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Books with author James Bailey

  • Twice Upon a Time

    James Riley

    Paperback (Aladdin, April 16, 2013)
    Pirates and mermaids face off in this fractured-fairy tale sequel to Half Upon a Time!Jack and May are back for another adventure in the world of fairy tales with a twist. Now that they know about May’s grandmother’s real intentions, they’re on the hunt to learn May’s true identity. The search for answers leads Jack and May to the world of the Sea King, where they land right in the center of a battle between mermaids and the Pirate Bluebeard. The laughter and action are nonstop in this book from author James Riley—the second in a trilogy!
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  • Half Upon a Time

    James Riley

    eBook (Aladdin, Sept. 7, 2010)
    Life’s no fairy tale for Jack. After all, his father's been missing ever since that incident with the beanstalk and the giant, and his grandfather keeps pushing him to get out and find a princess to rescue. Who'd want to rescue a snobby, entitled princess anyway? Especially one that falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and still denies she's royalty. In fact, May doesn't even believe in magic. Yeah, what's that about? May does need help though--a huntsman is chasing her, her grandmother has been kidnapped, and Jack thinks it’s all because of the Wicked Queen . . . mostly because May’s grandmother might just be the long-lost Snow White. Jack and May's thrillingly hilarious adventure combines all the classic stories—fractured as a broken magic mirror—into one epic novel for the ages.
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  • The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo

    James Bailey

    (Independently published, April 10, 2019)
    In Jason Van Otterloo’s neighborhood, the Fourth of July fireworks are provided by his drunken parents brawling in the driveway. One moment they’re not speaking to each other, the next they’re on the couch like teenage lovers. He’s not sure which is worse. He’s been waiting for them to grow up for nearly 16 years, and it doesn’t seem likely to happen any time soon.Desperate to escape, Jason takes on any job that comes his way with the dream of saving enough money to get his own place. When the border patrol snuffs out his landscaping career, he talks his best friend Drew into enlisting with him as a caddy at the local country club. His income might not be sufficient to move out on, but it’s plenty to cover his first date with Gina—if she’s willing to overlook the minor detail about having to take the bus to the movies. Life would be so much easier if Jason were old enough to drive.Gina proves a nice distraction from the circus at home, at least until Jason realizes he has competition for her attention. “I want to come right out and say something,” he tells Drew, “but at the same time I don't want to know for sure.” At coffeehouse poetry slams or via late-night email exchanges, his fellow intellectual Drew is always there to provide perspective. But the one topic he can’t help Jason make sense of is Rob and Janice Van Otterloo’s rocky relationship. “Maybe they'll learn how to become boring and safe like my parents,” Drew suggests, when they finally seek marriage counseling. “I don't want them to be like your parents,” Jason replies. “It wouldn't be authentic.”Nor would it be as entertaining. Told entirely through emails between Jason, Drew, and others, The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo will appeal to fans of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and readers who best enjoy their teen angst cushioned in humor.
  • The Timeless One

    James Riley

    Paperback (Aladdin, March 2, 2021)
    Fort becomes entangled with legendary creatures and foes in this thrilling fourth novel in the fantastical series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!The future has been saved, but at a cost: Fort Fitzgerald has been expelled from the Oppenheimer School, and some of Fort’s friends have been lost in time. But time is the one thing Fort, Rachel, and Jia don’t have, as they’ll soon be facing one of the eternal Old Ones, the Timeless One, for the fate of the world. If they lose, the Old Ones will return, and humanity is doomed. If they win, the Old Ones will still return, and humanity is doomed. Because the Timeless One can see every possibility, and plan for it. How can Fort and his friends defeat a creature like that? And what does this all have to do with the real-life Merlin, from King Arthur’s days?
  • Once Upon the End

    James Riley

    eBook (Aladdin, May 7, 2013)
    Will there be happily ever after? Don’t miss the fractured-fairy tale conclusion to the action-packed and humor-filled Half Upon a Time trilogy!Jack and May have gone their separate ways, and each is now set on course to fulfill their destiny…or are they? Nothing is ever quite as it seems in the world of fairy tales, and the two friends are in for some huge surprises as they prepare to battle the Wicked Queen once and for all. Knights, fairy godmothers, giants, and beanstalks—all come together in this thrilling and hilarious conclusion to the Half Upon a Time trilogy!
  • The Revenge of Magic

    James Riley

    eBook (Aladdin, March 5, 2019)
    “Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan.” —Booklist When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to an “imaginative and exciting” (Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author) series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic. Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government-run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books. But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
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  • The Future King

    James Riley

    eBook (Aladdin, March 3, 2020)
    Fort’s continued adventures take more surprising twists and turns in this third novel in a thrilling series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!Dealing with monster attacks and his missing father has been hard enough for Fort Fitzgerald in his first month at the Oppenheimer School. But there’s another school for magic, this one in the United Kingdom, that's about to create even bigger problems. Six of the Carmarthen Academy students found themselves lost in time when they first started learning magic. Now they’ve returned, with news of a coming war that the students claim only they can stop. But their new plan for the world might lead to an even worse future, one that Fort and his friends are destined to help bring about, no matter how much they might want to fight it. Can Fort change the future that the Time students have already seen play out? Or is he destined to pay for his past mistakes for all of time?
  • Pick the Plot

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, Sept. 26, 2017)
    When Owen finds himself stuck in a Pick Your Own Plot story, things get more complicated than ever in this fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.Being able to jump into books used to seem like the greatest thing in the world to Owen Conners. But now Owen’s trapped in a time travel book where readers—that would be you—decide how the story goes. As if that weren’t enough, Owen’s also stuck in a prison for time criminals in a prehistoric era. He’s surrounded by bizarre fellow prisoners, including Kara Dox. How does Kara recognize Owen if they’ve never met before? She seems to think they’re old friends, but that can’t be possible. Still, Kara might just be the only chance Owen has to escape. And he has to find a way out to save his friend Bethany, who’s still in grave danger. Because unless Owen can stop him, Nobody is going to split Bethany into two, separating the fictional and non-fictional worlds forever. Will Owen be able to convince you, the reader, to help him find his way back to Bethany? Or will you feed him to dinosaurs just to teach him a lesson? It’s all up to you when you Pick the Plot.
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  • Worlds Apart

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, March 20, 2018)
    Owen and Bethany try to find their way back to each other after the fictional and nonfictional worlds are torn apart in this fifth and final book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.Bethany and Owen have failed. The villain they have come to know as Nobody has ripped asunder the fictional and nonfictional worlds, destroying their connection. Bethany has been split in two, with her fictional and nonfictional selves living in the separate realms. But weirdly, no one seems to mind. Owen—and every other nonfictional person—have lost their imaginations, so they can’t picture their lives any differently. Then Owen gets trapped in a dark, dystopian reality five years in the future, where nothing is needed more desperately than the power to imagine. Fictional Bethany is thrilled to be training with her father as his new sidekick, Twilight Girl—until she realizes that the fictional reality will fade away completely without the nonfictional world to hold it together. In this final installment of the genre-bending Story Thieves series, Owen and Bethany will be forced to risk everything to defeat Nobody and save multiple realities.
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  • The Revenge of Magic

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, March 5, 2019)
    “This imaginative and exciting story feels like the start of something big. The brilliant premise unfolds into a thrilling first book that has me impatient for the next one.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven and Dragonwatch When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic. Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books. But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
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  • Story Thieves Collection Books 1-3

    James Riley

    Paperback (Aladdin, Nov. 28, 2017)
    Characters from the real and fictional worlds cross paths in the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves series—now available as a collectible paperback boxed set!Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores. But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climbs out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional so she can jump into any book she wants. AND she can take anyone with her! Including Owen!!! Jump into this action-packed adventure with the first three books in the series! This boxed set includes paperback editions of Story Thieves, Stolen Chapters, and Secret Origins.
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  • The Revenge of Magic Epic Collection Books 1-3: The Revenge of Magic; The Last Dragon; The Future King

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, March 24, 2020)
    Magic reawakens in this thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!Thirteen years ago, books of magic were unearthed around the world, buried next to the bones of dragons. But only the children born after “Discovery Day” have the ability to wield their dangerous power. Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to the government-run Oppenheimer School to learn magic from those same books. But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound and Fort sees memories of an expelled student each time he sleeps. Unless Fort can learn the truth about magic and the ancient creatures it unleashed, more attacks will come—and this time, nothing can stop them. Experience the page-turning excitement in the first three books of The Revenge of Magic series: The Revenge of Magic The Last Dragon The Future King
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