Books in Diadem Series series

When Helaine was whisked away from home, she never got a chance to say goodbye. Now she's homesick and worried about her family. As the daughter of prominent Lord Votrin, Helaine knows her sudden departure ruined her father's plans to forge an important alliance with another township-an agreement that promised Helaine's hand in marriage. Score, Pixel, and two unicorn friends accompany Helaine to Ordin-a medieval planet of high-brow nobles, oppressed peasants, and endless battles over land. Upon finding her home, Castle Votrin, under siege by the Border Lords, Helaine vows to make it up to her father. With help from Jenna-a pretty, spell-working healer with a crush on Pixel-they struggle against angry villagers, giant insects, and pillaging soldiers to find a way to save Helaine's home and her family honor.

Now that one of the Three Who Rule has escaped, the Diadem is in serious danger. Nantor, Pixel's ancient, evil self, has taken over the young magic user's body and is threatening to, once again, rule the worlds. Poor Pixel is alive in a small cell of his mind, but Nantor's strong spirit will soon engulf him. It's up to Score and Helaine to stop the powerful Nantor, but how? Score has been banished to a dangerous land of killer plants. And Helaine is trapped on Calomir by the Overmind who has implanted a microchip in her head. Even Jenna has been separated from the other young magicians. Are Pixel, Helaine, and Score doomed to become the heartless, evil rulers of an enslaved Diadem?

Born into nobility, Helaine can't get over the fact that Jenna, a mere peasant on their home world, is her equal. Their constant bickering convinces the four magic-users to take a much-needed vacation. Hoping for a relaxing time at the beach, they go to Brine, a water-filled world with floating islands and telepathic sea creatures. What's supposed to be a relaxing holiday turns into chaos when pirates attack the helpless natives and capture Jenna and Pixel. Using magic is difficult on this outer-rim planet and Pixel's fate becomes grim when he is thrown overboard to a bloodthirsty sea monster. Meanwhile, Jenna-inexperienced in battle and separated from her friends-must rely on innovation and instinct to outwit the pirates, who are forcing her and the other captives to tunnel dangerously close to the sweltering core of an active volcano.

In the third book, the young magic-users travel to Dondar, a beautiful land of purple skies and blue grass. It is also home to Garonath, the unfriendly wizard of forms. With help from their unicorn friends, they fight his magical monsters, but they soon fall into the hands of Sarman, the evil magician who wants to rule the Diadem . . . and needs their souls to accomplish his despicable mission! But the ultimate battle lies ahead when they must face the Triad and discover what the mysterious Diadem rulers have been planning all along.

Book of Reality finds Score, Helaine, Pixel, and Jenna journeying back to Calomir, Pixel's home planet of virtual reality. Pixel hasn't been back to Calomir since being snatched from the futuristic planet when he was first pulled into the magic and danger of the Diadem. Pixel wants to see his parents again-and bring Jenna home to meet them. But instead of a happy homecoming, the four young magic-users find treachery, slavery, and deceit on Calomir, including a dark secret from Pixel's past. Can they find Pixel's parents, liberate the enslaved Drones, and win the battle against the evil force that not only controls Calomir, but also intends to conquer the entire Diadem?

Score falls victim to a deadly illness with only one cure: stopping the mysterious person behind this magical attack. Determined to save their friend, Helaine and Pixel go to Score's hometown, the Earth city of New York, to seek out his attacker, who is using Score's most precious item to hurt him: his mother's amulet. Finding the amulet proves to be difficult on Earth-an unfamiliar world of cars, skyscrapers, and guns for Helaine and Pixel-where their magical powers are severely weakened. Luckily, the trio stumbles upon a wealthy businessman who promises to help them in return for curing his disabled daughter-but is he really on their side? And then there's Bad Tony, Score's abusive father, fresh from jail, who shows up with gun-toting thugs to kidnap his critically-ill son. Will Helaine and Pixel find the amulet in time to save their dying friend?

The first book of the Diadem:Worlds of Magic series focuses on Score, Helaine, and Pixel's thrilling search for who or what has brought them to Treen, a planet on the outer ring of the Diadem. Clues lie inside the tower of a cunning wizard and within a stranger's rhyming riddles. But the quarrelsome trio is ever doubtful of whom to trust-even among themselves. Danger awaits them at every turn as they battle angry mobs, bloodthirsty wolves, and a conniving wizard. Yet their toughest challenge is learning to band together as a team, their only hope against the perilous spells of their one true enemy.

Score, Helaine, and Pixel rush to the planet Dondar to rescue their unicorn friends. Thunder, the noble leader of a herd has lost his title-and almost his life-to Tychus, a rogue unicorn who has a "wrongness" about him that everyone senses. And Helaine notices that the herd is behaving oddly, as if under a spell, with Tychus in charge. With help from their magical guide Oracle, the wizard Shanara and her sleepy red panda named Blink, and a unicorn named Darkstar, the trio learn more about the new leader of the unicorn herd and his devious scheme that will endanger the entire Diadem.

Score, Helaine, and Pixel continue their magical journey in Book of Signs, the second volume in the series. A portal takes them to a world called Rawn, where the natives do not like humans-especially those with magical powers. Up against nasty goblins, giant trolls, lake monsters, and a shapeshifting wizard named Shanara, the trio struggles desperately to avoid danger while learning more about the Diadem's rulers. Honing their magic skills, making friends, and sticking together are their only chance for survival. Traveling through winding caverns, treacherous mountains, and rainbow-colored forests, the trio are closely watched by an evil magician who craves their magical powers. And someone seems to be helping the children, giving them clues and warnings . . . but why?

The first book of the "Diadem: Worlds of Magic" series focuses on Score, Helaine, and Pixel's thrilling search for who or what has brought them to Treen, a planet on the outer ring of the Diadem. Clues lie inside the tower of a cunning wizard and within a stranger's rhyming riddles. But the quarrelsome trio is ever doubtful of whom to trust-even among themselves. Danger awaits them at every turn as they battle angry mobs, bloodthirsty wolves, and a conniving wizard. Yet their toughest challenge is learning to band together as a team, their only hope against the perilous spells of their one true enemy.