
Ganix Johns is a little too curious for his own good. He’s a born mischief-maker with a talent for getting into trouble. Ganix is always ready for a good time or a good meal, and everywhere he goes, he makes friends.


Ganix Johns is a little too curious for his own good. He’s a born mischief-maker with a talent for getting into trouble. Ganix is always ready for a good time or a good meal, and everywhere he goes, he makes friends.

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Longbow is the first in the (highly enjoyable) historical series, The Saga of Roland Innes, which has ties to Robin Hood lore. The Icebound Land is another in the (excellent) Ranger’s Apprentice series. And I read Fablehaven last fall because it was the “Book of the Month” selection for one of my GoodReads groups. It’s the first in a five-book series.
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Personal Touch. In the land of Liberty, citizens add their seal to official documents. A design’s seal is unique … and usually of personal significance to the person who carries it. Do you recognize this seal?


Six of Crows is a gritty YA with a heist underway. The Ranger’s Apprentice series is a fast-favorite I’ll be continuing to read through this year. And Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is … different. (Screen plays do not read like a book.)
For your Bookshelf. Nothing encourages kids to read and reread a series like having copies on your home bookshelves. The award-winning Byways Books are available as both paperbacks and hardcover library editions. (Contact CJ via email if you’re interested in ordering author-signed copies.)




The Secret of Zoom has math and music, orphans and boom! The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is a quirky and quaint quest. And The Zoo at the Edge of the World involves a stuttering boy, a Great White Hunter, and a jaguar’s magic.