The Prince And The Coyote

Fifteen year old Acolmiztli, crown prince of a Pre Columbian Mexico (c. 1418), wants nothing more than to see Tetzcoco thrive. But after a palace plot leaves his father dead, Acolmiztli is forced into exile with his mother and siblings, where they must seek refuge in the wilderness as their lives depend on it. After a coyote comes to their aid by helping Acolmiztli find his way, he takes on the new name of Nezahualcoyotl, or fasting coyote (“Neza” for short). A blend of poetry and prose, including translations of surviving poems written by Nezahualcoyotl, translated from classical Nahuatl by David Bowles, this action-packed epic takes readers on an adventure, bringing to life one of Mexico’s most treasured heroes – Nezahualcoyotl.

The Book Of Dust: La Belle Sauvage

Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy…. Malcolm’s parents run an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue. He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust—and the spy it was intended for finds him. When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl—just a baby—named Lyra. Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm.

The Book of Dust is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for February 2018.

The Lumatere Chronicles: Quintana of Charyn

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child’s right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face-to-face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other. The complex tangle of bloodlines, politics, and love introduced in Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles coalesce into an engrossing climax in this final volume.

Poseidon: Earth Shaker (Olympians)

In the fifth installment of the Olympians series of graphic novels, author/artist George O’Connor turns the spotlight on that most mysterious and misunderstood of the Greek gods, Poseidon: Earth Shaker. Thrill to such famous myths as Theseus and the Minotaur, Odysseus and Polyphemos, and the founding of Athens—and learn how the tempestuous Poseidon became the King of the Seas.

Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth

Ganesha is just like any thoer kid, except that he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse.  And he love sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. When Ganesha insists on biting into a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off!  Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise post Vyasa, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. The bold, bright colors of India leap right off the page in this fresh and funny picture book adaptation of how Ganesha came to write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the Mahabharate. 

Rama and Sita

A children’s retelling of the epic story from India and Southeast Asia. Rama marries beautiful Sita, but Ravana, the 10-headed, 20-armed Demon King, falls in love with her, too. He captures her and takes her in his chariot to the Demon Kingdom, Lanka. Rama has to find a way to rescue Sita, and he seeks the help of the monkey general Hanuman, and Jambuvan, the King of the Bears. Rama, his brother Lakshman, and the band of monkeys and bears battle their way to the Kingdom of the Demons. With the help of the fish, they build a bridge to cross the sea and find Sita locked in Hanuman’s tower, guarded by demonesses. After a final, terrible battle, the Demon King is defeated and Rama and Sita are reunited. The touching ritual at the heart of the Hindu festival of Diwali features the lighting of earthen lamps, called “divas,” which celebrate Rama’s and Sita’s return home.

Tiger Moon

Fate brings together a talking tiger, a doomed princess, and a rascally thief in a thrilling, old-fashioned tale from an exciting, internationally acclaimed new talent. How does a story of India begin?Does it begin with the three rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain? Like other great storytellers of India, newcomer Antonia Michaelis weaves a tale that is grand in spirit and earthy in humor. She introduces the young thief Farhad, master of many disguises but not of his own heart, who, with the help of a sarcastic tiger, must save a Hindu princess from marriage to a demon king. It is the unlikely friendship between boy and tiger, and the sacrifice their journey demands, that is the soul of this lushly told, beautifully felt novel. Praise for Tiger Moon from the foreign press “The most beautiful and important adolescent book of the season”  —Libri Harry Pooh “Antonia Michaelis has succeeded in writing a wonderful and exciting novel, which is thrilling to the last page. You want to read more of her!”  —Der Tagesspiegel

Click here to read the Worlds of Words review.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Action—a stunning magic system—swordplay galore! Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he’ll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon’s power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon’s affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon’s desperate lie comes to light, readers won’t be able to stop turning the pages …