For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.
Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken -- Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good -- powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.
A Mandatory Vacation
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.
"Why didn't you tell us Grandpa Sorenson lived in India?" Seth complained.
Her brother was eleven and heading into sixth grade. He had grown weary of his handheld video game -- evidence that they were on a truly epic drive.
Mom twisted to face the backseat. "It won't be much longer. Enjoy the scenery."
"I'm hungry," Seth said.
Mom started rummaging through a grocery bag full of snack food. "Peanut butter and crackers?"
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 you want anything, Kendra?"
"I'm fine."
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 and Grandpa Larsen had been visiting relatives in South Carolina. The relatives lived in a trailer. The trailer had some sort of malfunction involving a gas leak, and they all died in their sleep. Long ago, Grandma and Grandpa Larsen had specified that when they died, all their children and their spouses were to use an allocated sum of money to go on a Scandinavian cruise.
The grandchildren were not invited.
"Won't you get bored stuck on a boat for seventeen days?" Kendra asked.
Dad glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "The food is supposed to be incredible. Snails, fish eggs, the works."
"We're not all that thrilled about the trip," Mom said sadly. "I don't think your grandparents envisioned an accidental death when they made this request. But we'll make the best of it."
"The ship stops in ports as you go," Dad said, deliberately redirecting the conversation. "You get to disembark for part of the time."
"Is this car ride going to last seventeen days?" Seth asked.
"We're nearly there," Dad said.
"Do we have to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson?" asked Kendra.
"It'll be fun," Dad said. "You should feel honored. They almost never invite anyone to stay with them."
"Exactly. We barely know them. They're hermits."
"Well, they were my parents," Dad said. "Somehow I survived."
The road stopped winding through forested hills as it passed through a town. They idled at a stoplight, and Kendra stared at an overweight w
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