Jaclyn Moriarty

During a sleepover, a letter comes to five children begging for the urgent assistance of Esther Mettlestone-Staranise; she must arrive before 10am on Monday to save an entire town of elves trapped under layers of silver. And a regular-size boy who, soon after seeing the children, dies....

Esther is a middle child, in her own mind a pale reflection of siblings who are bright, shining stars. She’s content to go back to school, do her best, hang out with her friends, and let others take care of things. But her best friends aren’t at school when she gets there....

Bronte Mettlestone is 10 years old when her parents are killed by pirates. This does not bother her particularly: her parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby....

Abigail Sorensen has spent her life trying to unwrap the events of 1990. It was the year she started receiving random chapters from a self-help book called The Guidebook in the post. It was also the year her brother disappeared....

The town of Spindrift is frequented by pirates, Shadow Mages and charlatans. It's also home to the Orphanage School, where Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley....

Bronte Mettlestone's parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her aunt Isabelle and the Butler....

Long ago, the little prince of Cloudburst was stolen from the seashore by a Water Sprite....

Here are only a few of the wonderful, strange, and mysterious elements in this breathtaking visit to the Kingdoms and Empires....

Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley. When the two schools compete at the Spindrift Tournament, the orphans and the boarding school are in an all-out war.