B&N’s Book Haul is back! From Wednesday, February 27, through Monday, March 4, more than 400 new releases, best-sellers, and paperback favorites for all ages at are available for 50 percent off at Barnes & Noble. Included among these are fabulous series your young reader will love, just perfect for bingeing over spring break—which will be here before we know it!
The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Tail of Emily Windsnap #1), by Liz Kessler and Sarah Gibb
Most parents encourage their children to learn how to swim, especially if they happen to live on a boat. But for 12-year-old Emily Windsnap, that’s not the case. Despite the fact that she’s lived on the water her entire life, her mother has always been emphatic that she stay out of the water itself. When Emily finally convinces her mother to allow her to take swimming lessons, she discovers there’s a good reason for her mother’s protectiveness—a reason that challenges the limits of her imagination. Young readers who love magic and mermaids will be hooked on page 1.
The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus Series #1), by Rick Riordan
Fans of the Percy Jackson series will recognize some of the characters in Riordan’s Olympus series, but this time Riordan draws upon Roman mythology for his fast-paced adventures. We return to Camp Half-Blood along with three new arrivals: Piper, Jason, and Leo. Like their predecessor, Percy, the three teens arrive lost, confused, and completely out of their element. In fact, Jason remembers nothing of his life before waking up on a bus filled with students from the Wilderness School for troubled youth. And now he’s been whisked away again, along with his apparent girlfriend Piper and best friend Leo, to a camp where he’s told he’s only half mortal. But there’s little time for explanation or adjustment to their new demigod status, as the teens are part of the Great Prophecy, and Mt. Olympus is once again under threat.
The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo Series #1), by Rick Riordan
For most kids, angering a parent means being sent to your room. For Apollo, son of Zeus, it means being cast from Olympus, banished to the mortal world until he can get back in dad’s good graces again. Not only is Apollo kicked out of the “house,” but his powers are stripped, too. Left to face enemies, both mortal and immortal, in a body he doesn’t recognize, and bound in service to a demigod named Meg, Apollo makes his way to Camp Half-Blood where he hopes to find help. But the camp has troubles of its own, including the disappearances of its demigod residences. Now Apollo must find a way to save all that its important to him—and with only his mortal talents at hand. This is a can’t-miss series for Riordan fans.
Friendship List #1: 11 Before 12, by Lisa Greenwald
Kaylan is not looking forward to middle school. She’s heard all the stories; imagined all the worst case scenarios. If she’s going to survive this new phase in life, she’s going to need a plan. Fortunately, her best friend Ari is there to help out. The two girls come up with a list: 11 things they need to do to make themselves over before they turn 12 in just a few short months. Checking the first couple items off the list proves to be fairly painless. But middle school is even harder than Kaylan imagined. It’s not long before Kaylan and Ari find themselves drifting apart, and Kaylan is left to navigate tensions both at school and at home on her own. She’ll have to find a way to repair the relationship with her former best friend, if they’re ever to complete the list. A great series for kids facing middle school with trepidation.
The Magic Misfits (Magic Misfits Series #1), by Neil Patrick Harris, Lissy Marlin, and Kyle Hilton
Yes, that Neil Patrick Harris, famous for his role on How I Met Your Mother (among his many other credits), has a new series featuring adventure and magic. Young street magician, Carter, has had it after years of being forced to help his uncle, Sly Mike, hustle unsuspecting victims. Carter hops a train and runs away to Mineral Wells where he meets the town’s version of his uncle, B.B. Bosso. But there’s also the illusionist Dante Vernon, and five children—Theo, Leila, Olly, Izzy, and Ridley. Together, the children band together to save the town from Bosso’s evil plan, using a mix of cunning and magic. A lively series that will appeal to Lemony Snicket fans.
Fairest of All (Ever After Series #1), by Sarah Mlynowski
Abby and her younger brother, Jonah, have just moved from the big city of Chicago to the tiny (boring) town of Smithville. While exploring their new home, Jonah finds a strange mirror in the basement. Further exploration leads the siblings to be sucked through the mirror and into the land of fairytales, where the wicked queen is just offering Snow White the poisoned apple. Knowing full well what this will mean for the unsuspecting Snow White, Abby and Jonah rush to save her. Their celebration is short-lived, however, when they realize that saving Snow White means the prince will never rescue her, and her happily-ever-after will be forever changed. Now Abby and Jonah have to find a way to reverse the changes they’ve made, and get back home to Smithville. A must-read for kids who enjoy fractured fairy tales.
Wizards of Once (The Wizards of Once Series #1), by Cressida Cowell
From the author of the How to Train Your Dragon series comes a new world of wizards and warriors. Xar is a wizard without magic. Wish is a warrior with a forbidden secret. The two are from opposite worlds, taught that wizards and warriors cannot possibly exist together peacefully. Yet each has something in common: the unwillingness to accept life as they know it, and a headstrong nature that will lead them both on an adventure. When their paths cross, each is at first resistant to helping the other. But with a common enemy to conquer, Xar and Wish soon join forces and discover that working together might be the path to mutual victory. The perfect pick-me-up for How to Train Your Dragon fans.
Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment (Max Einstein Series #1), by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein, and Beverly Johnson
12-year-old genius Max Einstein is homeless. She doesn’t know anything about her parents, or her past. She doesn’t even know where her old beat-up suitcase came from, the one that holds her treasured Albert Einstein paraphernalia. She’s quite happy living as a squatter above Central Park, attending NYU under falsified records. Through a bizarre twist of events, Max suddenly finds herself targeted by a greedy, power-hungry organization, The Corp, that wants to use her smarts to their own means. She’s rescued by The Change Institute, who whisks her off to compete with eight other young genius contestants to become the company’s next visionary for global change. But The Corp is not ready to give up on Max yet, and will chase her to the ends of the earth, if that’s what it takes (and it just might!) The perfect new series for kids who dig science (and finding practical ways to save the world).
The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor Series #1), by Jessica Townsend
Morrigan Crow has been cursed since the very beginning. Born on Eventide, the unluckiest day of the year, means that not only is she considered an outcast by her community, but it is her destiny to die at midnight on her 11th birthday. With that doomsday moment fast approaching, there’s little Morrigan can do but wait. That is, until a mysterious figure appears and whisks her away to safety in the city of Nevermoor. Here, she can escape her fate, if only she can win four challenges against scores of other children, using a talent she doesn’t yet know she has. It’s a game of life or death, and Morrigan doesn’t have much time. This series will keep Harry Potter fans riveted.
Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels Series #1), by Jen Calonita
The Royal Academy Rebels series is another one for fairy tale fans! It’s a little known secret that the royal crowns of well-known fairytales are required by law to attend the Royal Academy. Here, they learn how to truly become royals, governed by Fairy Godmother Olivina. The Royal Academy’s newest attendee is Devin, but she’s not so excited to be there, or about her future as a royal. She’d much rather be in the woods, fulfilling her dream of creature caretaker. Royal training is just not for her. Even worse, something odd is going on at the academy. The lines between royal and villain are not as clear as one might think and Devin’s not sure who to trust. Along with her new friends, Devin will dig into what’s going on, but what she discovers might shock the land of Enchantasia.
Dactyl Hill Squad (Dactyl Hill Squad Series #1), by Daniel José Older
New York City, the Civil War, and dinosaurs. These are all elements that come together in this unique historical fiction fantasy. Magdalys Roca is on a field trip with her peers from the Colored Orphan Asylum, when trouble swoops in and several of the orphans are kidnapped. Magdalys and her friends escape, finding refuge in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dactyl Hill. Here, they train to fly on the backs of pteradactyls, and plot to take down the evil magistrate Richard Riker, rescuing the kidnapped orphans from an international slave trading ring. In addition to this wild fantasy ride, endnotes include information on both the historical events and the dinosaur species included in the book. Young readers with an interest in history will love this series.
The post Stock Up on Exciting Series for Young Readers During B&N’s Book Haul appeared first on The B&N Kids Blog.