Twelve Nights

Written by Andrew Zurcher

Book #1 in the Twelve Nights series

Two siblings must navigate a world of stories to find their missing father and save reality.

5.5/7 Bookroo expert·2.8/5 Goodreads · 389 ratings

320 pages

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

On Christmas Eve, Kay's father vanishes, and no one remembers him. With her sister Ell, she discovers wraiths, Flip and Will, who reveal their father is trapped in a world of stories. As this realm unravels, only the elusive Bride of Bithynia can restore balance. Kay and Ell must embark on a daring quest to rescue their father and confront a centuries-old conflict. Will they succeed before it's too late? Dive into a spellbinding adventure where imagination holds the key to survival.

From the publisher

A magical tale of imagination, adventure, and the power of storytelling, perfect for fans of The Golden Compass and A Wrinkle in Time. Kay’s father has gone missing on Christmas Eve! And when Kay and her sister Ell go to his office, everyone he works with claims never to have heard of him. So later that evening, when Kay wakes up to find two mysterious strangers outside her bedroom window, talking about her father and looking for the last remnants of his existence, she demands to know what’s happened to her dad. The two strangers, Flip and Will, are wraiths, on a mission to bring Kay and Ell’s father to their world–the world of woven stories and grand imagination that their father has spent his career studying. Only things in that world have gone very wrong, and the Bride of Bithynia, the only being who can set things right, is nowhere to be found. Can Kay and Ell find their father and join Flip and Will in a centuries-old battle to save the world? Debut author Andrew Zurcher has created a world as captivating as Lyra’s Oxford and Alice’s Wonderland in this spellbinding quest of a novel. Praise for Twelve Nights * Debut author Zurcher writes with surety and panache . . . a superb adventure. –Booklist, STARRED REVIEW One for the bookshelf of any fantasy enthusiast. –Kirkus Reviews

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Reading age: 10–13
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: 930L

Themes & topics

Books about journeys and voyages Books about missing persons Books about storytelling Books about family Books about sisters

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Serious Subject Matter

There are a few references to the protagonist's parents arguing and having some marital turmoil, apparently due to the husband/father often being gone a lot for work.

Violence

The protagonist's father has been captured and beaten by the story's villain. There are mild descriptions of his suffering and wounds (such as blood on his forehead).

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