Three small children -- brought to safety on a winter night as their parents fled for their lives – Kate remembers it dimly, but Michael and Emma were too young, so they think that horrible orphanages are the only reality. Ten years of being shuffled from place to place (always with bullies, bad food, and unkind adults) have made Michael ever-frightened, Emma spoiling for a fight, and Kate weary and worried that they may never find their parents.

Their transfer to Pym Orphanage in upstate New York is highly mysterious. No one at Westport train station has heard of Cambridge Falls, yet Abraham is waiting to row them across the lake to the town. As they travel, suddenly mountains appear from the mist, a blackened landscape meets their eyes, and silence covers the small town like a curse.

Why have they been brought here? How could a mysterious book, a handful of old photos, and a room with no doors take them back in time? A witch with grand plans, orphans with parents, a Native American village, dwarves with attitude, and creatures of darkness that no one should encounter – whom can they trust?

In this thrilling first volume of the Books of Beginning fantasy trilogy, Kate’s encounters with The Emerald Atlas start a quest that could find their parents, separate the siblings forever, or spell the end of the world! (432 pg)

Recommended by: Katy Manck, Librarian-at-Large (retired academic/corporate/school librarian), Gilmer, Texas, USA