“Have you seen Zane?” asked Ian.

Laurel nodded to a blue bottle with a long neck on the windowsill. It held a cluster of winter roses. “He snuck those in earlier.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Jovan? He strikes me as the thoughtful one.”

—excerpted from Byways, Book 1: On Your Marks

Jovan Johns is mild-mannered, bookish, peace-loving, and musical. Nobody understands why Jovan is best friends with Zane, but these cousins have been inseparable since childhood.

■ Jovan is Uncle Vanek‘s grandson. If you’re very good at figuring out the branches on a family tree, you’d discover that Jovan and the brothers are second cousins.
■ Like all the Johns family men, Jovan is tall with golden-brown hair and amber eyes. But after years of watching and waiting, everyone gave up on Jovan showing any signs of magic.
■ He’s a real bookworm. Jovan always has a book in his pocket. When he packed for this trip, his bag was so heavy because he crammed in so many books!

Byways, Book #1: On Your Marks
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Taking sibling rivalry to brand new lengths…

Series Summary: Ian Johns is the founder of the postal system in the land of Liberty. Twice widowed, he has three sons, all half-brothers, and the boys don’t get along. In order to help them bond, Ian plans a tour of the country in the hopes that travel will bring them closer together. But somehow, the plan is twisted around, and the trip becomes a race.

Age Range: These books are geared for young readers who are ready for their very first chapter books (K-2).

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