Best Children's Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural Books
After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. The world is still reeling from an infestation of malevolent, deadly ghosts that can only be detected by Talented youngsters with rare psychic sensitivities. Combe Carey Hall is “the most haunted private house in England… an ugly oppressive mongrel of a building,” and the trio quickly realizes that the dangers they face have human as well as supernatural sources. Young Lucy Carlyle joins Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins to become Lockwood & Co., three kids using rapiers, iron chains, and magnesium fire to handle Visitors. Best known for the Bartimaeus books, beginning with The Amulet of Samarkand (2003), Stroud writes for a younger audience in book one of the Lockwood & Co. series and delivers some chilling scenes along the way.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's such a genius idea to have this story start with something that is already accepted by the people in the book because it makes it easier for the reader to get acclimated to the world he has built. Lockwood and George are hysterical, and I love the way they bring Lucy into their trio."
"This series was requested by a high-schooler, so we added it to our Public Library."
"My daughter had to read a book over the summer while school was out to be tested on after school restarted in the fall."
"The stories have enough twists and turns to hold this 56 yr old grandma's attention and moves along fast enough to hold my 10 yr old gran daughters attention."
"I really like this book and recommend this to anyone who likes the ghost/mystery gander of books. AWESOME FANTASTIC AUTHOR, AND FANTASTIC BOOK, ✌ -peace."
"Yes, on the surface, there was a a certain predictability to some of the behavior of the characters, but I did not feel as though this detracted from the story."
"I listened to the audio book and the narrator had an older voice than the character, which I found distracting at times."
"When I read that he had a new books (the first in a new series, I believe), I quickly requested a Kindle sample. THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE takes place in an alternate-now London in which the nation is plagued by dangerous "Visitors" (ghosts) that can only seen and hunted by children. There are agencies that can be hired to rid a property of its problems; the agents are children, though there are some adults that supervise the agencies."
The #1 New York Times Bestseller. The #1 USA Today Bestseller. The #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller. The Wall Street Journal Bestseller. The IndieBound Bestseller. Christopher Paolini is the author of three other bestselling novels about Alagaësia: Inheritance is the fourth and final volume in the cycle.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Remarkably well written, with a complex, tightly interwoven plot."
"For his breakout book, this was an incredible story and was well written, well thought out."
"These books are really good."
"I loved this series."
"I love this series, I've read it nearly a dozen times."
"What a fantastic series."
"Wish I would have been into electronic books before I got the first 2 in hardcover."
"Awesome series for the whole family!"
With gods, demigods, and demons closing in, how long can a monster stay hidden in plain sight? Join Hope on her unforgettable journey to discover what it means to live and her daring fight to break Apollo’s curse. The Sphinx series is filled with Greek gods, monsters, demigods, action and romance. It challenges the concepts of fate, true love, and what defines courage and heroes. I found that I was invested in the extremely well developed characters and and the complex plot. I've been really wanting more Greek mythology ever since my obsession with the Percy Jackson series and this did not disappoint!" "In CURSE OF THE SPHINX, an exciting tale of a monster trying to live as a normal girl, Wagner manages to blend high school, romance, and Greek mythology in a satisfying brew of a debut. >. Curse of the Sphinx is YA fantasy with a dollop of mythology, some romantic fare and a young girl trying to make it on her own in a world that stands against her. Dii @ Tome Tender Book Blog Raye Wagner writes young adult urban fantasy with a mythology twist. ;) Raye also relies heavily on her martial arts training (3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do) to pen realistic fight scenes with believable consequences.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would give this book 4.5/5 stars because of these points thank you @rayewagnerauthor for allowing the e book to be free so I could finally read this and I want to read more from this series!"
"Greek gods and goddesses, demigods, and Skia - Hades' answer to demigods - roam the globe, mixed into human society. Hope is monster, the descendant of the Sphinx of lore, and that puts her life in constant danger. I enjoyed this book and need to get my hands on Demigod's and Monsters thanks to the cliffhanger ending."
"What if those pesky capricious gods interfered in the lives of people for generations and committed havoc on innocent lives. Hope is that generation."
"I can't wait for to read book 2 in the series."
"Other than these 2 instances, I loved the book. I highly recommend reading this book."
"Gods have amazing powers, but they leave a path of destruction and never think about the consequences that others have to deal with." Hope's life was a lonely one, never having a chance to make friends or stay in one place long. Mr. Stanely deserves an honorable mention, just because his kindness and daily riddles for Hope never failed to bring a smile to my face. I also liked the fact that Curse of the Sphinx was set in a modern world, but it was slightly different, in the sense that the Gods were still very much relevant, and ruling. I thought it was neat to see all the human students learning about mythology and all the Gods, demi-gods and different creatures in school. All in all this was a great start to a promising new series, and fans of YA mythology definitely need to give this one a try!"
Best Children's Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Books
A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical trip to the North Pole . One couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Chris Van Allsburg Over the past twenty-five years, many people have shared stories with me about the effect that reading The Polar Express has had on their families and on their celebration of Christmas. A dozen years earlier the woman, who had no children of her own, befriended a neighbor, a boy of about seven, named Eddie. She had a collection of picture books, which she read to him, but around the holidays, the only story he ever wanted to hear, over and over, was The Polar Express . One year she offered to give him the book, but Eddie declined because he wanted to hear her read it aloud to him, which she continued to do every year until the boy and his family moved away. Eddie, quietly and a little self-consciously, read The Polar Express . Chris Van Allsburg Recipes and Activities to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Polar Express (Click on Images for the Recipe or Activity [PDF])Snacks for Santa Candy Cane Sugar Cookies Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares Christmas Snowball Cookies A Polar Express Word Search A Polar Express Crossword A Polar Express Maze PreSchool-Grade 2-Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott-winning Christmas classic (HM, 1985) is 15 years old, but it is a timeless story that just keeps getting better. As the Polar Express pulls into town one Christmas Eve, offering a magical, unforgettable trip to the North Pole, a young boy boards the train.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book. originally purchased for my grandson included a bell."
"It is filled with music from the movie and combinations that mix the scores together especially with the songs a) The Polar Express sung by Tom Hanks and b) Suite from the Polar Express."
"We were all pleased with this lovely book and the extras, including my own kids---who read the book before the 'grands' read it."
"This is probably a book for the older kids- 7-10, but it's definitely a fun book to read to the little ones for the holidays."
"I bought this book for my 5 year old son this year because I bought tickets for the GSMR train ride."
"The story is so magical, you can really feel the spirt of Christmas in this book."
"First edition."
"This is a beloved children's book."
Best Children's Coming of Age Fantasy Books
Harry must allow Professor Snape to teach him how to protect himself from Voldemort's savage assaults on his mind. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is currently the featured read in Pottermore’s Wizarding World Book Club. As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet ) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested. The head of the Ministry of Magic is determined to discredit Dumbledore and undermine his leadership of Hogwarts, and he appoints nasty, pink-cardigan-clad Professor Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and High Inquisitor of the school, bringing misery upon staff and students alike. There are a lot of secret doings, a little romance, and very little Quidditch or Hagrid (more reasons for Harry's gloom), but the power of this book comes from the young magician's struggles with his emotions and identity.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"SPECIAL NOTE: For U.S. customers purchasing the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you will notice the text has NOT been converted to the "Americanized" version of the original U.S. releases (with the exception of changing all "Philosopher's Stone" mentions to "Sorcerer's Stone"). Good or bad is naturally for each reader to decide--just know, if you plan to read the books while listening to Jim Dale's audiobooks, you'll notice a few superficial differences. The quality of this new illustrated edition is phenomenal. All chapter intros are illustrated."
"IMPORTANT: For U.S. customers purchasing the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, you will notice the text has NOT been converted to the "Americanized" version of the original U.S. releases. This difference isn't as prominent or noticeable as it was with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, but still something to keep in mind. Also, to answer a question that has come up quite a bit, this is the FULL BOOK and not an abridged or shortened version. Underneath the book jacket, the novel is bound in a sturdy orange hardback with green lettering on the spine."
"I was ravenous to get my hands on my copy as soon as it was delivered this morning, but was quickly disappointed. But when I took a close look at my dust jacket, I was extremely upset to find that the gold foil lettering for "Harry Potter" had been rubbed away and destroyed completely in some places leaving ugly, black matte in its place-- pock marking the otherwise handsome gold lettering. Needless to say I'm in awe how Bloomsbury has managed to put together such an incredible project, with JK Rowling's remarkable literature and Jim Kay's otherworldly illustrations-- and allowed it to be put together in a low quality binding! Not all alone in a box... Update (October 9th): I have finally received my new book and it was in much, much better condition. The cover and spine were tight, intact and falling apart from the binding like my original copy."