In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Somebody’s Girl
Martha knows she is adopted, but she’s okay with that, at least until her mother gets pregnant. Suddenly she’s no longer number one. She picks fights with her closest friends and, to make matters worse, she is forced to do a school project about sturgeon with Chance, an oddball boy in her class. When Martha’s birth mother announces that she is getting married and moving away, a lonely and confused Martha realizes that she needs to figure out a way to be a better friend and daughter, and an even better sister.
Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine
Suri dreams of being one such hero. But this tagalong orphan of a merchant caravan has no luck–until the day a horseless caravan pulls up. Its driver is a man with a metal heart … and a monster for sale.
The Boy in the Box
Eleven-year-old juggling enthusiast Sullivan Mintz helps his family run the Stardust Home for Old People. It’s not ideal: his best friend, Manny, is eighty-one years old. But life as usual turns upside down when Master Melville’s Medicine Show comes to town. Sullivan’s excitement at finding performers his own age dissolves into dread when he steps onstage for a magic act only to wake up imprisoned in the traveling show’s caravan. As his fears subside, his questions multiply. Is his family better off without him? Would life as a juggler performing with other kids be worse than living in an old folks’ home? Being kidnapped could be the best thing that ever happened to him. or decidedly not
Toppling
All John cares about is setting the world record for knocking down dominoes and spending time with his best friends at school until his closest friend, Dom, is hospitalized, leaving John and the gang wondering what to do for him.
Path of Beasts
The city of Jewel is in peril once again, as it is held captive by the frightful Fugleman, his band of Blessed Guardians, and an army of merciless mercenaries. There’s no doubt that Goldie and Toadspit want to get their city back, but how can a small group of children fight against such overwhelming forces of evil? And how, as Goldie is determined, can they avoid bloodshed in a war that will set thieves against soldiers, and trickery and deception against a mighty cannon that shoots cannonballs bent on destruction? As Toadspit fights the Fugleman in a duel to the death, Goldie must face her hardest task yet. If she is to save the city, she must walk the mysterious Beast Road, deep inside the Museum of Thieves. No one knows where it goes and no one has ever returned from it.
The Shark King
In graphic novel format, retells the Hawaiian story of Nanaue, born of human mother and shark father, who struggles to find his place in a village of humans.
The Golden Door
At night the skimmers fly over the Wall looking for human prey and the people of Weld huddle in their houses, but after his two brothers set out through the magic doors in an attempt to find the Enemy and don’t come back, young Rye knows that he must follow and find them.
Northwood
The dark forest of Northwood has never seen the likes of Cecilia Undergarment before … Cecilia Undergarment likes a challenge. So when she discovers a sad and neglected dog, she is determined to rescue him. No matter what. But her daring dog rescue lands her in deep trouble. Trouble in the form of being lost in the dark forest of Northwood. A forest where ferocious black lions roam. A forest that hides a secret castle, an unlikely king and many a mystery. A forest where those who enter never return. But Cecilia is determined to find her way home. No matter what.
Troubletwisters: The Monster
The spectacular new middle-grade fantasy series from bestselling authors Garth Nix and Sean Williams. Are you a troubletwister? Jaide and Jack Shield have a secret. When they’re unexpectedly sent to live with their mysterious Grandma X, they’re thrust into a world where cats talk and strange weather comes out of nowhere. There they learn that they’re troubletwisters, with powers they must use to stop the Evil from taking over our world. Before, they’d defeated the Evil through luck and intuition. Now though, Jaide and Jack will have to learn how to use their powers, and how to keep on their toes when evil forces return.