The Forbidden Library

Alice has always believed fairy tales end happily. Then her father goes down in a shipwreck, and she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon, a relative she has never heard of and knows nothing about.

Geryon's enormous manor holds a massive library, and Alice is forbidden to enter it. She is a girl who follows rules. But a talking cat sneaks her inside, and there she meets an arrogant boy who dares her to open a book. For a born reader, the temptation is too strong.

Opening the book pulls Alice into it. The only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within its pages. Her uncle, it seems, is far more than he says he is, and so is Alice.

This is a fantasy adventure for younger readers, the first book in a series. Alice is a resourceful heroine, magical creatures fill the pages, and the narrow escapes come one after another. The tone is brisk and classic, with a quiet house and its secrets giving way to danger inside the books.