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The Saint of Dragons
Jason Hightman
Synopsis:

The ancient dragons -- of the time of the legendary Saint George and earlier -- have never disappeared entirely. Instead, they've moved undercover -- and into human society. Now one lonely schoolboy is about to learn where the dragons have gone ...

Educated at boarding schools, Simon St. George has never met his parents. When a ragged-looking man shows up claiming to be his father, Simon is skeptical, and when the man kidnaps him, he's indignant to say the least.

Then the man claims to be a descendant of England's Saint George and a career dragon fighter. Why should Simon believe any of this nonsense? But what if the man is telling the truth? What if the dragons know he's out there?

Rich with the dragon lore of legend, the saint of dragons continues and enlarges on the tale of the centuries-old conflict between dragons and humans that rages even today.

Publication Date: 09/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Crack in the Line
Michael Lawrence
Synopsis: The mystery has begun

Alaric

It's been two years since his mother died in a terrible train crash, and Alaric's life continues to unravel. He and his father are barely on speaking terms, and Withern Rise, their Victorian mansion, is in shambles. Trapped at home during a blizzard, Alaric stumbles into a parallel world; a reality in which his mother is still alive. There's only one problem ... someone else is living his life.

Naia

Naia tries not to dwell on the horrible accident two years ago that nearly took her mother away. Now that life with her parents in Withern Rise has returned to normal, Naia thinks the worst is behind her. But during a freak snowstorm she's confronted by a stranger. Why does this boy look like her? Why does he have the same thoughts? The same memories? Who is he?

Alaric's and Naia's discovery of each other sets off an electrifying chain of events. And as their lives - and lifelines - entwine, the two teenagers uncover a truth with the power to rearrange, or even erase, their very existence.

Publication Date: 08/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Game of Sunken Places
Synopsis: From the best-selling, award-winning author of FEED comes a fantastic, fun, and funny middle-grade adventure starring two of the most disarmingly deadpan boys you'll ever meet

When Brian and Gregory receive an invitation to stay at a distant relative's strange manse . . . well, they should know better than to go, since this is a middle-grade adventure novel. But they go anyway. Why not? Once there, they stumble upon The Game of Sunken Places, a board game that mirrors a greater game for which they have suddenly became players. Soon the boys are dealing with attitudinal trolls, warring kingdoms, and some very starchy britches. Luckily, they have wit, deadpan observation, and a keen sense of adventure on their side.
Publication Date: 07/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Spy X: The Code
Peter Lerangis
Synopsis: In this thrilling mystery series, 12-year-old twins Andrew and Evie navigate through a maze of intrigue and espionage as they try to uncover the truth about their mother's disappearance.

Leaving only a cryptic note, Andrew and Evie's mother vanishes on their eleventh birthday. Now, almost a year later, the twins receive a mysterious package from someone named Spy X. They soon learn that the contents of the box will lead them on an incredible journey toward finding their mother - and into a world where no one's identity can be trusted.

In Book #1, Andrew and Evie aren't initially sure what to make of the package that arrives at their door soon after they move to a new town. It's filled with random things--a key, something that looks like a kaleidoscope, (continued)

Publication Date: 07/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Beyond the Deepwoods
Chris Riddell, Paul Stewart
Synopsis: Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn’t one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, dangerous world beyond the Deepwoods. He meets a collection of odd companions, such as his wise guardian, the Caterbird; the Slaughterers, a peaceful race who butcher animals for their livelihood; and the vicious, bile-swilling Rotsucker. Always watching out for the horrible Gloamglozer, whose presence haunts the thoughts of all the inhabitants of The Edge, Twig steadfastly pursues his quest until he discovers his roots, not among the trees, but in the skies. . . .
Publication Date: 06/22/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Stormchaser
Chris Riddell, Paul Stewart
Synopsis: Since his childhood in the DeepWoods, young Twig has always longed to soar above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a crew member on his father’s sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser, his dream seems fulfilled. But a much higher destiny awaits Twig. The lofty city of Sanctaphrax—built on a giant rock, floating high in the sky—is at the point of disaster. The city’s future is dependent on stormphrax—a valuable substance available only from the heart of a Great Storm. And only the Stormchaser, with Twig onboard, could risk entering a storm. . . .
Publication Date: 06/22/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Devil's Toenail
Sally Prue
Synopsis: A bullied boy is lured by the dark power of revenge in this haunting fantasy by the author of COLD TOM.

Stevie, 13, has started at a new school and is desperate for acceptance. Like any teenager, he is self-conscious and embarrassed by his family. But he also hates himself for being cruelly bullied at his old school, and he will do anything to be accepted by bullies here rather than be their victim. Then he finds an odd fossil called a Devil's Toenail, which fills him with an almost evil sense of daring. The Devil's Toenail's tauntings and urgings to take revenge on the world are relentless, but in the end, Stevie discovers that believing in himself is what brings true power and happiness.
Publication Date: 06/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Troll Fell
Katherine Langrish
Synopsis:

A secret kingdom of trolls, and their legendary gold, lies in the mysterious shadows of Troll Fell. It is to this eerie and dangerous place that Peer must go after his father's sudden death, to live with his greedy uncles, Baldur and Grim, at their mill.

When Peer discovers his uncles' plan to sell children to the trolls, he has to bury his fears and set out to stop them somehow. In a world filled with magic and mystery, Peer has only his bravery, his wits, and two new allies -- a daring girl looking for adventure and a mischievous house spirit looking for a good meal. Their story will become part of the legends and lore that fill this extraordinary land by the sea.

Publication Date: 06/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Airborn
Kenneth Oppel
Synopsis:

Sailing toward dawn, and I was perched atop the crow's nest, being the ship's eyes. We were two nights out of Sydney, and there'd been no weather to speak of so far. I was keeping watch on a dark stack of nimbus clouds off to the northwest, but we were leaving it far behind, and it looked to be smooth going all the way back to Lionsgate City. Like riding a cloud. . . .

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

Publication Date: 05/11/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Spy High Mission Two: Chaos Rising
Synopsis: Sequel to: The Frankenstein factory.
Publication Date: 05/05/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The King of Slippery Falls
Synopsis: "What story will you tell with your life?"
In this jewel of a novel, Sid Hite addresses this question and delivers his most commanding and resplendent performance yet.

Lewis Hinton is in pursuit of two things--an elusive giant trout & his true identity. His adoptive parents, Martha & Avery Hinton, know they must let him search for clues about his past. His eccentric neighbor, Mrs Baderhoovernisterah, advises him to heed the plot twisters in life. His best friend, Amanda Dot, just wants him to fall in love w/ her. And the townspeople of Slippery Falls are determined to discover if the letter from Lewis's birth mother confirms the rumor--Is he descended from French royalty? Could this simple boy from Idaho really be a king?
Publication Date: 05/01/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
The Fish in Room 11
Heather Dyer
Synopsis: A whimsical, funny, heart-warming story for seven-to-nine year-olds, from a talented new storyteller.

This is the story of Toby, a little boy found in a room at a hotel by the sea. It is also the story of the Flots, a family of mermaids who are marooned under the pier. Together, the Flots and Toby plan how to help each other, find some buried treasure, and outwit Mr. Harris, the mean-minded hotel proprietor. In the process, Toby and the mermaids bring smiles to the faces of everyone they meet!
Publication Date: 05/01/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
Synopsis:

Not many months have passed since teenager Alexander Cold followed his bold grand-mother into the heart of the Amazon to uncover its legendary Beast. This time, reporter Kate Cold escorts her grandson and his closest friend, Nadia, along with the photographers from International Geographic, on a journey to another remote niche of the world. Entering a forbidden sovereignty tucked in the frosty peaks of the Himalayas, the team's task is to locate its fabled Golden Dragon, a sacred statue and priceless oracle that can foretell the future of the kingdom.

In their scramble to reach the statue before it is destroyed by the greed of an outsider, Alexander and Nadia must use the transcendent power of their totemic animal spirits -- Jaguar and Eagle. With the aid of a sage Buddhist monk, his young royal disciple, and a fierce tribe of Yeti warriors, Alexander and Nadia fight to protect the holy rule of the Golden Dragon.

Isabel Allende once again leads readers on a fantastical voyage of suspense, magic, and awe-inspiring adventure in this riveting follow-up to City of the Beasts.

Publication Date: 04/27/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Messenger
Lois Lowry
Synopsis: Knowing that the Village will soon be closed to all outsiders, Matty must make the trek through the dangerous Forest to find Seer's daughter and convince her to return with him before it is too late and he loses her forever.
Publication Date: 04/26/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare
Synopsis: In the tradition of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot, Cirque Du Freak is the frightening saga of a young boy whose visit to a mysterious freak show leads him on a journey into a dark world of vampires. Filled with grotesque creatures, murderous vampires, and a petrifying ending, Cirque Du Freak will chill, thrill, and leave readers begging for more.
Publication Date: 04/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The House on Falling Star Hill
Synopsis: The break-out literary novel from Michael Molloy, who has achieved great commercial success with his WITCH TRADE and TIME WITCHES books.

When Tim moves to his grandparent's village, everything seems mysterious. Why are there no flowers anywhere? Who is the weeping woman wandering through midnight streets? And what is the secret of the empty house on Falling Star Hill? The mystery deepens when Tim meets Sarre, a girl from another world. She leads Tim to the place she comes from--a magical, old-fashioned land connected to our own by falling stars, where flowers are guarded like treasures. It is there that all secrets will be revealed. And it is there that Tim will find his destiny.
Publication Date: 04/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy

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