Fairy Myths

It’s 1955, and Laurie Valentine’s best friend Dickie has contracted polio. Confined to a breathing machine in the hospital, he begs Laurie to stay by his side and tell him a story. As Laurie creates the tale of the giant Collosso and the young boy destined to stop him, Dickie starts to believe he’s part of the story. But when Laurie is forced to stop telling the story, Dickie has to reach within himself to create his own ending.

Revisit the tale of Rumpelstiltskin in this audiobook for listeners. The king demands the miller's daughter spin straw into gold. She doesn't know how until Rumpelstiltskin appears out of nowhere with his magic. But as the king asks for more gold, and Rumpelstiltskin demands repayment, what will happen to the miller's daughter?

Cole Randolph never meant to come to The Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try and save them. Now he’s trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. Cole’s search for his friends has led him to Elloweer, another of the five kingdoms that make up The Outskirts.

Harold draws an enchanted garden, only to discover that nothing can grow there because of the machinations of a Giant Witch.

Giant monsters. Tales of eternal love. The beginning of creation. Pint-sized warriors. Long voyages and insurmountable heroics are only a small piece of the classic myths that have helped shape Japan’s unique and immaculate history. Each story in this audiobook is filled with excitement and adventure that is just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

A beautiful girl with extraordinarily long golden hair is imprisoned in a lonely tower by a witch.

A magical beanstalk leads to a giant surprise in book four of Ursula Vernon's critically acclaimed Hamster Princess series. Harriet Hamsterbone doesn't go looking for trouble. Somehow it always finds her. So she isn't completely shocked when a salesman attempts to sell her some magic beans, or when one of those beans grows into a towering beanstalk leading up into the clouds. But even Harriet is surprised to find a giant castle - complete with one very poetically challenged giant - at the top of it.

Although largely unknown in the West, the 73 stories in this volume are just as beguiling as the more familiar Grimms’ Fairy Tales or Arabian Nights. They were collected in the early 20th century by Richard Wilhelm and first translated into English by Frederick H Martens. This beautifully produced revised and edited new edition includes updated notes which not only provide background on the tales, but also offer a fascinating insight into ancient Chinese folk lore and culture.

Trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real, Cole's epic adventure comes to a close in book five of the New York Times best-selling "fanciful, action-packed adventure" series (Publishers Weekly), from the author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series. Cole and his friends are pushed to the limit in this finale to the best-selling Five Kingdoms series. Will they finally be able to restore magic to the world of the Outskirts and find their way back home?

Aphrodite delights in helping mortals find love, but she is definitely not delighted by the constant attention from the godboys at Mount Olympus Academy. So she comes up with the perfect plan to try and deflect some of that attention: She'll help a fellow goddess girl, Athena, find her very first crush. After giving Athena a fabulous makeover, Aphrodite is suddenly an afterthought as the boys at MOA go gaga for Athena's new look. And Aphrodite is a bit unprepared for just how much attention one of her best friends is now receiving.

Bobby Norfolk plays a prominent role in African-American storytelling. But when he recently visited Africa, he went as a humble student, hoping to glean new insights, to immerse himself in a living oral tradition. He went as a pilgrim to the cities, villages, and jungles of Africa. Yet he was caught completely by surprise when, during a visit to an obscure African village, he was invited to a community-wide afternoon break at which elders told traditional Anansi stories and everyone else listened intently.

The year is A.D. 299. Diocletian rules the Roman Empire. And the gods have suddenly fallen silent. Seventeen-year-old Jurian doesn’t have time for the gods. He’s trying to hold his family together after his father died in disgrace, and piety, even to the Christ, just isn’t practical. But then, a ruthless enemy targets his family, forcing Jurian to make a choice: will he pursue the glory he’s always wanted, or will he sacrifice everything to protect a faith that was never really his own?

It's a nightmare when master magician Skeeve and Aahz the Pervect fall into Dreamland.... Massha gets married with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blew…up. Bunny turns to Skeeve for help when an interdimensional beauty contest turns ugly. Reality shows were never quite like this. Contestants hunt down Princess Gloriannamarjolie for a chance to win the greatest treasure in the kingdom.

Most monsters know better than to mess with Princess Harriet Hamsterbone. She's a fearsome warrior, an accomplished jouster, and is so convincing that she once converted a beastly Ogrecat to vegetarianism. So why would a pack of weasel-wolf monsters come to her for help? Well, there's something downright spooky going on in the forest where they live, and it all centers around a mysterious girl in a red cape. No one knows better than Harriet that little girls aren't always sweet. Luckily, there's no problem too big or bad for this princess to solve.

Did you ever wonder why spiders have no hair? After reading this African trickster tale, you will know. When Anansi goes to help his grandmother, he can't resist her steaming-hot pot of beans. Bobby and Sherry Norfolk take a wonderful new look at a classic story. Illustrated by Baird Hoffmire.

Anansi is invited to three parties and wants to attend them all. He gives each of his hosts a rope to tug, ties the other end around his own waist, and waits to be summoned when the food is served - but when all of the food is ready at the same time, Anansi is caught in the middle! That's why Spiders have small waists today.

Herc Beal knows who he's named after—a mythical hero—but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules's amazing feats in real life, he's skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod—and not a single Hydra in sight.

Cole Randolph ventures to a new kingdom as he continues his search for his friends - and pursues his quest to mend what has gone awry with the magic in The Outskirts. Can he overcome the challenges ahead, or will he be stranded forever in a world between reality and imagination?

Coryn and the Band have returned to the Great Ga’HooleTree and restored order. With the ember safely hidden away, the tree shakes off its gaudy golden glow and recovers its natural majesty. Meanwhile, deep in the Palace of Mists, Bess finds an ancient map fragment that reveals that there are not five owl kingdoms - as has been thought since time immemorial - but six. Coryn and the Chaw of Chaws set off to find this unknown land and, in a landscape of perpetual winter, discover a monastery of serene, learned owls, the likes of which no one has ever seen before.

Get ready for lots of fun and adventure when the swashbuckling thief Flynn Rider meets Rapunzel - the girl with 70 feet of magical hair. Together they go on wild, hilarious, and heartfelt adventures when Rapunzel leaves her isolated tower for the first time.