An action-packed middle-grade fantasy with classic writing, a resourceful heroine, a host of magical creatures, and no shortage of narrow escapes—for fans of Story Thieves, Inkheart, Coraline, and Harry Potter.
For Alice, danger threatens from inside the library as well as out. Having figured out the role her master and uncle, Geryon, played in her father's disappearance, Alice turns to Ending—the mysterious, magical giant feline and guardian of Geryon's library—for a spell to incapacitate Geryon. But, like all cats, Ending is adept at keeping secrets and Alice doesn't know the whole story. Once she traps Geryon with Ending's spell, there's no one to stop the other Readers from sending their apprentices to pillage Geryon's library. As Alice prepares to face an impending attack from the combined might of the Readers, she gathers what forces she can—the apprentices she once thought might be her friends, the magical creatures imprisoned in Geryon's library—not knowing who, if anyone, she can trust.
"Readers will appreciate following an astute heroine whose ultimate ambition...[is] to remake the entire cruel and corrupt world around her. A busy continuing saga filled with fantastical drama and feisty finagling."—Kirkus Reviews
"The world of the Forbidden Library continues to deepen, adding new magical creatures, new relationships, and new adversaries to an already solid fantasy franchise founded on an appealing heroine, a deft plot, and gripping adventure sequences."—The Horn Book
"Alice remains a spirited, kind heroine with a noble goal and interesting, loyal characters to support her. More adventures are to come in this enjoyable fantasy series."—Booklist
Praise for The Mad Apprentice: "Wexler is an able builder of magical worlds and creatures, with labyrinths, an enchanted library, and a feisty, swashbuckling heroine at the center. A story rich in action and allegory—fantasy fans will want to hang on for what comes next."—Kirkus Reviews
"Full of action and adventure, this tale will enthrall fans of the first novel."—School Library Journal
"With an original concept, a brave and spirited heroine, and tantalizing incipient relationships among the apprentices (including Alice’s hot-and-cold friendship with Isaac, who tricked her in the first volume), Wexler’s series grows stronger by the book."—The Horn Book
Praise for The Forbidden Library: "Working in the grand tradition of children's fantasy, Wexler's off to a promising start."—Kirkus Reviews
"A charming, adventuresome fantasy from a promising new author."—Booklist
"Reminiscent of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003) and Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002)."—School Library Journal
Django Wexler is a self-proclaimed computer/fantasy/sci-fi geek. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in creative writing and computer science, worked in artificial intelligence research and as a programmer/writer for Microsoft, and is now a full-time fantasy writer. Django is the author of the Shadow Campaigns, an epic fantasy series for adults published by Roc (an imprint of Penguin), and the Forbidden Library, a classic fantasy series for young readers published by Kathy Dawson Books (an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group).
View titles by Django Wexler
An action-packed middle-grade fantasy with classic writing, a resourceful heroine, a host of magical creatures, and no shortage of narrow escapes—for fans of Story Thieves, Inkheart, Coraline, and Harry Potter.
For Alice, danger threatens from inside the library as well as out. Having figured out the role her master and uncle, Geryon, played in her father's disappearance, Alice turns to Ending—the mysterious, magical giant feline and guardian of Geryon's library—for a spell to incapacitate Geryon. But, like all cats, Ending is adept at keeping secrets and Alice doesn't know the whole story. Once she traps Geryon with Ending's spell, there's no one to stop the other Readers from sending their apprentices to pillage Geryon's library. As Alice prepares to face an impending attack from the combined might of the Readers, she gathers what forces she can—the apprentices she once thought might be her friends, the magical creatures imprisoned in Geryon's library—not knowing who, if anyone, she can trust.
Reviews
"Readers will appreciate following an astute heroine whose ultimate ambition...[is] to remake the entire cruel and corrupt world around her. A busy continuing saga filled with fantastical drama and feisty finagling."—Kirkus Reviews
"The world of the Forbidden Library continues to deepen, adding new magical creatures, new relationships, and new adversaries to an already solid fantasy franchise founded on an appealing heroine, a deft plot, and gripping adventure sequences."—The Horn Book
"Alice remains a spirited, kind heroine with a noble goal and interesting, loyal characters to support her. More adventures are to come in this enjoyable fantasy series."—Booklist
Praise for The Mad Apprentice: "Wexler is an able builder of magical worlds and creatures, with labyrinths, an enchanted library, and a feisty, swashbuckling heroine at the center. A story rich in action and allegory—fantasy fans will want to hang on for what comes next."—Kirkus Reviews
"Full of action and adventure, this tale will enthrall fans of the first novel."—School Library Journal
"With an original concept, a brave and spirited heroine, and tantalizing incipient relationships among the apprentices (including Alice’s hot-and-cold friendship with Isaac, who tricked her in the first volume), Wexler’s series grows stronger by the book."—The Horn Book
Praise for The Forbidden Library: "Working in the grand tradition of children's fantasy, Wexler's off to a promising start."—Kirkus Reviews
"A charming, adventuresome fantasy from a promising new author."—Booklist
"Reminiscent of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003) and Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002)."—School Library Journal
Django Wexler is a self-proclaimed computer/fantasy/sci-fi geek. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in creative writing and computer science, worked in artificial intelligence research and as a programmer/writer for Microsoft, and is now a full-time fantasy writer. Django is the author of the Shadow Campaigns, an epic fantasy series for adults published by Roc (an imprint of Penguin), and the Forbidden Library, a classic fantasy series for young readers published by Kathy Dawson Books (an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group).
View titles by Django Wexler
