Book Finder

A drug deal goes south and a cop has been shot. Lil J’s on the run. And he’s starting to get dope sick. He’d do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned building, it actually might be possible. Elements of magical realism intensify this harrowing story about drug use, violence, perceptions of reality, and second chances.

German author Funke is best known in the U.S. for The Thief Lord and Inkheart. Here, a heroic dragon and his boy sidekick fight Nettlebrand, a man-made dragon, and his spy, Twigleg.

This unique dragon tale features strong heroine Creel, who is allowed to choose a pair of slippers from a dragon’s hoard. The slippers she chooses have an unusual power, and Creel must be careful to not let them fall into the wrong hands (or feet!)

Yep’s sweeping fantasy tells of Shimmer, an exiled dragon princess, who must team up with a boy to try to restore her dragon clan’s lost home.

This was the first in the popular “ology” series, now featuring Wizardology, Pirateology and Egyptology. A study guide to dragon knowledge, the book is attractive to reluctant readers, with its many foldouts and 3D illustrations.

In Brooklyn, nine-year-old Jax joins Ma, a curmudgeonly witch who lives in his building, on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world, and along the way discovers his true calling.

Lipan Apache asexual teenager Ellie, who has the ability to raise the ghosts of animals, hopes to one day work as a paranormal investigator. But when her cousin Trevor is killed and his ghost appears to her, Ellie steps up to seek justice and protect his family.

A four-book series featuring reluctant princess Cimorene, warring factions of dragons and wizards, and tons of humor.

Like her brother Liefer before her, Enna has discovered the key to wielding fire as a weapon in battle. Will the power consume her? This fantasy tale is a companion to other Books of Bayern titles listed here.

Nick and Allie head toward the light after a head-on car accident, but the teens — strangers to each other — collide again and don’t quite make it. They end up in Everlost, and learn from other inhabitants about their ghostly new existence as Afterlights and the dangers of this alternative hereafter.

Fergus Crane, the first title in the Far Flung Adventures series, is the tale of nine-year-old Fergus Crane, an ordinary boy who happens to attend an unusual school aboard a ship. Fergus’s life changes one night when a mysteriously delivered message arrives from a long-lost uncle who believes that Fergus’s life is in danger. Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper are other titles in the series.

Times have changed in the Kingdom of Tortall. Keladry of Mindelan, who dreams of a knight’s shield of her own, is the first girl without a disguise to train for knighthood. Without disguise does not mean without difficulty however and the series follows Kel as she’s tested by bullies, skeptics, and her own fears.

An ancient talisman resurfaces to once again create misery until a true heart destroys it forever. The husband and wife team rework this early 20th century fantasy making it accessible to contemporary audiences. Lush illustrations and rich language make this a fine family read aloud.

Gretchen Yee, 16, feels painfully ordinary in a school where everyone is an overachiever. She longs to understand what others think of her, and her wish to be a fly on the wall of the boys locker room comes true. She spends a week there observing her classmates, learning and seeing more than she ever expected. With this knowledge, Gretchen gains confidence, which ultimately allows her to be a better person. Although containing some strong language and mature situations, this novel is a good choice for teens who are unsure of their place in the world, including reluctant readers. 

Why has Rin become uneasy in her forest home and distrustful of her neighbors? And will a journey deeper into the Forest, toward the enemy, offer any solace? This fantasy tale is a companion to other Books of Bayern titles listed here.

The stars say eghteen-year-old Xifeng is destined for greatness, but only if she embraces the darkness within her. In order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins — sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute. Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with both breathtaking pain and beauty, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns possesses all the hallmarks of masterful fantasy: dazzling magic, heartbreaking romance, and a world that hangs in the balance. First book in the “Rise of the Empress” series. New York Public Library’s 2017 Best Books For Teens.

In the first book of The Missing series, 13-year-olds friends Jonah and Chip land in the middle of mystery involving the FBI, smugglers, and people who vanish at will. Opposing forces are struggling over Jonah and Chip’s lives and they may not have any choice in the matter.

Fleeing from the ruins of New Undertown, Rook Barkwater and his colleagues — the librarian knights, Felix Lodd and his banderbear friends — must lead the escaping population to a new life in the Free Glades. This is the conclusion to the Rook Barkwater sequence.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it’s been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit—and with a liar by her side in a land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice’s wits (and every limb she’s got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

When Max—Maxine Zelaster—befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, part of Vanguard One Middle School’s new Robot Integration Program, she helps him learn everything he needs to know about surviving middle school—the good, the bad, and the really, really, ugly. Little do they know that surviving seventh grade is going to become a true matter of life and death, because Vanguard has an evil presence at its heart: a digital student evaluation system named BARBARA that might be taking its mission to shape the perfect student to extremes!

Twelve-year old Oliver is kidnapped, pressed into service on a pirate ship, and finds adventure that includes outwitting a ghost who guards pirate treasure. Rich language is used in this fast-paced, exhilarating adventure tale.

All sixteen-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Hope arrives in the form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure — if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of Gonzo, a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf, and a yard gnome who just might be the Viking god Balder, Cam sets off on a road trip through America into the heart of what matters most.

When a boy from an abusive home is placed in foster care with an old woman, he brings with him his troubles — an invitation to the Sinisteeds, nighttime visitors to humans who gather memories good or not so good. Tough, timely topics are handled in a straightforward telling in this compelling and credible fantasy.

In Katsa’s world, those with a Grace, or special talent, such as singing or storytelling, are marked by eyes that are different colors. Katsa’s Grace is killing, which she has tempered to fighting and been put to use by her manipulative uncle, one of the kings of the seven kingdoms, to torture people. Katsa despises her uncle and being forced to hurt people so she moonlights as a rescuer as part of a secret council she’s formed to promote fairness and honesty over cruelty and abuses of power.