendly robot who definitely knows more than he’s letting on. Can Diego and his new friends solve Guntir Island’s many mysteries before the clock hits zero?
For readers 8-12, by author Dustin Brady and illustrator Jesse Brady.
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Belly Up
Twelve-year-old Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt Fitzroy believes that Henry, the hippopotamus at the brand-new FunJungle, has been murdered.
The zoo’s top brass claim the hippo went belly up the natural way, but Teddy and his feisty friend Summer McCraken have other ideas.
Could the culprit be FunJungle’s animal-hating head of operations? Or is it FunJungle’s owner—Summer’s dad—a man who is much more concerned about money than animal welfare?
The deeper Teddy and Summer dig, the more danger they’re in—because when it comes to hippo homicide, the truth can’t be caged!
This is Book 1 of 10 of the FunJungle (Teddy Fitzroy) series, for readers ages 9-12, by the ever-popular Stuart Gibbs.
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Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel
The New York Times bestselling Spy School series continues in graphic novel form with the third book as Ben gets kicked out of the CIA’s spy school and enrolls with the enemy.
During a spy school game of Capture the Flag, twelve-year-old Ben Ripley accidentally shoots a live mortar into the principal’s office—and immediately gets himself expelled. Not long after going back to the boring real world, Ben gets an offer to join evil crime organization SPYDER. And he accepts.
Ben can tell he’s a key part of their sinister plan, but he’s not quite sure what the plan is. Can Ben figure out what SPYDER is up to—and get word to the good guys without getting caught—before it’s too late?
Follow Ben as he crosses over to the dark side in action-packed, full-color panels.
For readers 8-12, from that ever-popular author Stuart Gibbs and the talented illustrator Anjan Sarkar.
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Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
Juliet Dove is a girl who doesn’t like to be noticed. But though she may be shy, she has a wickedly sharp wit. Whenever someone does take notice of her, she tears into the person with a savagery that’s earned her the nickname “Killer.”
Juliet ends up leaving Mr. Elives’s magic shop with Helen of Troy’s amulet—that is, a virtual man magnet. Juliet doesn’t know what she’s got, but the boys in her class do—they start to notice her…
Soon, every boy in town is swooning for her. Yet, much as she’d like to lose all the unwanted attention, she can’t: The amulet won’t come off!
For readers 8-11, from Bruce Coville, the author of My Teacher Is an Alien and The Unicorn Chronicles.
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Dog Man: Big Jim Believes
In “Dog Man: Big Jim Believes,” Dog Man and friends must save their transformed city from Space Cuties From Space while exploring themes of trust and self-belief.
The celebration comes to a halt for our heroes in Dog Man: Big Jim Believes when the mischievous Space Cuties From Space return. Our caped crusaders — Dog Man (aka Scarlet Shedder), Commander Cupcake, and Sprinkles — along with Mecha Molly discover that the city has changed, and nothing is how it should be. Can Big Jim’s positivity and innocence help our heroes? Will Dog Man, Big Jim, Grampa, and Molly have the courage to trust each other and save the day? How does the past help shape the future? And who is the chosen one?
Readers will want to hold onto their hero capes as they soar into a new thrilling Dog Man story.
A graphic novel for readers 7-11 from the award-winning author of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey.
