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Under the Light of a Full Moon
Synopsis: Every family has its secrets, but Clara’s family secret is, frankly, unbelievable…

Clara doesn’t think she’s special, until she starts having terrifying nightmares and hearing voices in the night. Then her great aunt Selina tells Clara something incredible. Clara is a shape-shifter. But with this extraordinary, inherited gift comes a dangerous curse.

Clara thinks Selina is crazy and dismisses her great aunt’s warnings. But no matter how hard she tries, the curse cannot be escaped.

Will Clara accept her fate and learn to control her new powers? Will she overcome the threat caused by the curse, to her friendships, her sanity, and ultimately her life?

‘Under the Light of a Full Moon’ is D.A. McGrath’s first book in the ‘Full Moon’ series. Introducing a captivating new hero in a thrilling fantasy adventure.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Ciarrah's Light (The Sun Child Chronicles Book 3)
Synopsis:

Sequel to Wraith Queen's Veil
The Sun Child Chronicles: Book Three

Luccan, future Suth Chiell of the Ethran Sunlands, also known as Lucky, has reached the end of a months-long adventure and gained much. Now he wants nothing more than to relax and recover at home. His mother’s apparition has other ideas, and dark dreams drag Lucky further and further into unconsciousness until he’s nearly dead. With help from Lucky’s sentient obsidian blade, Ciarrah, he makes it back to the light, only to find his country is in deep distress, and it’s getting deeper.


The wizard Thurlock, Lucky’s dragon-kin uncle Han, and other friends help him muddle through as he becomes the channel for prophecy. War erupts in the Sunlands, and in a battle against wraiths created by the advanced science of a dying world, Lucky plays a key role. Physical weapons can’t stop the enemy, but Ciarrah’s light can, and only Lucky can wield it. With the help of his winged horse, his boyfriend, and Thurlock, Lucky sets out to prevent his mother’s shade from wreaking any more havoc. But will stopping her end the horrors facing his world?

Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Squirrel Squire
Erik DeLeo
Synopsis:

A small but brave squirrel. An annual tournament. And threats from a dark challenger. 

Squire Puff faces many pressures, but searching for a missing knight isn’t supposed to be one of them. When things take a turn for the worse, can he face his fears and help avert disaster? If Puff can’t find the champion, he’s the only one left who can fight.

If you like talking animals, epic sword fights and exciting adventures, then you’ll love The Squirrel Squire. This chapter book is perfect for fans of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Redwall by Brian Jacques and The Green Ember by S.D. Smith, along with other fantasy series including The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
The Revenge of Magic
James Riley
Synopsis: “This imaginative and exciting story feels like the start of something big. The brilliant premise unfolds into a thrilling first book that has me impatient for the next one.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven and Dragonwatch

When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!

Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.

Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.

But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
Publication Date: 03/05/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Slayer
Kiersten White
Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a brand-new series set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that introduces a new Slayer as she grapples with the responsibility of managing her incredible powers that she’s just beginning to understand.

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.
Publication Date: 01/08/19
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Dreadful Fairy Book
Quentin Q. Quacksworth, Jon Etter
Synopsis: Readers, beware: what you hold in your hands is a dreadful fairy book.
I wish I were narrating almost any other fairy story, but alas, this is my lot. Whatever expectations you have of delightful and whimsical fairies are sure to be disappointed. There are certainly fairies, but most are not proper fairies. Some who are supposed to be nasty are disappointingly nice, while some who should be kind and helpful are disconcertingly surly, dishonest, and generally unpleasant company.
Our heroine is, perhaps, the worst offender―a sprite more interested in books than carefree games, who insists on being called Shade. She is on a quest, albeit with rather questionable companions, to find a place to call home. A place of companionship, comfort, and, most importantly, positively filled with books.
Publication Date: 11/06/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Charlie Hernandez & The League of Shadows
Synopsis: “This is a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan’s many series, particularly for those eager for mythologies beyond Greek and Roman stories.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A winner for all kids, but it will be especially beloved by Latinx and Hispanic families.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Lightning Thief meets the Story Thieves series in this middle grade fantasy inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America.

Charlie Hernández has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. He loves the culture, the art, and especially the myths. Thanks to his abuela’s stories, Charlie possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and ghouls who have spent the last five hundred years haunting the imaginations of children all across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Central and South America. And even though his grandmother sometimes hinted that the tales might be more than mere myth, Charlie’s always been a pragmatist. Even barely out of diapers, he knew the stories were just make-believe—nothing more than intricately woven fables meant to keep little kids from misbehaving.

But when Charlie begins to experience freaky bodily manifestations—ones all too similar to those described by his grandma in his favorite legend—he is suddenly swept up in a world where the mythical beings he’s spent his entire life hearing about seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Hispanic folklore and into his life. And even stranger, they seem to know more about him than he knows about himself.

Soon, Charlie finds himself in the middle of an ancient battle between La Liga, a secret society of legendary mythological beings sworn to protect the Land of the Living, and La Mano Negra (a.k.a. the Black Hand), a cabal of evil spirits determined to rule mankind. With only the help of his lifelong crush, Violet Rey, and his grandmother’s stories to guide him, Charlie must navigate a world where monsters and brujas rule and things he couldn’t possibly imagine go bump in the night. That is, if he has any hope of discovering what’s happening to him and saving his missing parents (oh, and maybe even the world).

No pressure, muchacho.
Publication Date: 10/23/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Dragons in a Bag
Geneva B, Zetta Elliott
Synopsis:

★ An Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year selection
The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author!

When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Publication Date: 10/23/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Hohenstaufen: Mark of the Beast
Sam Severn, Daniel R. Hopkins
Synopsis: Arjen Staufen is sixteen when he drowns on a crabber boat in the Bering Sea. Instead of going to heaven or hell, he wakes up on the other side of the world -- almost eight hundred years back in time. It's the Holy Land, AD 1277. The Crusader knights are making their last stand. The unclaimed throne of Jerusalem is their only hope. But things get complicated when a dangerous girl only Arjen can see or hear deliberately corrupts history by putting him on this throne. Arjen's mission to discover who he is and why he's here quickly becomes one of survival as his reign places the fate of the whole world in his sinful hands. Caught in a dark love triangle between a kind-hearted nun and a demoness from hell, Arjen must choose between his destiny and his soul -- even if he's already lost both.
Publication Date: 10/09/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Old as the Moon
J B Strong
Synopsis: Roxanne and Emily are teenage sisters. One Christmas morning their lives are changed when they access a doorway to Tir Nan Og and become unwillingly involved in an ancient plot to free the goddess Lilith-Old as the Moon, from her prison. In this fast paced fantasy adventure based on established myths, Roxanne and Emily may need to give their lives as the cost of cultural dysfunction; amidst mermaids, unicorns, fairies, true love and one giant spider hungry for human blood. Characters represent diverse races and love choices.
Publication Date: 09/29/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Smoke and Mirrors
K. D. Halbrook
Synopsis: “The novel’s wistful prose and a relatable search for the Light will be rewarding for readers who can see in the Smoke any number of metaphors for the things that haunt us.” —BCCB (starred review)

“A Wrinkle in Time-inspired adventure…Halbrook’s writing is artful.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In K.D. Halbrook’s gorgeous prose, readers will be drawn immediately into the Cirque, but more importantly, they’ll be drawn into Sasha’s heart. This is a story to savor.” —Kathi Appelt, National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor–winning author of The Underneath and Keeper

“Adventure and magic unfold in this captivating story.” —School Library Connection

“A fairy-tale atmosphere wafts through Halbrook’s story of magic, love, belonging, and circus...Enchanting.” —Booklist

Circus Mirandus meets Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms in this beautifully written fantasy novel about a girl who must face her fears in order to right a terrible wrong, confront what it means to be different, and discover her own power.

Smoke has come to the Cirque Magnifique. And Sasha Brown is sure it is her fault.

Sasha has always loved the Cirque, a place filled with sequined costumes, dazzling spotlights, and magnificent tents. But when she starts fifth grade with the Islanders—the ordinary folk from the other side of the Island—for the first time, she’s not so sure she wants to be a Cirque kid. She starts to question her home and her Cirque family. Is the magic real? Are the stories even true? As the bullying by the Island kids gets worse, swirling blue-gray Smoke appears.

One night in the big tent, Sasha’s dad performs, twisting his body through the air as the lights dance. Sasha is supposed to be helping, but instead she sits beneath the bleachers, seething. She has wished for the Smoke to come and make it all disappear: the Cirque, her family, the Island with its mean Island kids. And the Smoke does come. As Sasha watches her dad, he flips and raises his arms out for the bar that is supposed to meet him, his bright grin confident and sure. But there is only air…and Smoke.

Both of Sasha’s parents disappear that night, and it’s all Sasha’s fault. What can she do but try and find them?
Publication Date: 09/04/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Magic of Melwick Orchard
Synopsis:

After more moves than they can count, Isa's family finally puts down roots. People in town are afraid of the abandoned orchard behind their home, but Isa and her sister Junie are happy to have acres of land to explore.

But when Junie gets sick, Isa's mom falls into a depression, and medical bills force Isa's dad to work more. No one notices that Isa's clothes are falling apart and her stomach is empty.

Out of frustration, Isa buries her out-grown sneakers in the orchard. The next day a sapling sprouts buds that bloom to reveal new shoes. Can Isa use this magical tree to save her family?

Publication Date: 09/01/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Where the Woods End
Charlotte Salter
Synopsis: In a forest filled with treacherous beasts, the thing to be most afraid of is closer than you think in this middle grade horror fantasy.

Kestrel, a young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the Grabbers--beings that are born when you are and stalk you throughout your life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from accidents or other creatures are considered "lucky." Kestrel has been tasked by her mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, to hunt down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest. Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, she hones her skills as she searches for a way out of the forest--and away from the judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems...including her mother's true motivations.
Publication Date: 08/14/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Triangulate: Book Three of The Stones of Bothynus Trilogy
Synopsis: Triangulate: Book Three of The Stones of Bothynus Trilogy is the final book in D.K. Reed's young adult science fiction/fantasy trilogy. Annie is obsessed with the half-angel Aaan but this summer she only has two weeks to spend at her grandmother's farm, near Aaan's cave, before flying to Budapest to visit her childhood best friend. She convinces Aaan to leave his cave with her but their short-lived acquaintance may be over when he agrees to allow Erik to use him to test how the stones affect angels, without realizing this would make him vulnerable to Daanak and the fiend. The visible battle is only the tip of the iceberg for the larger battle that rages in the Angel Realm.
Publication Date: 07/24/18
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
The Secret Key of Pythagorum
Synopsis: Savaric is devastated. His grandmother, the only good person in his life, was dallying with something she had no right to on the day he was born…
Magic.

Savaric doesn’t know what to think. Is he a warlock? Is he cursed? Everyone already looks at him strangely everywhere he goes. But all that changes when Savaric discovers that, under the right circumstances, he can become invisible! However, what starts out as a fun talent quickly goes downhill when things start to go missing and he’s always to blame. Even his own mother thinks he’s responsible for every cooling pie missing from a window ledge (Well, maybe one or two!).

That is, until the day when his gift leads him to a mysterious map written in a language he’s never seen, and a beautiful golden key.

In the whirlwind that follows, Savaric leaves the only home he’s ever known, and sets off alone to solve the mystery behind the map and key. He soon makes friends and enemies alike, plans a prison escape, digs for treasure more than once, and meets Kings, Queens, and fairies. Savaric may even help stop destabilizing battles for the throne and save the English kingdom!

…but only if he can survive.

Publication Date: 07/10/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Door to the Lost
Jaleigh Johnson
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mark of the Dragonfly comes a thrilling fantasy adventure about two magical friends living as refugees in a world that doesn't trust magic. Perfect for fans of Serafina and the Black Cloak and the School for Good and Evil series!

There was no warning the day magic died in Talhaven. It happened with a giant explosion and the arrival of a skyship full of children, all with magic running through their veins and no memory of home.

Rook and Drift are two of those children, and ever since that day, they've been on the run, magical refugees in a world that doesn't trust magic. Because magic doesn't die right away--it decays, twists, and poisons all that it touches. And now it's beginning to poison people.

Try as they might, Rook and Drift can't remember anything about their lives before Talhaven. But it's beginning to look like they're the only ones who can save their adopted world . . . if that world doesn't destroy them first.

Praise for The Door to the Lost

"This fun, exciting story...and the many well-rendered, imaginative and heartfelt scenes along the way make this journey worthwhile."--The New York Times Book Review

"Themes of refugees and found families are addressed in a way that retains fantasy flavor while realistically presenting the brutality of ignorance and beauty of humanity. Your new favorite fantasy."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Johnson's immersive world building is vivid...and the fast-paced action, compelling characters, and one cute magical fox will keep fantasy-loving kids hooked."--Booklist

"With heartfelt explorations of the meanings of friendship and family...fans of portal fantasies, steampunk, and action-driven books will find this an entertaining read and will be left wanting more."--School Library Journal

Praise for The Mark of the Dragonfly:

"This magnetic middle-grade debut . . . [is] a page-turner that defies easy categorization and ought to have broad appeal." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Heart, brains, and courage find a home in a steampunk fantasy worthy of a nod from Baum." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"A fantastic and original tale of adventure and magic. . . . Piper is a heroine to fall in love with: smart, brave, kind, and mechanically inclined to boot." --School Library Journal, Starred Review
Publication Date: 07/03/18
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy

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