As trapsmith of the Carrion Tomb, Wily Snare spends all day every day inventing traps to keep plunderers at bay. While bored with his lot, he's proud that no one has ever outwitted his snares--until one day, the unlikeliest group of invaders does just that.An acrobatic thief, a warrior with a phantom arm, and a giant not only steal the tomb's gold--they take Wily, too! His skills will be invaluable for looting other treasure hoards across the kingdom. Yet the crew soon discovers it has an unexpected but crucial role to play in the fight against the Infernal King, a malevolent engineer who seeks to control the kingdom. Spanning a realm filled with dragons and dream spiders, golems and sorcerers, Snared: Escape to the Above is a great fit for middle-grade readers, particularly video game fans.

In this rip-roaring dungeon adventure, genius inventor Wily Snare must journey into a dangerous underground maze to find a mythical beast. Thanks to a crew of misfit treasure-seekers, Wily Snare has assumed his rightful place as King of Panthasos. Wily knows how to be a great trapsmith—devising and building various contraptions to keep plunderers at bay—but he has no idea how to be a good king. And he hasn’t escaped his past. Stalag, mage who once kept him locked away, is amassing an army of stone soldiers to seize the kingdom. Wily’s only hope is to tame a lair beast, a giant creature that’s the only chance against the evil wizard’s army. But first, Wily and his friends will need to survive the journey to the strange and deadly “Below” where the lair beast dwells. Snared: Lair of the Beast is the second book in a fantasy adventure series from bestselling author Adam Jay Epstein. An Imprint Book "This action-packed, fast-paced read is funny, heartfelt, and filled with adventure." —School Library Journal: Xpress Reviews Praise for Snared: Escape to the Above "A fast-paced, refreshingly creative adventure that will thrill readers from the very first page.” —Shannon Messenger, New York Times bestselling author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and the Sky Fall series “Fabulous characters and a unique mythology combine to create something really wonderful. Snared will ensnare you.” —Michael Scott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.

Snared: Escape to the Above is the first book in a new middle-grade fantasy adventure series from bestselling author Adam Jay Epstein. Chopping blades, scorpion nests, giant spiderwebs—no one makes traps better than Wily Snare. He has never seen the sun, or blue sky, or even his parents. Wily Snare lives underground, creating traps to keep treasure-seekers away from the gold in an ancient wizard’s dungeon. He spends his days mopping up giant slug slime, avoiding poison darts, and herding undead skeletons. It’s all he knows. Until an unusual band of adventurers—an acrobatic elf, a warrior with a magic arm, and a giant made of moss—successfully defeat Wily’s traps. And they want the ultimate treasure: Wily himself. His skills can help them invade every other dungeon in the kingdom. He might even aid their fight against the Infernal King, whose gearfolk and prisonauts terrorize the land. But for a boy who has never been outside, dungeons aren’t nearly as scary as the world above. Or an evil king who builds the trickiest traps of all . . . An Imprint Book “A heartfelt tale filled with whimsy, wonder, and magic... truly satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Funny, compassionate, and entertaining... Readers will be immersed into this dark yet humorous world filled with unique characters.” —School Library Journal “Afast-paced, refreshingly creative adventure that will thrill readers from the very first page.” —Shannon Messenger, New York Times bestselling author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and the Sky Fall series “Fabulous characters and a unique mythology combine to create something really wonderful. Snared will ensnare you.” —Michael Scott, New York Times bestselling author of the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. “An imaginative blast of dungeon-crawling adventure with hilarious monsters and dastardly traps. Zany, heartfelt fun for everyone.” —Lou Anders, author of the Thrones and Bones series “Snared is chock-full of quirky characters, fantastic world building, andwild, hilarious adventure with every turn of the page. I loved it and kids will love it too!”—Liesl Shurtliff, New York Times bestselling author of Rump “Pure dungeon-crawling fun. Witty and page-turning, I never knew what cheerful mayhem was waiting just around the bend. I can’t recommend it enough.” —Zack Loran Clark, coauthor of The Adventurers Guild “A thrilling fantasy adventure full of humor and heart. Adam Jay Epstein has created a fun, magical world readers will want to stay lost in.” —Jeff Garvin, author of Symptoms of Being Human “Intruders in the dungeon! A lighthearted fantasy with a strong start.” —Kirkus “A fun and creative story with surprisingly deep plot twists.” —Booklist A Junior Library Guild Selection

Wily Snare sets sail on the high seas in the third and final installment of the middle grade fantasy adventure series from Adam Jay Epstein, Snared: Voyage on the Eversteel Sea Wily’s enemies are after his throne. The man who kept him captive for much of his childhood, the evil mage Stalag, is still at large, and Wily knows the kingdom will never be safe as long as he’s a threat. Meanwhile, Wily’s father, the Infernal King, has escaped prison and he’s looking to retake power. When Wily learns the villains are traveling to the fabled Eversteel Forge to build a mechanical army, it’s up to him and his companions to journey across the sea and stop their enemies. On the way, they face piracy, betrayal, sea monster attacks, and the dangers of a mysterious desert island. But the greatest challenge is to Wily’s loyalties—and if he can forgive a father he no longer trusts. An Imprint Book Praise for Snared: Lair of the Beast: "This action-packed, fast-paced read is funny, heartfelt, and filled with adventure." —School Library Journal: Xpress Reviews Praise for Snared: Escape to the Above: “A heartfelt tale filled with whimsy, wonder, and magic...truly satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!

A purple tapir named Gordon refuses to remain hidden and decides to stand out.

“Reeled out with the chilling calmness of a Hitchcock film, Above haunts as it illuminates. Deftly told, this tale of human resilience in the face of madness is a horror classic for our times” (Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe). Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom. Above is a riveting tale of resilience in which “stunning” (Daily Beast) new literary voice Isla Morley compels us to imagine what we would do if everything we had ever known was taken away. Like the bestselling authors of Room and The Lovely Bones before her, Morley explores the unthinkable with haunting detail and tenderly depicts our boundless capacity for hope.