The first step into the thrilling middlegrade fantasy world of The Shamer Chronicles Dina has unwillingly inherited her mother's gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions simply by looking into someone's eyes. To Dina, however, these powers are not a gift but a curse. Surrounded by fear and hostility, she longs for simple friendship. But when her mother is called to Dunark Castle to uncover the truth about a bloody triple murder, Dina must come to terms with her power - or let her mother fall prey to the vicious and revolting dragons of Dunark.

Originally published in Danish under the title: Slangens gave.

Translation originally published: Great Britain: Hodder Children's, 2003.

Dina, a Shamer, and her friend Nico, the legitimate heir to the lordship of Dunark, lead a dangerous rebellion against Drakan, the ruthless Dragon Lord who is hunting down Shamers to burn at the stake.

After the tumultuous events of last winter, Kate, Michael, and Emma long to continue the hunt for their missing parents. But they themselves are now in great danger, and so the wizard Stanislaus Pym hides the children at the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. There, he says, they will be safe. How wrong he is. The children are soon discovered by their enemies, and a frantic chase sends Kate a hundred years into the past, to a perilous, enchanted New York City. Searching for a way back to her brother and sister, she meets a mysterious boy whose fate is intricately—and dangerously—tied to her own. Meanwhile, Michael and Emma have set off to find the second of the Books of Beginning. A series of clues leads them into a hidden world where they must brave harsh polar storms, track down an ancient order of warriors, and confront terrible monsters. Will Michael and Emma find the legendary book of fire—and master its powers—before Kate is lost to them forever? Exciting, suspenseful, and brimming with humor and heart, the next installment of the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy will lead Kate, Michael, and Emma closer to their family—and to the magic that could save, or destroy, them all.

From the first moment that she met the silver bellhorse in the courtyard, Kat developed a burning ambition to become a "bredanari", a keeper of the peace and a rider of these magnificent animals - However, certain things seem to combine to threaten the fulfilment of her dreams.

Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming. But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows--and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself.

Destined to be a healer herself, the daughter of a shaman is the last of her people blessed with a vision and struggles to survive as her world collapses

Twelve-year-old Clara discovers magical powers which unlock the wonder of the natural world around her, and lead her on the first steps of an unforgettable adventure Clara is an ordinary girl, so small and shy that her mum calls her Little Mouse. Then, one day, she meets a cat. A huge, strange, black cat, with glowing yellow eyes. And so begins her new life as a wildwitch. Suddenly, Clara is plunged into a world of mystery and magic. With her Aunt Isa to guide her, she finds she can talk to animals and walk the mysterious Wildways. But then she is captured by the dreaded Chimera... Award-winning and highly acclaimed writer of fantasy, Lene Kaaberbøl was born in 1960, grew up in the Danish countryside and had her first book published at the age of 15. Since then she has written more than 30 books for children and young adults.

Mama turned in the saddle to look straight at Ivain, and her eyes were dark with fury. "What kind of a man are you-" she began in that voice, the Shamer's voice, which cuts right to the soul. "Shoot, damn it!" yelled someone from the shrubbery, and suddenly something long and dark was in the air, and there was a whirring sound and then a sickening thud. Mama collapsed across Falk's neck, and the long dark thing was stuck in her shoulder. They had shot my mother. When there are only four people in the world willing to look you in the face, losing one of them really hurts One look into the Shamer's eyes and a person's darkest secrets are revealed. Dina has recently inherited this uncomfortable gift, and now even her brother, Davin, no longer dares to meet her gaze. Yet in these dangerous times there are far worse things in store for the young Shamer. She is kidnapped by the corrupt Valdracu, cousin to the evil Dragon Lord who once tried to kill her mother. Then she's forced to use her gift as a weapon against innocent people. Dina must get free. Can her brother help her escape . . . before it's too late?