League of Beastly Dreadfuls
5 primary works
Book 1
A creepy Victorian house, secretive aunties, and a great escape combine in this debut that is part Mysterious Benedict Society, part Roald Dahl, and all quirky, smart, hilarious storytelling. Join the League. . . .
Anastasia is a completely average almost-eleven-year-old. That is, UNTIL her parents die in a tragic vacuum-cleaner accident. UNTIL she’s rescued by two long-lost great-aunties. And UNTIL she’s taken to their delightful and, er, “authentic” Victorian home, St. Agony’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
But something strange is going on at the asylum. Anastasia soon begins to suspect that her aunties are not who they say they are. So when she meets Ollie and Quentin, two mysterious brothers, the three join together to plot their great escape!
"Marvelously inventive and utterly demented, THE LEAGUE OF BEASTLY DREADFULS is nasty good fun from beginning to end!" -- Bruce Coville, My Teacher is an Alien
"WONDERFULLY WITTY. It reminds me of Roald Dahl's The Twits only in an insane asylum."—Chris Grabenstein, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
* “A yummy debut.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Just the right mix of humor, magic, maliciousness, and suspense"—Booklist
"Anastasia is anything but average, and her adventures are just beginning."—Publishers Weekly
"Enough mystery and humor to keep readers wondering what will happen next. A solid debut reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events."--School Library Journal
"Abundant humor....Charmingly offbeat ...sure to entertain."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Book 2
Book 2
Take one part Roald Dahl, a pinch of Mysterious Benedict Society, and a dash of Lemony Snicket, then add a league of adventurous children, a little magic, and a centuries-old feud with witches, and you get this quirky and hilarious middle-grade series!
After their narrow escape from a NEFARIOUS kidnapping ring, Anastasia, Ollie, and Quentin (aka the League of Beastly Dreadfuls!) are looking forward to a relaxing vacation from DANGER! INTRIGUE! CATASTROPHE! Sadly, they’re not going to get one.
Because Anastasia makes the SHOCKING discovery that her family is at the heart of a centuries-old WAR with WITCHES, a war that began with the dastardly disappearance of Anastasia’s very own grandfather. Can the league track down Anastasia’s grandfather and find out who Anastasia really is? Gentle Reader, BEWARE! The trail of clues leads to spine-tingling surprises. Read on . . . if you DARE!
Book 3
Take one part Roald Dahl, a pinch of the Mysterious Benedict Society, and a dash of Lemony Snicket, then add a league of adventurous children, a little magic, and a centuries-old feud with witches, and you get this quirky and darkly hilarious middle-grade series!
Long ago, the evil wizard Calixto Swift committed a terrible crime against twelve-year-old Anastasia’s family, a crime that began the Perpetual War between witches and the people of Nowhere Special. The witches have long since been banished, but deep in the darkest, most forbidden back alleys of Nowhere Special lies Calixto’s mysterious, unbreakable glass cabinet. And that cabinet holds the key to Anastasia’s missing grandfather . . . if Anastasia, Ollie, Quentin, and Gus (aka the League of Beastly Dreadfuls) can decipher the clues and figure out how to open it.
Steel yourselves, dear Readers! As the feud between the witches and Anastasia’s family heats up in book 3 of the League of Beastly Dreadfuls series, our heroes’ wild sleuthing will put them far closer to WITCH MAGIC than proper children should ever be! Prepare for SHOCKING revelations about who Anastasia really is! It is safe to say that this may be the League’s Most Dangerous and Important Puzzle yet!
Book 3
