Matthew Smith

Autumn Ackerman grew up believing in fairies and magic and princesses who defeated dragons, but now that she''s eighteen and facing a future stuck behind the counter of her small town''s coffee shop, she''s starting to wonder if this is all there really is to her life. But then she meets her childhood imaginary friend, Barnaby, in the alley behind the coffee shop one night. Autumn''s entire world is turned upside down. Drawn into the strange and mysterious world of the Night Folk, fantastic creatures that inspired all of humanity''s myths about gods and monsters, Autumn is about to discover that there is more to her world than she ever dreamed of as a little girl, and that world is far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. With the help of Barnaby and Evan Fade, the tragic young boy who inherited the local bookstore, Autumn has to protect herself from the coldly terrifying Mr. Balloon long enough to discover the truth about the Night Folk and her own past.

When these tweens team up, nothing can stop them!Ricki Jones is your average middle-grader. Her fellow-orphan-turned-adopted-brother Ross is, too. The seven mystical monks training them to protect the Earth from dark supernatural forces are pretty standard adults?they want nothing more than a little peace over summer vacation and all their prior attempts to get the kids out of town led to the camps going out of business. So this year? Rikki and Ross are heading to the town library, where Zatanna Zatara took a camp counselor job she expects to regret.And Rikki?s very normal. Everyone wants to investigate mysterious and strange events that could also mean the end of the world. Right? Everyone gathers a band of rogues and weirdoes to help. That?s just how friendship works!It?s fate (not like, Dr. Fate, just regular fate) that brings her together with Danny Cassidy, the Blue Devil. He?s got ADHD and kinda fused with his Halloween costume, giving him demon powers. And Boston Brand, who died in a horrifying microfiche accident and roams the halls as Deadkid. And don?t forget June Moon, who changes into an incredibly powerful sorceress named The Enchantress. But don?t hold that against her, she?s really very sweet when she''s not causing trouble.