Forget naughty or nice--this is a battle of good vs. evil. Discover the origins of St. Nick and follow along as the Guardians start their quest to rid the world of nightmares in the first Guardians chapter book from Academy Award winner William Joyce that inspired the beloved film, The Rise of the Guardians. Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North--a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune...or save the village. When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting...and, he's not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

Nicholas St. North is a daring, rootless, and swashbuckling young swordsman who spends his days thieving and chasing adventure around the world with his friends. His path leads him to the secretive village of Santoff Clausen, rumored to have the greatest treasure in all of the East and protected, so it's said, by the great wizard Ombric Shalazar. When he gets there, though, it's only to find the town in the midst of a battle with a ferocious bear possessed by Pitch, the dreaded Nightmare King. Now Nicholas must decide: does he seek his own fortune, or does he help Shalazar, Shalazar's adopted daughter Katherine, and the villagers in their desperate fight? This exciting, imaginative tale will completely engross readers as it reveals the true origins of everyone's favorite Yuletide figure.
"Nicolas San Norte es un joven espadachin temerario, desarraigado e intrepido que se pasa la vida robando y buscando aventuras con sus compinches por medio mundo. En sus correrias llega al pueblo de Santoff Clausen, el cual se rumorea que tiene el tesoro mas grande en todo el Este y el cual, segun se dice, esta bajo la proteccion del gran mago Ombric Shalazar. Sin embargo, cuando llega se encuentra con un pueblo en plena batalla con un oso feroz poseido por Sombra, el pavoroso Rey de las Pesadillas. Ahora le toca a Nicolas decidirse: Buscara su propio bien, o ayudara a Shalazar, a su hija adoptiva Katherine y al resto de los habitantes en su lucha desesperada? Esta historia emocionante e imaginativa completamente absorbera al lector mientras revela los verdaderos origenes del mas popular de los personajes navidenos."