ELA

"I've already drunk my fill of blood, so live a little longer. Breathe for a while and watch what's about to unfold."

Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world: the witches are rising, and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil.

The Last Apprentice series follows the terrifying adventures of the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward. But Tom's is only one story. There are others.

The Spook himself was once an apprentice. How did he begin his training?

And what of Alice, the young witch who is Tom's closest ally? How did she overcome her dark past?

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

Warning: Not to be listened to after dark.

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried: some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Long ago on the magical island of Fincayra, the last emperor of the dragons took revenge against the realm for the slaughter of his mate and their only offspring. Merlin's grandfather, a mighty wizard, saved the land by casting a sleeping spell over the dragon.

Young Merlin has brought new hope to Fincayra, the enchanted isle that lies between earth and sky. Having finally freed it from the terrible Blight, Merlin and the forest girl Rhia set out to heal the land using the magical Flowering Harp. But Fincayra remains in great danger still, and the first victim of the renewed tide of evil is Merlin's own mother.

What is the nature of fate? Is young Merlin destined to be a powerful wizard, or does he have a choice?

When a battle with death-dealing Skinners catapults Daine and her mentor, Numair, into the divine realms, the riddles of Daine's past finally begin to reveal themselves. However, the pair must return to their beloved Tortall, for the kingdom is under attack and survival depends on Daine's wild magic.

Jack and Annie of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, know they have to find one of the four secrets of happiness to help save Merlin the magician. But when the magic tree house whisks them off to a misty island in the middle of nowhere, they wonder how they will find anything. As the fog lifts, they see a huge three-masted ship - could it be a pirate ship?

Jack and Annie continue their quest for the secrets of happiness - secrets they need to save Merlin. This time, the Magic Tree House takes them to the one continent they haven't visited before: Antarctica! What can they hope to learn about happiness in such a barren place? Only the penguins know for sure...Jack and Annie are about to find out!

Jack and Annie head to 18th-century Austria, where they must find and help a musician by the name of Mozart. Decked out in the craziest outfits they've ever worn, including a wig for Jack and a giant hoopskirt for Annie, the two siblings search an entire palace to no avail.

Jack and Annie are on their second mission to find and inspire artists to bring happiness to millions. After traveling to New Orleans, Jack and Annie come head to head with some real ghosts, as well as discover the world of jazz when they meet a young Louis Armstrong.

Jack and Annie are on their third mission to find (and inspire!) creative people to bring happiness to others through the arts (Mozart and Louis Armstrong so far). Set in Ireland, Jack and Annie meet an Irish girl and go on a magical adventure that changes the girl's life.

Jack and Annie's mission from Merlin the Magician? To help the famous writer Charles Dickens! In a magical whirl, the brother and sister are whisked back in time to Victorian England and the foggy streets of London.