The best books that transport you to another realm

Why am I passionate about this?

My love of realms and fantastic imagination comes from growing up in the backwoods of Alabama. The woods inspired me and beckoned me to dance and build and imagine among the trees. I created characters and worlds and could be a witch, a fairy, a troll, or a girl lost in time. I owe my love of creating characters to the woods that built me and one day I will go back and thank them for the beautiful life they gave me.


I wrote...

Forest of Realms

By Shelby King, Crunchy Tubie Mama,

Book cover of Forest of Realms

What is my book about?

Zia's people have been enslaved. The princess watched helplessly when giant creatures emerged from outside the city to control her kingdom. But when she finds a map that could guide her through the Forest of Realms, she dashes into the woods in search of answers…

As she treads deeper into the darkness, she must decide who to trust in a magical, unfamiliar world. Unable to tell friend from foe, the royal girl must collect the pieces of a powerful artifact to have any chance of survival. Will Zia reveal the truth of the past and free her people before something sinister stops her quest for good?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Trylle: The Complete Trilogy: Switched, Torn, and Ascend

Shelby King Why did I love this book?

Trylle is the story of a girl caught between realms. She discovers the mystery of her birthright and her mother's hatred of her. She is forced into an unknown future clinging to a traumatic childhood and faces dangers at every turn. 

This book fed my soul and took me along with Wendy into realms unknown. Wendys inner dialouge and determination reminded me of myself and I related to her in magical ways.

By Amanda Hocking,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trylle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Enter the magical world of the Trylle with the full e-book collection: Switched, Torn, and Ascend from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

SWITCHED

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers she is a changeling who was switched at birth. Now she is about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that's both beautiful and frightening. Nothing is as it seems

TORN

Wendy knew her life would never be the same. Now she learns there is more…


Book cover of This Present Darkness

Shelby King Why did I love this book?

This book tells the story of a small town told from both the seen realm and the unseen realm. It is as terrifying as it is captivating. This Present Darkness offers a fascinating glimpse into the unseen world of the spirit realm. I had trouble sleeping after reading this series. It is so well written that it has you seeing things and rethinking everything you thought you knew about the spirit realm. 

By Frank Peretti,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked This Present Darkness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A powerful audio abridgement of this top-selling novel about a prayerful pastor and a skeptical reporter who find themselves fighting a plot to subjugate the human race.


Book cover of Eyes of the Blind

Shelby King Why did I love this book?

Most fantasy books take so long to tell the story. This series starts quickly and enchants the entire time! A hero who defends a blind priest against all manner of evil and danger. This is a story you will fall in love with and will not be able to put down! Without revealing too much... Not all heroes wear capes 

By D.A. Godwin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eyes of the Blind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A blind priest. A book that can't be seen. Can a young hero protect one long enough to save the other?

Tormjere has never left his home valley, peaceful in its isolation from both monsters and men. His first journey into the outside world meets with disaster, thrusting him into the realities of a kingdom on the brink of war.

To save the life of a friend, he pledges himself to a path for which he is ill-prepared: guiding a blind priest on a quest to retrieve a sacred relic that only he can find.

As their pursuit leads them…


Book cover of The Portal

Shelby King Why did I love this book?

This series is so enthralling! A perfect series to inspire and transport you. A young girl finds herself taken from her time and flung into servitude 500 years ago. So many twists and turns and truly enchanting moments. I finished this series in a day. It is that good! I also now want to own a greenhouse. You will understand why. 

By Kathryn Lasky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Portal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

"Kathryn Lasky's latest is a sleight-of-hand that will have you clapping your hands. With the brio and big-heart that characterizes all of Lasky's work, this opening salvo of a new series can be heralded with trumpet fanfares and clouds of rose petals." -Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Egg & Spoon

For fans of the Royal Diaries series and Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky delivers the first enchanting adventure in a compelling new middle grade series about a newly orphaned girl who finds herself time-travelling between the present day and the court of the two most memorable…


Book cover of Remarkables

Shelby King Why did I love this book?

This book is a great stand-alone but thankfully is a series. It is a story about moving away and learning to integrate but also a young girl discovering strange things in the woods and finding herself immersed in a mystery you will not believe. I read this to my boys but I found myself more intrigued every chapter 

By Margaret Peterson Haddix,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Remarkables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Margaret Peterson Haddix, the master of cliffhangers, delivers a pulse-pounding mystery perfect for fans of Jacqueline West and Kat Yeh, full of secrets, surprises, and the power of family.

One minute they’re there: laughing and having fun at the house next door. The next minute, the teens are gone. Like magic. Marin can’t believe her eyes. Who are they? Can anyone else see them? What makes them so happy?

Marin is lonely in this new town of hers and eager to figure out more. Then she meets Charley, who reveals that he knows about them,…


You might also like...

Lap Baby

By Amy Q. Barker,

Book cover of Lap Baby

Amy Q. Barker Author Of Lap Baby

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Avid reader Nature lover Park ranger wanna be Best Nana ever

Amy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

A story you'll never forget about survival, forgiveness, healing, and love.

Twenty years ago. A plane crash. Three women survivors are inexorably connected by fate, destiny, and a cause. 

Julie Geiger, a flight attendant, told five sets of parents to place their babies on the floor of the plane when it was going down. Now, she must live with the consequences. Will changing the emergency rules bring her healing and forgiveness? And where does love fit into her life now?

Marie Stanley lost her baby boy on that flight. And she knows exactly who to blame. Julie. The problem is that vindictiveness festers. And eats into your soul. How will Marie learn to move past her hate and save her marriage in the process?

Paige Montgomery, the lap baby who survived the flight, would love to forget it ever happened. After all, she’s happy. And she’s on the cusp of a new relationship. How will she learn to forge her own path, one that integrates all the elements of her past, including the crash, the loss of her parents, and her subsequent adoption?

Lap Baby

By Amy Q. Barker,

What is this book about?

Twenty years ago. A plane crash. Three women survivors inexorably connected by fate, destiny, and a cause.

Did you know that lap babies (children under the age of two) are instructed to be placed on the floor of a plane during an emergency? Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

Julie Geiger, a flight attendant, told five sets of parents to do just that. Now she must live with the consequences. Will changing the rules bring her healing and forgiveness? And where does love fit into her life now?

Marie Stanley lost her baby boy on that flight. And she knows exactly…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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