Books with author Natalie Jane Prior

At the end of the earth is Skellig Lir, a dreamy enchanted island that is inhabited by mysterious people with strange powers. To get there, Lily Quench and Queen Dragon must brave magic, storms, and seas swarming with deadly sea dragons—and Ariane, the rebellious keeper of the lonely lighthouse of Skellig Mor. In the depths of an undersea cavern, Lily struggles to communicate with the sea dragons and escape the skeleton-filled tunnels beneath the lighthouse. Only then can she complete her quest: to enter the fantastical library that has existed since the beginning of the world.

As a family of dragon slayers, the Quenches of Ashby have always been burning successes...until the evil Black Count invades, and the family's fortunes go into a downward spiral. Then a dragon unexpectedly arrives and Lily, the last of the Quenches, is called upon to fight it. Soon she finds herself on a desperate, magical quest to save Ashby from destruction-and restore the lost heir to his throne...

Kidnapped and taken back into the past to a crumbling castle in the middle of a creepy marsh, Lily Quench searches for the long-lost treasure of Mote Ely—and a way back to her own time. Locked in a dungeon, attacked by a dragon, and befriended by her eccentric great-great-great-great-grandmother, Lily finds that enemies can sometimes be friends—and that old friends can unexpectedly turn into enemies.

Preserved people can tell us things that skeletons can't-hairstyles and tattoos can tell us what people looked like, full stomachs can tell us what thev ate, and autopsies can reveal what diseases they suffered. With sections on Egyptian mummies, bog bodies, Einstein's brain, and the Ice Man, The Encyclopedia of Preserved People provides a fascinating look at those men, women, and children whose bodies have been preserved until the present day. It proves that history is not about dull dates, but about people who laughed, cried, ate, and worked, just like us-yet who were also incredibly different. It includes an index and a bibliography and is illustrated by over 30 full-color photographs.

An explosive mix of magic, gunpowder and politics, set against a historical backdrop. Simeon Runciman is a firework maker with dangerous ideas; he's a difficult man with a mysterious past. For years he and his son, Casimir, have led an itinerant lifestyle, eking out a living by putting on fireworks displays and selling fireworks at fairs and markets. Casimir has always had the feeling that his father was running away from something, but when Simeon decides to settle down, his past finally catches up with him. Simeon's enemy, the sinister magician, Circastes, reappears in their lives intent on revenge, and Casimir is caught in a web of murder, deceit and magic. Forced to fight for his own survival, Casimir must also confront the harsh truth of who his father is and what he has done, as well as the real nature of the magic that he wields. Natalie Jane Prior has spun the most intriguing and fascinating tale against an historical backdrop that seems as unpredictable and dangerous as Simeon's own explosive mix of magic, gunpowder and politics. She eloquently builds this dark tale to a breathtaking climax. Ages 11+

As a family of dragon slayers, the Quenches of Ashby have always been burning successes...until the evil Black Count invades, and the family's fortunes go into a downward spiral. Then a dragon unexpectedly arrives and Lily, the last of the Quenches, is called upon to fight it. Soon she finds herself on a desperate, magical quest to save Ashby from destruction-and restore the lost heir to his throne...

the temperature in the room dropped, like the bitter cold before a storm, and the smell of magic gathered like a mist. then the windows rattled, the floor shook and the paper stars and firework cases and all the trumpery tackle of Casimir's trade suddenly lifted off the shelves and whirled around him in a blinding, stinging storm... Simeon Runciman is a firework maker who used to be a dark magician; a difficult man with a dangerous past. His son, Casimir, has always known part of the truth about him. But when Simeon's enemy, the sinister magician, Circastes, reappears in their lives intent on revenge, Casimir is caught in a web of murder, deceit and magic. Forced to fight for his own survival, Casimir must also confront the harsh truth of who his father is and what he has done, as well as the real nature of the magic that he wields.

An exploration of preserved human remains tells the stories of druid sacrifices found in the bogs of Britain, mummies from Greenland and Egypt, a five thousand-year-old man frozen by the glaciers of the Italian Alps, and the mysterious Knight of St. Bees. An exploration of preserved human remains tells the stories of druid sacrifices found in the bogs of Britain, mummies from Greenland and Egypt, and a five thousand-year-old man frozen by the glaciers of the Italian Alps

Preserved people can tell us things that skeletons can't-hairstyles and tattoos can tell us what people looked like, full stomachs can tell us what thev ate, and autopsies can reveal what diseases they suffered. With sections on Egyptian mummies, bog bodies, Einstein's brain, and the Ice Man, The Encyclopedia of Preserved People provides a fascinating look at those men, women, and children whose bodies have been preserved until the present day. It proves that history is not about dull dates, but about people who laughed, cried, ate, and worked, just like us-yet who were also incredibly different. It includes an index and a bibliography and is illustrated by over 30 full-color photographs. From the Hardcover Library Binding edition.