As trapsmith of the Carrion Tomb, Wily Snare spends all day every day inventing traps to keep plunderers at bay. While bored with his lot, he's proud that no one has ever outwitted his snares - until one day, the unlikeliest group of invaders does just that. An acrobatic thief, a warrior with a phantom arm, and a giant not only steal the tomb's gold - they take Wily, too! His skills will be invaluable for looting other treasure hoards across the kingdom. Yet the crew soon discovers it has an unexpected but crucial role to play in the fight against the Infernal King, a malevolent engineer who seeks to control the kingdom. Spanning a realm filled with dragons and dream spiders, golems and sorcerers, Snared: Escape to the Above is a great fit for middle-grade readers, particularly video game fans.

When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn't expect his life to change. But that's exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar.

Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he's got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars--the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert--that he's the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn's street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!

The familiars Aldwyn the cat, Skyler the blue jay, and Gilbert the tree frog are off on an all-new adventure in the series that Michael Buckley, bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, says "combines the magic of Harry Potter and the adventure of Warriors." With inventive magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and a mysterious conspiracy that will take all the familiars' wits to unravel, Palace of Dreams is the familiars' most extraordinary adventure yet.

Peace has returned to the queendom of Vastia. Paksahara has been defeated, and the three familiars Aldwyn, Skyler, and Gilbert are the heroes to thank. But when a birthday celebration at the palace goes dreadfully wrong, and Queen Loranella falls victim to a curse, it seems the familiars are the prime suspects. After narrowly escaping the palace dungeons, they'll have to embark on a quest to clear their names--a quest that will lead them across Vastia and even into the magical land of dreams.

With human magic still gone in Vastia, it's up to Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert to capture the Shifting Fortress and bring the evil Paksahara down. To overcome Paksahara's spell, the familiars embark on a dangerous quest to gather seven descendants of the queendom's most ancient and powerful animals. Time is already running out when Aldwyn finds a troubling scroll and begins to doubt their plan.

With inventive magic, epic action, and laugh-out-loud humor bursting from every page, Circle of Heroes is an extraordinary tale of friendship and adventure you won't want to see end.

Get familiar with the familiars!

Chaos erupts in Vastia when the evil Paksahara steals the Shifting Fortress and casts a spell to rob all humans of their magic. Now it's up to the three chosen ones, Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert, to reverse the curse. Using only their wits, their magic, and their trust in one another, the three friends must embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the Snow Leopard's Crown--their last hope to defeat Paksahara--before it's too late.