Book Finder

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? This is Book 1 in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

When Wycca, a dragon living in the 13th century, stumbles through a gateway to the future, she lands in present day Boston, followed shortly thereafter by the wizards looking for her. What can 11-year old Theodora do and how did she get mixed up in this anyway?

Teenager Kip Russell dreams of space travel, but what happens when alien “Wormfaces”, hostile to Eerth and humanity, kidnap him and force him to stand trial for humanity’s disregard for peace and the environment?

To avoid spending time with his father and his new girlfriend, eleven-year-old Nathan goes to stay with his grandma, Nali, on the Navajo reservation where Nathan meets a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story—a Water Monster in need of his help.

Kate and her astrophysicist grandfather share a special bond, so when her grandfather disappears and his lab is attacked by an alien outsider, Kate must find him and the secret of his most important project. Book one of The Heroic Adventures of Kate trilogy.

Yolen wrote all of these varied entries about the delightful dragon, and relates the poems, and short stories from a variety of genres, complete with a background as to their inspiration.

When he was 10 years old, Victor wanted to be just like master magician Harry Houdini. For years Victor did not realize what magic he held in his hands with a box initialed “E.W.” What happened years later when Victor discovered that Houdini’s given name was Ehrick Weiss creates a plausible and captivating glimpse at a major historical figure.

Hugo Pepper was raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders. His parents were eaten by polar bears when he was just a baby, but Hugo discovers that the sled they arrived in has an unusual compass—one that can be set to “Home.” And so Hugo arrives in Firefly Square—to discover a group of very special friends, and a dastardly enemy. With three-toed snowmen, a secret buried treasure, and a host of fabulous stories, this is a fantastic third tale in the Far-Flung Adventures!

Explore the discussion guide.

In southeastern Nigeria, twelve-year-old Mnamdi is determined to avenge his police chief father, who was murdered while trying to rid the town of criminals, but Nnamdi feels powerless until he receives a magical object which gives him superpowers.

Lucy was raised by foster parents after her own mother became mentally ill, foster parents who may know more about her past than they’ve shared. Lucy must solve a puzzle, found in the song Scarborough Fair, to break a curse and save her own sanity. Werlin, known mysteries and thrillers, gives this story a unique touch of fantasy.

Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, this story is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making. Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers — a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures. Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Younger readers will enjoy this dragon fantasy set in the present day. While running away from his unwanted crush Mary Lou, Jeremy discovers a magic shop where he purchases an egg. When dragon Tiamat hatches, the adventure begins, and so do Jeremy’s responsibilities toward the growing dragon. A perfect introduction to fantasy.

In this companion book to Palace of Mirrors, 15-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming’s proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape.

Reality and fantasy converge in this story of a Japanese runaway’s quest to find his long-lost sister and mother.

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Wim lives in Cape Cod, where she drowns her sorrows in a riding stable. But something keeps drawing her to New Zealand — from visions of a tattooed Maori tribesman, to the New Zealander who comes to research Wim’s ancestors. Ghostly visions, family relations, and a hint of romance are woven through this ethereal novel.

When Lalani Sarita’s mother falls gravely ill, twelve-year-old Lalani faces an impossible task — she must leave her island of Sanlagita and find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa, which towers on an island to the north. But generations of men and boys have died on the same quest — how can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago? And how will she manage without Veyda, her best friend?

Newbery Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut fantasy novel is inspired by Filipino folklore and is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about friendship, courage, and identity. ALSC Notable Books.

GAME. SET. MAGIC. 

Game: Tennis means life and death for the residents of the magical kingdom of Nova, and for twelve-year-old Legacy, it’s the only thing getting her through the long days taking care of the other kids at the orphanage. That’s all about to change when she hears about Silla’s tournament.

Set: Silla, the ruler of Nova, hosts an annual tournament for the less fortunate of her citizens to come and prove themselves and win entrance to the Academy, where they can train to compete at nationals. The prize is Silla’s favor and enough cash to keep open the orphanage, and Legacy has her heart set on both.

Magic: What Legacy has yet to know is that the other players have something besides better skills and more money than she does. In Nova, tennis can unlock magic. Magic that Silla used to save the kingdom long ago and magic that her competitors have been training in for months already. Now, with the world turned against her and the orphanage at stake, Legacy has to learn to use her passion for the game to rise above those around her and shine. 

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape — until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. The incidient reveals Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates. She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets — and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down — or join the fight.

Between his father’s death, his academic burnout, and his deep (and distracting) love of video games, Dennis is nowhere near where his family wanted him to be. In fact, he’s just been kicked out of college.

And that’s when things get … weird.

Four adorable—and bossy—angels, straight out of a sappy greeting card, appear and take charge of Dennis’s life. 

When Reason’s mother goes insane, she is forced to live with her grandmother Esmerelda, who may be the source of her mother’s insanity. Reason does her best to avoid contact with Esmerelda, but when she decides to run away, she walks through Esmeralda’s back door in Sydney and finds herself on a New York City street. The book is full of action, a little violence, and is a good entry in the urban fantasy genre.

Maximiliano loves stories, especially the legend about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow. If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he’d make Santa Maria’s celebrated fútbol team and whether he’d ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret — involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety — he decides to seek answers on his own. With a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and the legend as his only guides, he sets out on a perilous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.

Twelve-year-old Maya discovers her father is the keeper of the gateway between our world and The Dark, and when he goes missing she’ll need to unlock her own powers and fight a horde of spooky creatures set on starting a war.

Washed ashore with no recollection of who he is, a young boy has lots of adventures and gradually comes to terms with his magical powers. Book one of The Lost Years of Merlin trilogy.