When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!

A purple tapir named Gordon refuses to remain hidden and decides to stand out.

In this rip-roaring dungeon adventure, genius inventor Wily Snare must journey into a dangerous underground maze to find a mythical beast. Thanks to a crew of misfit treasure-seekers, Wily Snare has assumed his rightful place as King of Panthasos. Wily knows how to be a great trapsmith—devising and building various contraptions to keep plunderers at bay—but he has no idea how to be a good king. And he hasn’t escaped his past. Stalag, mage who once kept him locked away, is amassing an army of stone soldiers to seize the kingdom. Wily’s only hope is to tame a lair beast, a giant creature that’s the only chance against the evil wizard’s army. But first, Wily and his friends will need to survive the journey to the strange and deadly “Below” where the lair beast dwells. Snared: Lair of the Beast is the second book in a fantasy adventure series from bestselling author Adam Jay Epstein. An Imprint Book "This action-packed, fast-paced read is funny, heartfelt, and filled with adventure." —School Library Journal: Xpress Reviews Praise for Snared: Escape to the Above "Afast-paced, refreshingly creative adventure that will thrill readers from the very first page.” —Shannon Messenger, New York Times bestselling author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and the Sky Fall series “Fabulous characters and a unique mythology combine to create something really wonderful. Snared will ensnare you.” —Michael Scott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.

As trapsmith of the Carrion Tomb, Wily Snare spends all day every day inventing traps to keep plunderers at bay. While bored with his lot, he's proud that no one has ever outwitted his snares--until one day, the unlikeliest group of invaders does just that.An acrobatic thief, a warrior with a phantom arm, and a giant not only steal the tomb's gold--they take Wily, too! His skills will be invaluable for looting other treasure hoards across the kingdom. Yet the crew soon discovers it has an unexpected but crucial role to play in the fight against the Infernal King, a malevolent engineer who seeks to control the kingdom. Spanning a realm filled with dragons and dream spiders, golems and sorcerers, Snared: Escape to the Above is a great fit for middle-grade readers, particularly video game fans.

Jasper and his friends must find a way to make peace between Earth and the Youli aliens before the Youli destroy the human race in this finale of the Bounders series, which Shannon Messenger calls “richly detailed, highly imaginative.” Jasper doesn’t know how his life got so messed up. Was it when Mira decided to leave him for the Youli aliens? Was it discovering his former pod now divided in a war between Earth Force and the Resistance? Or was it when the Youli gave Earth an ultimatum: Join the Intragalactic Council or be destroyed? Now the Youli have invited Jasper’s pod to visit their world. For Jasper, this means a chance to get his friends back on the same team. It also means seeing Mira again, and hopefully convincing her to come home. But once on the Youli planet, Jasper realizes there’s something off about Mira. She’s hiding a secret, and the more he pushes her, the more she avoids him. Meanwhile, the Intragalactic Summit approaches, a meeting that will decide the fate of Earth. But Jasper has a nagging feeling that Earth Force will sabotage the Summit—and then suffer the Youli’s wrath. And how can Jasper convince Earth to unite if he can’t even unite his friends? With humanity’s future on the brink of destruction, Jasper and his friends must learn that they’re stronger together if they have any shot at saving Earth.