Adventure, conspiracy and shapeshifting - X-Men meets Alex Rider. Dax Jones is an ordinary schoolboy . . . until something extraordinary happens. Whilst frightened for his life, he inexplicably changes into a fox! He is offered a place at a secret government school where he can develop, and learn to control, his powers. But if Dax accepts, on no account can he tell anybody. Dax jumps at the chance of getting away from his unhappy home. But before long he begins to wonder who exactly is behind the school, and what they want from the pupils there. Suddenly Dax's fox senses are on high alert . . .

Ordinary kids: extraordinary powers: amazing adventures. Dax is starting to get used to his life as a shapeshifter. At last he feels safe and secure, surrounded by people he trusts, and with real friends who understand what he is going through. But then everything changes, and Dax finds himself in danger beyond his wildest dreams. And just when he needs his best friend Gideon to be there for him, Gideon's life changes too. Dramatically. And forever. Now Dax feels more alone than ever. Because he can feel that something is very wrong - but no one will take him seriously. No one else can see the danger that threatens to destroy them all . . . With appeal for both boys and girls, this is a fast-paced action adventure about contemporary children with super powers, told with award-winning Ali Sparkes's humour and lightness of touch. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series, and Young Bond.

Ordinary kids: extraordinary powers: amazing adventures. When Dax receives an urgent call, he knows he has to drop everything and race to the aid of his friends. But that's not as easy as it sounds. Strange things are happening - unbelievable occurrences that seem to be following Dax and his friends wherever they go. And that's not all that's after them . . . Government agents are stalking their every move - tracking them down. The very people who are supposed to be protecting them seem to be the biggest threat. Who can they trust? Where should they run? Each of the friends must call upon their special powers to try to outwit their pursuers - but will these abilities spell the end for them all? With appeal for both boys and girls, this is a fast-paced action adventure about contemporary children with super powers, told with award-winning Ali Sparkes's humour and lightness of touch. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series, and Young Bond.

In this YA fantasy adventure by a New York Times–bestselling author, a shapeshifter must stop a demon from using a dragon to destroy the world. One thousand years ago, a wish was made, and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. A weapon powerful enough to seal away the formidable demon Hakaimono. Now he has broken free . . . Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: take her piece of the ancient and powerful Scroll of a Thousand Prayers to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the great Kami Dragon, who will grant one wish to whomever holds the scroll. But she has a new enemy now, more dangerous than any she has yet faced. The demon Hakaimono is free at last, and he has possessed the very person Yumeko trusted to protect her—Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Hakaimono has one goal: break the curse of the sword and set himself free to rain chaos and destruction over the land forevermore. To do so, he will need the scroll. And Yumeko is the only one standing in his way. Books in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy: Shadow of the Fox Soul of the Sword Night of the Dragon Praise for Shadow of the Fox “One of my all-time favorite fantasy novels! I’m in love with this book, its characters, its worldbuilding!” —Ellen Oh, author of the Prophecy and Spirit Hunters series “Kagawa uses elements of Japanese mythology and folklore to spin an epic yarn . . . readers will be drawn into the world of Kagawa’s first Japan-based fantasy; with its engaging action scenes and the cliffhanger ending, they will look forward to the next volume. Action-packed adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews “Kagawa’s series starter never disappoints; she’s a vet at putting realistic characters within believable worlds, here doused in Japanese folklore.” —Booklist

For more than a millennium, the fox has been a ubiquitous figure at the margins of the Japanese collective imagination. In the writings of the nobility and the motifs of popular literature, the fox is known as a shapeshifter, able to assume various forms in order to deceive others. Focusing on recurring themes of transformation and duplicity in folklore, theology, and court and village practice, The Fox's Craft explores the meanings and uses of shapeshifter fox imagery in Japanese history. Michael Bathgate finds that the shapeshifting powers of the fox make it a surprisingly fundamental symbol in the discourse of elite and folk alike, and a key component in formulations of marriage and human identity, religious knowledge, and the power of money. The symbol of the shapeshifter fox thus provides a vantage point from which to understand the social practice of signification.

In this first book of her Japanese mythology-inspired Shadow of the Fox trilogy, bestselling author Julie Kagawa weaves a stunning, high-stakes tale of alliances and deceptions, characters who aren’t what they seem, and secrets that could change the fate of the world. Every millennium, whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers has the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. When demons kill half-kitsune Yumeko’s adoptive family, she’s forced to flee her home with one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of mysterious samurai Kage Tatsumi, who is Yumeko’s best hope for survival. But he’s under orders to retrieve the scroll. An uneasy alliance forms, and Yumeko begins the deception of a lifetime, knowing her secrets are more than a matter of life or death—they’re the key to the fate of the world. Books in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy: Shadow of the Fox Soul of the Sword Night of the Dragon

When Dax receives an urgent call, he knows he has to drop everything and race to the aid of his friends. But that's not as easy as it sounds. Strange things are happening-unbelievable occurrences that seem to be following Dax and his friends wherever they go. And that's not all that's after them . . . Government agents are stalking their every move-tracking them down. The very people who are supposed to be protecting them seem to be the biggest threat. Who can they trust? Where should they run? Each of the friends must call upon their special powers to try to outwit their pursuers-but will these abilities spell the end for them all?