Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Thornspell

PRINCE SIGISMUND HAS grown up in a remote castle, dreaming of going on heroic knightly quests while staring out at the forbidden wood that looms to the west. His great-grandfather placed an interdict on the wood nearly 100 years ago, though no one seems to know exactly why. But for those still young or credulous enough to believe in magic, the rumors and stories abound—of an enchanted castle and a sleeping princess. Helen Lowe has spun a grand, adventurous, romantic tale about the prince destined to wake the sleeping princess. This thoughtful hero must delve into a world of mystery and magic to discover the truth of his own fate. Enemies with powers he never imagined abound, sometimes hiding behind a mask of friendship. And an elusive girl haunts his dreams—is she helping him or binding him tighter into a thorny cage? For Sigismund, the truth turns out to be more fantastical than any story he’s ever heard.

Milagros: Girl from Away

Twelve-year-old Milagros barely survives an invasion of her tiny, Caribbean island home, escapes with the help of mysterious sea creatures, reunites briefly with her pirate-father, and learns about a mother’s love when cast ashore on another island.

Samuel Blink and the Runaway Troll

Having been careful to heed his Aunt Eda’s warnings to not enter the dangerous Shadow Forest, twelve-year-old Samuel Blink finds himself in a difficult situation when Troll-Son runs away from his Shadow Forest home to come and live with Samuel, his human hero.

 

 

Incurable (The Ellie Chronicles)

Ellie Linton is a survivor. Because she’s honest. Because she’s loyal. Because she’s incurably brave. And because sometimes she’s lucky. But what happens to survivors when their luck runs out? Packed full of action and human drama, John Marsden’s Incurable delivers another fast-paced adventure that will thrill old fans and new readers like.

The Lost Island of Tamarind (The Book of Tamarind)

Maya Nelson isn’t your typical thirteen-year-old. She’s spent her whole life living on the sea with her marine biologist parents, her younger brother, Simon, and baby sister, Penny. Maya used to love living on a sailboat, but lately, everything feels terribly claustrophobic. Maya longs to go to school on land. To make friends. To lead a normal life. But when a violent storm hits and Maya’s parents are washed overboard, life becomes anything but normal. The children manage to steer the boat toward a mysterious island, to a place that doesn’t exist on a map. Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle. Maya never imagined she’d have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .? In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.

Gate Of Days (The Book Of Time)

Sam Faulkner now knows his father is trapped in Vlad Tepes’s castle, but he can’t save him without the seven coins that will allow him to direct his travel to the right year in Time. So he sets off on a desperate journey through the ages to collect the coins — to the oracle at Delphi, Pompeii before Mt. Vesuvius — even Chicago in 1932, where he meets his seven-year-old grandfather. But things get wilder still when he finally finds his father, who is sick, dying, raving . . . and who insists they must rescue Sam’s dead mother from Time!

Cyberia

The premise: It’s the future. Zane lives in a completely wired world, with completely wired parents. Technology has progressed so that every pet has a microchip in it that allows the pet to talk. Zane’s happy about that. Until one day a strictly contraband wild animal — a mole — comes into his life. He smuggles it into his apartment — and learns that the pets aren’t actually saying what the chip is translating. In fact, they aren’t happy that all animals have been domesticated. So they enlist Zane to help them fight back and ensure their freedom.

The Bone Magician

Pin Carpue is on his own in the world. His mother is dead and his father is missing after being labeled a suspect in a rash of murders.  Pin finds a job working for the local undertaker as a body watcher, making sure people are really dead before they’re buried. The body he’s supposed to be watching tonight is currently surrounded by three people engaged in a most unusual ceremony. An old man, a bone magician, and his young female assistant are waking a woman so her grieving fiancé can have one last goodbye with her. Pin can’t believe it will work, but then the dead woman sits up and speaks.Pin is determined to discover how the magic works.  He cannot believe they are raising the dead. He cannot believe his father is a murderer. Then Pin himself nearly becomes the killer’s next victim.As this mysterious tale unfolds with delicious creepiness, Pin will learn more about the bone magician, the girl Juno, and a hideous creature called the Gluttonous Beast that is kept in a local tavern where people pay for a glimpse.Once again, F.E. Higgins delivers a story that is full of intrigue and suspense.