Sewers and the Rats That Love Them

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. A different kind of fairy tale, about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.

An young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. The swiftly paced plot draws many threads together to form a web of characters, magic, and interwoven lives. (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)

An eerie tale of magic and friendship. When Jack is sent to Hazelwood, Iowa, to live with his strange aunt and uncle, he expects a summer of boredom. Little does he know that the people of Hazelwood have been waiting for him for quite a long time.

Warring nations, mysterious stone figures, and the running thread that magic is alive and dangerous all add to the gripping cnarrative of two children who find strength and ingenuity from being pushed out of their comfort zones. Áine, the daughter of the Bandit King, is haunted by her mother’s last words: “The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.”