Fablehaven

If you have to travel,” Coulter said, “I can’t think of a better way than the Translocator.” “I know, I’m getting spoiled,” Warren replied. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do airports ever again.” Tanu nodded. “No customs, no checked bags, no tiny seats for ten hours at a time.” “What are you griping about?” Warren said. “You hibernate like a grizzly on those long flights.” “I sleep to escape the torture,” Tanu maintained.

Seth wished he had kept the zombie hand.

13. Who is the coolest author ever? Is it the guy who wrote Fablehaven? If not, what’s the matter with you?

All right. Since the world is about to end, why not give an impossible jailbreak one last try?

Newel and Doren had inexhaustibly consumed milkshakes, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, pretzels, nuts, beef jerky, trail mix, soda, doughnuts, candy bars, cookies, crackers, and aerosol cheese. Of the fifty most impressive belches Seth had witnessed in his life, all had occurred on this road trip. “I hate to interrupt the feasting,” Vanessa said, “but we did come here for a purpose. Let’s try to focus on something besides sweet fat and salty fat for the next little while.” “Some of us have fast metabolisms,” Doren mumbled. “We just want fuel in the tank before we risk our necks,” Newel complained.

Newel and Doren had inexhaustibly consumed milkshakes, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, pretzels, nuts, beef jerky, trail mix, soda, doughnuts, candy bars, cookies, crackers, and aerosol cheese. Of the fifty most impressive belches Seth had witnessed in his life, all had occurred on this road trip.

Seth wished he had kept the zombie hand. What a perfect souvenir from his first official mission as a Knight of the Dawn! Instead he had thrown it out of the jeep almost reflexively. Hearing all of those zombie voices must have temporarily scrambled his reason.

A stocky zombie with curly orange hair

Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb.

have to get to Shoreless Isle? You’ll have to go back in time from there, right?

Being butchered by monkeys is pretty low on my list of ways to go.

We mustn’t leave Seth and the house unguarded,” Coulter said. “Unguarded?” Seth complained. “Are you trying to destroy my self-esteem?

Making mistakes is part of learning to choose well. No way around it. Choices are thrust upon us, and we don’t always get things right. Even postponing or avoiding a decision can become a choice that carries heavy consequences. Mistakes can be painful—sometimes they cause irrevocable harm—but welcome to Earth. Poor choices are part of growing up, and part of life. You will make bad choices, and you will be affected by the poor choices of others. We must rise above such things.

The only thing more alarming that what is in that cave will be your punishment if we somehow survive.

Are you all right?” Kendra asked. Warren grinned. “I’m surprised to be alive. That would have been a very big belly flop into a very dry pool. Here they come!” The

rule is no peeking, I won’t even consider it.” “If we find a need for your special immunity, we’ll make use of it,” Grandpa promised. “If you find a need,” Seth muttered. “I bet you won’t be looking very hard. Say, Coulter, how did you know

Every time the satyrs had spotted a fast food joint that they recognized from a commercial, they had hollered for a meal break. Vanessa had not always conceded, but whenever an opportunity was presented, Newel and Doren had inexhaustibly consumed milkshakes, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, pretzels, nuts, beef jerky, trail mix, soda, doughnuts, candy bars, cookies, crackers, and aerosol cheese. Of the fifty most impressive belches Seth had witnessed in his life, all had occurred on this road trip. “I

Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb. Maybe sometimes. Not today. Today they were driving along an endless two-lane highway through the forested hills of Connecticut. “Why

Seth reached forward for the crackers. Dad, driving, asked for some Almond Roca. Last Christmas he had decided that Almond Roca was his favorite candy and that he should have some on hand all year long. Nearly six months later he was still honoring his resolution. “Do

Kendra returned her attention to the frantic parade of trees. Her parents were leaving on a seventeen-day Scandinavian cruise with all the aunts and uncles on her mother’s side. They were all going for free. Not because they’d won a contest. They were going on a cruise because Kendra’s grandparents had asphyxiated. Grandma

The memory of the funeral made Kendra shiver. There was a wake beforehand, where Grandma and Grandpa Larsen were showcased in matching caskets. Kendra did not like seeing Grandpa Larsen wearing makeup. What lunatic had decided that when people died you should hire a taxidermist to fix them up for one final look? She would much rather remember them alive than on grotesque display in their Sunday best. The Larsens were the grandparents who had been part of her life. They had shared many holidays and long visits. Kendra

Seth rolled off the beanbag and stood up. “What’s he like?” “He’s smart,” Kendra said. “He said I’m fairykind.” Seth cocked his head. “Very kind?” “Fairy . . . kind. The fairies shared their magic with me.” “Are

They all migrated to the front door. Dad and Dale carried the larger bags. Seth held a smaller duffel bag and a cereal box. The cereal box was his emergency kit. It was full of odds and ends he thought would come in handy for an adventure—rubber bands, a compass, granola bars, coins, a squirt gun, a magnifying glass, plastic handcuffs, string, a whistle. “This

Instead of responding, he started looking more intently for the other corner pieces. Kendra could tell the comment had gotten to him. She decided not to tease him any further. The fact that he seemed scared of the lady he had met in the woods legitimized his story a lot. Seth had never scared easily. This was the kid who had jumped off the roof under the misguided assumption that a garbage bag would work like a parachute. The kid who had put the head of a live snake in his mouth on a dare. They

Lena held up a hand to silence him. “Say no more, human,” she demanded sternly. “After much travail, I have reclaimed my true life. Do not attempt to befuddle me. I need time alone to realign my thoughts.” With a wink, she disappeared beneath the water. Kendra

naiads who liked to drown people, which meant she needed a sturdy

Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb. Maybe sometimes. Not today. Today they were driving along an endless two-lane highway through the forested hills of Connecticut.

sharing a book with others becomes a public enterprise. There

The Sphinx extended a hand. Seth shook it. “One last thing, Seth. Are you aware that Midsummer Eve is scarcely a week away?” “Yeah.” “Might I make a suggestion?” “Okay.” “Don’t open any windows.

Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.

The curse of mortality. You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate. Beauty withers. Organs quit. You remember yourself in your prime, and wonder where that person went. As your wisdom and experience are peaking, your traitorous body becomes a prison.

What'll you do if you can't find a way to cure him?" Seth asked. Dale paused. "I'll never know that day has come, because I'll never stop trying.

break the rules pay the price

Let's worry about fixing the problem instead of the blame.

Hours of crisis often call for sacrifice. In matters of consequence, when have doubt and fear given the best advice? Why not heed faith, courage, and honor?

The baby dove into the room, transforming grotesquely as it landed on the floorin a deft sumersault

The surprise is on the far side." "You're sure?" "Positive." "It better not be another fairy," Seth said. "What's the matter with fairies?" "I've already seen about a billion of them and also they turned me into a walrus.

Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical like forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal caretakers. In a world where mortal man has become the dominant force, most creatures of enchantment have fled to refuges like this one.

In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes you.

A bar of gold means much more to a pauper than to a king

Evil likes darkness.” “Why is that?” Seth asked. Grandma thought about the question a moment before answering. “Because evil likes to hide.

Was the anticipation worse than the event itself? At

rumors. I’ll not say more on the subject. Cheese in your eggs?” “Yes, please.” * * * With Kendra gone, Seth got out the equipment he had bundled in his towel, including his emergency kit and the jar he had smuggled from the pantry. The jar was now empty, washed clean in the bathroom sink. Taking out his pocket knife, Seth used the awl to punch holes in the lid. Unscrewing the top, he gathered bits of grass, flower petals, a twig, and a pebble, and placed them in the jar. Then he wandered across the garden from the pool, leaving the skimmer behind. If skill failed, he would resort to cunning. He found a good spot not far from a fountain, then took the small mirror from his

Kendra stared out the side window of the SUV, watching foliage blur past. When the flurry of motion became too much, she looked up ahead and fixed her gaze on a particular tree, following it as it slowly approached, streaked past, and then gradually receded behind her. Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb. Maybe sometimes. Not today. Today they were driving along an endless two-lane highway through the forested hills of Connecticut.

Remember how worried you were when we dropped you off?” Mom said as she buckled her seatbelt. “I bet it wasn’t half as scary as you imagined.” Kendra and Seth shared a very special look.