Desperate to uncover clues in his new, baffling surroundings, Hap accompanies Umber on dangerous and unusual missions. But Hap soon learns that there are powerful enemies inside the kingdom, and a ruthless assassin is hot on his trail. Faced with many unknowns, Hap knows one thing is certain: There's a reason Umber has chosen him...if only he could determine it.

P. W. Catanese's richly spun fantasy chronicles one boy's quest for answers and hope in a world riddled by knowledge and power corrupted.

That's where Nick comes in. Orphaned and desperate, Nick joins a rugged band of thieves in hopes of a warm meal and a little protection. In exchange Nick must help them break into the lavish white castle rumored to belong to an old man named Jack. Legend says it's full of riches from Jack's quest up a magical beanstalk decades ago.

When Nick's dangerous mission leads him straight to Jack, he sees a chance to climb the famed beanstalk himself. But what Nick doesn't know is that things are different from when Jack made his climb. There are new foes at the top now. Ones with cruel weapons and foul plans -- plans that could destroy the world as Nick knows it. Will Nick come down the beanstalk a hero? Will he come down at all?

Bert and Will, the twin sons of the baron of Ambercrest, are best friends. They do everything together and can't help it if trouble just seems to...find them. But the baron is fed up and has decided that separation will keep them out of mischief. One twin, he proclaims, will stay in Ambercrest for the summer, while the other will be sent to The Crags -- a foreboding, rocky outpost on the edge of the kingdom.

It is there, hidden in a forbidden black chamber, that one of the boys discovers a bejeweled and mysterious mirror. What is the precious object? And why does it make him feel so...powerful? Soon the twins' kinship is replaced by dark magic and deceit, and a kingdom hangs dangerously in the balance. What becomes of one who is ruled by the forces of evil? And can brotherly love conquer a consuming quest for power?

Life has been unkind to Rudi -- and to Lucie and Elsebeth, the two little girls he looks after. So when this stranger announces he needs Rudi's help to uncover Hansel's treasure, Rudi sees a way out.

And so an incredible journey -- one filled with mist-covered castles, a treehouse-dwelling outsider, and creatures called murglins -- begins. But as Rudi, the girls, and the stranger weave their way through the rambling woods, Rudi notices the clouds blackening and a thick fog descending. He wonders, Has the forest always been this...creepy? And those shadows between the trees -- is their tiny group being followed?

Then the unthinkable happens: Lucie and Elsebeth are stolen! Who would take them? Rudi gets his answer in the shape of a warlock. And his ransom price is steep: Bring me Hansel and the children will be returned. Is a simple woodcutter like Rudi any match for a thousand-year-old villain?

Meet Patch Ridlin. He's a tailor's simple apprentice in the remote village of Crossfield. He's a hard worker who's never wanted for much, except maybe a little adventure. But when he rescues his friend Osbert from an aging and decrepit troll, Patch finds himself something of a town hero. Word of his bravery quickly spreads throughout the countryside, and Patch is summoned to the king's castle. King Milo needs his help to wage war on a gang of trolls threatening to destroy the kingdom.

Soon Patch finds himself engaged in an all-out battle against the trolls. With only the help of a fool named Simon and a maddening riddle, can Patch figure out the troll's fatal flaw? Or is the kingdom destined to perish?

Twelve-year-old Tom lives alone on an island in the middle of a river. Nobody dares approach him because the boy is cursed -- he brings bad luck to anyone around him. One day an odd little man -- a gnome, perhaps -- comes to see Tom, ignoring the boy's warnings to keep his distance. The hot-tempered, shifty gnome makes an astounding offer: He'll rid the boy of his hex, if the boy will embark on a mission for him. If Tom agrees will it really mean the end of his lonely existence?

With no answers and nothing to lose but bad luck, Tom sets off through the green valleys and peaks of Londria, but he quickly realizes the stakes of this gnome's game are high. And time is scarce. As the chips stack against him in a land riddled with obstacles, Tom wonders if he could be trading his curse for something far worse.