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Books with author James Lailey

  • Once Upon the End

    James Riley

    Hardcover (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!
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  • Story Thieves

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, Jan. 20, 2015)
    A hilarious, action-packed New York Times bestselling series launches with a story-within-a-story, from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.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 climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character. Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father… …Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.
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  • Twice Upon a Time

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, April 24, 2012)
    Little mermaids and normal-sized pirates always create the biggest of problems, don't they? After the surprise revelations of HALF UPON A TIME, Jack, May and Phillip could use the help of a fairy godmother or two on their search for May's true identity. Only, there might be a snag: The entire Fairy Homelands have been put to sleep by an evil curse, and waking them could be hard. That's only if by hard, you mean escaping from the Land of Never, braving a merman-infested ocean to find a Sea Witch, then fighting alongside the pirate Bluebeard against an army of land-invading sharks with legs, all while trying to outwit one of the Wicked Queen's Eyes who seems to know your every move. So, yeah, a bit hard. But what fun would an easy fairy tale be?Twice Upon a Time is the second book in the Half Upon a Time series.
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  • The Future King

    James Riley

    Paperback (Aladdin, Oct. 6, 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?
  • The Revenge of Magic Epic Collection Books 1-3: The Revenge of Magic; The Last Dragon; The Future King

    James Riley

    Paperback (Aladdin, Nov. 17, 2020)
    Magic reawakens in this thrilling 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
  • Dispatches from a Tourist Trap

    James Bailey

    language (, April 2, 2019)
    Thanks to his parents' separation, Jason Van Otterloo is starting his sophomore year of high school three hours away from all his friends--including his new girlfriend, Sian. Tiny Icicle Flats is a quaint Bavarian-themed mountain village that has been trapped in time since long before his mother grew up there. That she was willing to return is all down to her new boyfriend--who also happens to be her new boss. And judging by all the makeup found in his bathroom cabinet, Jason's dad isn't wasting time waiting for her to return.Jason begins a blog to share details of his new life with his old friends, but some news isn't meant for wide distribution. Fortunately, his sage-but-sarcastic best friend, Drew, is always just an email away. Would it be so wrong, Jason wonders, to ask a local girl named Leah to the Homecoming dance? "Just as a one-time date, nothing more, obviously." "Why are you asking me and not Sian?" Drew replies. "Wait, I think I know the answer." If only Jason would ever take his friend's advice, he might spend less time climbing out of the holes he digs for himself.Pressed into afternoon and weekend duty at his grandpa's hardware store, Jason still finds time to join an after-school book club that specializes in controversial classics. When Leah's brother reports the book club to the school board, Jason and his fellow readers are forced underground--until they emerge again to enter a protest float in the Icicle Flats Christmas parade. The ensuing brouhaha makes for the most exciting holiday season Jason can remember. And for once, it's not his parents' arguing that takes center stage. With the new year comes a new scheme: If the local busybody brigade was upset by a few old books, pirate radio will surely blow their minds. Who ever said life in a small novelty town would be dull?Told entirely through Jason's email exchanges and blog posts, Dispatches from a Tourist Trap picks up where The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo left off. Come and spend a little time in Icicle Flats--just don't forget to pack your lederhosen.
  • Half Upon a Time

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, Sept. 7, 2010)
    Jack lives in a fantasy world. Really. He's the son of the infamous Jack who stole the magic beans from the giant, and he's working hard to restore his family's reputation. He finds the perfect opportunity when a "princess" lands in front of him, apparently from the land of Punk, as her Punk Princess t-shirt implies. May is from our world, and she's utterly confused to find herself in the midst of the fairy tale characters she has read about. But Jack and May have more in common than they realize--and together, they embark on a hilarious and wild adventure in this highly accessible, modern middle grade fantasy novel.Half Upon a Time is the first book in the Half Upon a Time series.
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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.
  • Story Thieves Collection Books 1-3: Story Thieves; The Stolen Chapters; Secret Origins

    James Riley

    Hardcover (Aladdin, March 14, 2017)
    Characters from the real and fictional worlds cross paths in the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves series—now available as a collectible 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 Story Thieves, Stolen Chapters, and Secret Origins.
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  • Bigfoot - Fact or Fiction

    James Wiley

    language (, Sept. 11, 2017)
    Do you believe? Read the twists and turns of one man's adventure hunting Bigfoot.
  • Half Upon A Time

    James Riley

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, Sept. 13, 2011)
    FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. In the village of Giant's Hand Jack's grandfather has been pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says ""Punk Princess,"" and she tells Jack that her grandmother, who looks suspiciously like the long-missing Snow White, has been kidnapped, Jack decides to help her.
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  • Story Thieves: The Story Thieves Series, book 1

    James Riley

    Audio CD (Simon & Schuster Audio and Blackstone Audio, March 26, 2019)
    This “clever opener likely to leave readers breathless both with laughter and anticipation” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) is the first in the New York Times bestselling series from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.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 climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character. Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father… …Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.
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