Synopses & Reviews
When Kat and her father and brother visit the Mollie Kathleen, an old gold mine now open for tours by the busload, Kat gets lost from the group and falls down a shaft, where she discovers an awe-inspiring world of fantasy come to life. She meets an ancient dragon—the last of his kind—and discovers a secret about the gold that litters the creature's den and why dragons throughout time have hoarded the sparkling treasure.
The dragon helps Kat escape the endless caverns, but not before Kat greedily takes a piece of gold for herself. Feeling guilty, Kat decides to return it, but before she can do this she drops it in front of a group of visitors, and a media frenzy ensues. Soon the mining town is filled with gold seekers. In order to save the dragon and his gold, Kat and her brother must venture back into the mine to warn him. But will they get there in time?
This fast-paced, beautifully told modern fantasy tale by children's book illustrator Troy Howell will keep readers spellbound.
Praise for The Dragon of Cripple Creek
“Writing in Kats first-person narrative, which is wry and funny, clipped and eloquent, Howell, best known as an illustrator, mixes fantasy adventure with a moving conservation story in a debut that blends sadness, secrecy, and pure fun.” -Booklist
Synopsis
Now available in paperback, the first book in a thrilling, critically-acclaimed time-travel series
In this "page-turner debut" (Kirkus Reviews), thirteen-year-old Rowan and his friends, twins Xanthe and Xavier, find a time portal in an abandoned resort hotel. They travel back to revolutionary France, in search of Rowan's mysteriously missing sister, Nina. A desperate dash through Versailles and a daring escape from the guillotine are just two of the many adventures the children tackle as they race against time. If they don't make it home with Nina by the "golden hour," they won't come home at all.
Awards and praise for The Golden Hour
Book Sense Pick
International Reading Association Intermediate Fiction Award
Southern California Booksellers' Association Children's Book Prize
"A trip well worth taking." -The New York Times
"One of the few fantasies with any African American characters..." - Booklist
"Action-packed and laden with good-natured humor, Williams' tale is a journey worth taking." - Publisher's Weekly
About the Author
Troy Howell has won an Educational Press Association of America Distinguished Achievement Award and New York and Los Angeles Society of Illustrators merit awards. His work has been named a Redbook Best Children's Book of the Year. This is his first novel. He lives in Falmouth, Virginia.