Courtship and Curses

In 1815, Lady Sophie Rosier’s first London season is marred not only by her physical and emotional scars, but also by magical attacks on her father and other members of the British War Cabinet, and while Sophie’s magical powers are unreliable, she and her new best friend Parthenope decide to investigate–despite the distraction of Parthenope’s handsome cousin.

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

Artemis Fowl’s archenemy Opal Koboi has masterminded a way to simultaneously secure her release from prison and bring the human and fairyworlds to their knees.  And, unless Artimis can stop her, the evil pixie’s next move will destroy all human life on earth.  Ground zero is the Fowl estate, where Opal has reanimated fairy warriors who were buried there thousands of years ago.  Their spirits have possessed any vessels they can find–corpses, Artimis’s little brothers, assorted wildlife–and they are bound to obey Opal’s evry command.  Defeating the motley troops and their diabolical leader will require all of Artemis’s cleverness– as well asButler’s bravery, Holly’s skill, and Foaly’s gadgetry.  But if their best efforts aren’t enough, Armageddon will surely follow.

New York Times best-selling author and comic genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very end of this thrilling finale to the Blockbuster series.

Pandemonium

Acclaimed author Chris Wooding’s first graphic novel — fun fantasy-adventure with a macabre twist! Seifer’s life is about to become a royal pain. . . . As captain of the local skullball team, Seifer Tombchewer is the envy of his peers. He’s fast, he’s strong, and he flies circles around the competition. But Seifer’s always dreamed of more–of leaving his tiny, remote village for a new life beyond the mountains. He just never dreamed it would happen like this. Knocked unconscious and abducted, Seifer awakens in the royal palace to learn that Prince Talon Pandemonium has gone missing. And since Seifer is a ringer for Talon, it’s his duty to replace the missing royal in his roles of diplomat, warrior, and Lord Defender of the Realm. He might fool Talon’s sisters. He might fool Talon’s army. But Seifer has little hope of fooling Talon’s enemies. . . .Chris Wooding and debut artist Cassandra Diaz team for a classic tale of mistaken identity set against the breathtakingly original backdrop of the Darkling Realm.

Renegade Magic

Kat Stephenson may have inherited her mother’s magical talents, but not everyone in the Order of the Guardians is ready to accept her.  When she is tricked into losing her temper in front of the most powerful Guardian in England, she finds herself expelled without a single magic lesson.  After a devastating accusation shatters her sister Angeline’s romance, their stepmama whisks the family away to the fashionable city of Bath and orders Angeline to find a new fiance.  But as Angline plays a dangerous game with a scandalous rake, their brother, Charles, tumbles headlong into danger…and Bath’s wild magic gets rady to explode.  With more than one life at stake, will Kat’s untrained magic be enough to reunite Angeline with her true love, conquer the danger at bath, and prove she truly has what it takes to be a Guardian?

The Graveyard Book

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack–who has already killed Bod’s family. . . . Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his “New York Times” bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

Princess of the Wild Swans

Princess Meriel’s brothers have been cursed. A terrible enchantment–cast by their conniving new stepmother–has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls. Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish. With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam–a pretty half-witch and her clever brother–Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved. But if she fails . . . all will be lost.

The Boy from the Dragon Palace

One day, a poor flower sellers drops his leftover flowers into the sea as a gift for the Dragon King. What does he get in return? A little snot-nosed boy–with the power to grant wishes! Soon the flower seller is rich, but when he forgets the meaning of “thank you,” he loses everything once again. “You just can’t help some humans,” say the snot-nosed little boy and the Dragon King.

The Runaway Wok

When a boy goes to the market to buy food and comes home with an old wok instead, his parents wonder what they’ll eat for dinner. But then the wok rolls out of the poor family’s house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the rich man’s home with a feast in tow! With spirited text and lively illustrations, this story reminds readers about the importance of generosity.

Beswitched

Twelve-year-old Flora Fox would do anything not to go to Penrice Hall, the boarding school her parents are shipper her off to because of a family emergency. Penrice has horses and an Olympic-size swimming pool, but flashy facilities won’t change how Flora feels about being sent away and having to make new friends. On the train ride to Penrise, Flora awakens from a nap to find herself transported into the past–1935, to be exact. And instead of a posh prep school, she arrives at St. Winifred’s where she has to speak French at breakfast, wear hideous baggy bloomers, and sleep in a freezing dormitory. Life is bearable only because of Flora’s wonderful roommates Pete, Dulcie, and Pogo, who cast the spell that brought her to St. Winifred’s. They’ve pledged to help Flora get back to her own time–but only after she completes the task she was summoned for. In the meantime, as she rises to the challenges of her strange new life, Flora finds that the joys and complications of growing up are the same no matter what the year. And that when you need them, family will always be there.