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Today Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley, and Amy Christine Parker and Rockstar Book Tours are
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revealing the cover for THE THIEF OF TIME, their new middle grade contemporary fantasy
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book which releases May 7, 2024! Check out the awesome cover and enter the
giveaway!
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On to the reveal!
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THE THIEF OF TIME (The Library Of Alexandria Series #1)
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by Authors: Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley, and Amy Christine Parker
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Pub. Date: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Infinity House Creative
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 312
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“The Thief of Time is a
thrilling contemporary fantasy that will steal your breath away. Chock full of
complex world building and magic that springs from the power of story, this
book will definitely keep young readers turning pages.”—Polly Holyoke,
Award-winning author
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Unleash the Magic…
THE THIEF OF TIME is an exciting middle-grade contemporary fantasy adventure
that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the realms of magic,
friendship, and self-discovery.
On a visit to their local library,
Ben, Bridgette, and Maya unwittingly unleash a dragon from an ancient book and
find themselves fighting for their lives against a swarm of evil birds. They
battle to escape with the help of the dragon and are whisked through a portal
into the magical Great Library of Alexandria.
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Once they pass the Trials and prove
themselves worthy, they are invited to become students at Helicon Academy.
There they train to become librarians for the Library of Alexandria, protecting
books and the magical artifacts within.
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Ben, Bridgette, and Maya fall in love
with the story-themed dinners, fantastical animals, and fictional characters
roaming the halls. But when they discover a dark and sinister mystery within
the academy’s halls, the three must embark on a quest to protect the library
and preserve the fabric of time itself.
REVIEWS:
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“Every so often, you read a book with a fictional place
that is so full of magic and so full of wonder that you want to live there
forever — the library in The Thief of Time is such a place. You’re in
for a treat!” —Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of Spark
What a ride! The Thief of Time whisks readers from the
immortal Library of Alexandria to adventures across the globe. Maya, Ben, and
Bridgette kept me reading to the very end! —Sarah McGuire, author of Flight
of Swans and Valiant
We all know books are magic, but in The Thief of Time,
they are beyond our expectations! This adventure jumps right in with our
protagonists facing an adventure, both physically and mentally, unlike any
other I’ve read. Fans of Land of Stories and magical school books are going to
devour this new twist on what it means to truly get into a book. —Kellee Moye,
librarian
Enjoy this peek inside:
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Chapter 1
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Polly Definitely Doesn’t Want a Cracker
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Ben
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The first weird thing Ben noticed was the birds.
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Clustered in bushes around the front of the library, they
watched with unblinking beady red eyes as he made his way up the steps.
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“To be, or not to be…gone!” he said loudly, clapping his
hands at a pair that was preening on the steps in front of the door. They
hopped only a few inches away and fixed Ben with a baleful stare.
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Ben shook his head. Here he was, quoting Hamlet at
creepy birds and returning an almost-overdue book on a Friday night when there
were probably ten end-of-summer parties going on—or at least two that he was
invited to.
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He yanked the door open and stepped inside. Mr. Lozano, who’d
been the town librarian ever since Ben could remember, was scanning barcodes
from a tall stack of books.
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“Hey, Mr. Lozano.” Ben slid his book across the counter.
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Mr. Lozano caught the book and added it to the stack. “Just
under the wire, Benjamin. Your dad wouldn’t be happy to come pay another late
fee.”
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“I know.”
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Mr. Lozano picked up a magnifying glass to peer at the book.
With the plaid bow tie and pencil mustache, Ben thought he looked more like a
Scotland Yard detective than a librarian.
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Mr. Lozano peeled off the outside cover that was titled
“Practical Science.” Ben inwardly groaned. He meant to remove that before
returning it. Underneath the cover was a copy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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Mr. Lozano sighed. “Your father still giving you a hard
time?”
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Ben shrugged. His father was a surgeon and thought Ben should
be studying math and science, not “farting around with theater and poetry,” as
he liked to say. It was just easier for Ben to pretend he was more scientific
than he was.
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His mom would’ve understood him better. Not a day went by
where he didn’t think about her and wish she was with him again, reading
Shakespeare’s sonnets like she did when he was little. The gentle lilt of her
voice always lulled him to sleep.
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“I know what you’re going to say,” Ben said. “I’ll talk to
him again, and—”
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“Mr. Lozano, that astronomy book isn’t here,” a girl
announced as she walked up and set a stack of books on the counter. She looked
familiar, maybe from school. She wore an old Texas Rangers baseball T-shirt and
had a short mop of auburn curls, pale skin, and thick round glasses that made
her green eyes seem extra-large.
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She shrugged her oversized military-looking green backpack
off her shoulders and plopped it on the counter next to the books. “It was due
five days ago. I’ve been on the waiting list forever.”
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“I’m sorry, Bridgette. I’m sure the person will bring it back
soon.” Mr. Lozano glanced at the clock over the desk. “Unfortunately, the
library’s closing so I can’t help you find something else right now.”
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“Can’t you call them? Fill out a police report or something?”
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“Excuse me.” Someone with two long dark braids squeezed
between Ben and Bridgette, her hands cupped around a small ball of fur. A
volunteer badge was clipped to the sleeve of her light blue shirt. “Mr. Lozano,
I think Griffin’s sick. I’m really worried about him.”
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This girl Ben knew. Everyone knew Maya Friedman, who moved
here last summer from Israel and within a month of their sixth-grade year
became one of the most popular kids at Harrison Middle. Her braids had kind of
become her trademark. Ben hated to admit he was jealous, but no matter how many
times he’d styled his sandy blond hair or even dyed it, he’d failed to get a
trademark “look.” This girl showed up with two long braids and perfectly tanned
olive skin and everyone was like whoooooaaaa.
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“Who’s Griffin?” Ben asked.
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“One of the library’s animals.” She held up a small ball of
brown fluff. “Does he look a little lethargic to you?”
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Bridgette shrank away. “Keep it away!”
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Maya pulled it to her chest protectively. “He’s just a little
guinea pig. He won’t hurt you.”
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“I know.” Bridgette pushed her glasses up the bridge of her
nose. “Its scientific name is Cavia
porcellus.” Her face flushed as Ben stared at her. “I read a lot.”
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“Poor Griffin,” Maya cooed to the ball of fluff. “That girl
didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
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Bridgette frowned. “I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. I’ve
just never been near one before.” She reached out and awkwardly patted its tiny
head with one finger. “Good boy.”
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Maya smiled at her, then glanced at Ben. “I think I know you
from English class. Ben, right?”
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Ben nodded. “You’re Maya.”
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“And I’m Bridgette,” Bridgette said from the other side of
Maya. “I mean, if anyone wanted to know,” she added softly.
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“No one wants to know,” another voice piped in.
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Ben cringed as the awful Davey Singleton swaggered over with
a group of his friends. Davey had been Ben’s nemesis ever since Ben was cast as
the lead in the third-grade rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and
ended up with a terrible case of stage fright, puking all over a kid in a tree
costume. Davey took over the role for the rest of the show and still delighted
in tormenting Ben about it. Worse, he seemed to beat out Ben for every lead
role since then.
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“Awww look, it’s Shakesfear,” Davey said. “Library’s
closing, Shakesfear. Go barf somewhere else.”
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Ben rolled his eyes. “Hang in there, Davey. One day, maybe
you’ll actually come up with something original.”
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“Hey, Maya, you going to Drew’s party?” one of the girls in
the group asked. “Davey’s ditching but you should come.”
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Maya brightened. “Sure, after I close up here.”
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“And, um, change shoes?” the girl said as she stared at
Maya’s scuffed black combat boots. “Where’d you get those?”
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Maya’s face reddened. “My aunt gave them to me when we left
Israel.”
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Ben got the feeling she never wore those boots in front of
her friends.
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“Sorry, you’re not invited,” the girl said to Bridgette as
she and her friends walked out the door, laughing.
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“Like I was interested anyway,” Bridgette mumbled, looking
away.
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“Lozano, we have to leave,” Davey said. “When are you going
to kick these nobodies out of here?” He pushed through the half-door of the
counter and came back with a brown leather suitcase.
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“Where are you going?” Ben asked.
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“None of your business.”
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“We’re fine, we’re fine.” Mr. Lozano glanced again at the
clock. “We have ten minutes.” He nodded at Ben, Bridgette, and Maya. “You kids
head home now. Library is closed. Maya, thank you
for taking such great care of the animals. And Bridgette, tomorrow maybe I can
help—”
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A loud crack sounded outside of the library. Everyone jumped.
Bridgette squealed and pushed closer to Ben, who was rubbing his ringing ears.
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“What was that?” Maya said, cradling the chirping Griffin
close.
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“Lightning?” Ben suggested.
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“It’s not even raining,” Bridgette pointed out.
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“Quiet.” Lozano held up a hand, frowning.
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Something dark moved against the frosted glass of the front
door. Ben heard tiny scratching and tapping noises, which got louder and louder
until it sounded like hundreds of birds were trying to claw their way through
the door.
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Ben covered his ears, his heart leaping into his throat as
the birds shrieked and screamed.
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Mr. Lozano yanked open the door to the circulation desk.
“Everyone, get behind the counter.”
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“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Davey pushed through the
opening, almost knocking Bridgette over with his suitcase.
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Another crash sounded at the door and more dark figures shot
past the frosted windowpane, bird silhouettes with feathers and crooked bills
that almost looked like creepy noses.
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The door wobbled and shook as if someone was trying to get
inside but didn’t know how to use the handle.
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Mr. Lozano yelled into his phone, “They’re here! I don’t know
how. We need an R.E.R. team now!”
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He gestured to Ben and the others. “Gather round and take
hands. Now.”
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More banging at the door. Davey kept his hands on his
suitcase. Bridgette grabbed Ben’s hand, her eyes wide with fear. He squeezed
hers with a reassurance he didn’t really feel and felt Maya take his other one.
He really hoped his palms weren’t sweaty.
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Lozano glanced at the clock. “Hold on. And…now!”
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Everyone watched as Mr. Lozano stepped one foot into the
empty wastebasket next to the wall.
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And waited.
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Mr. Lozano pulled his foot out of the basket, then stepped in
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again. And again.
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Ben cleared his voice. “Um, Mr. Lozano, you okay?”
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The librarian grabbed the phone, beads of sweat breaking out
across his forehead. “It isn’t working. We need a car!”
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With a loud smash, the glass in the door shattered, and large
black birds with creepy red eyes started clawing their way through the window
with long, almost fingerlike talons. Ben yelped and Bridgette screamed.
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“Into my office!” Lozano yelled as a flurry of black feathers
cascaded over them. “I’ll handle this.”
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The kids scrambled into Mr. Lozano’s office and slammed the
door behind them as birds thumped against its frosted glass. A single black
feather floated in. Ben grabbed it and shoved it in his pocket. “That’s one
less feather you’ll have to fight with,” he yelled at the door, not caring how
weird he sounded. This whole thing was terrifyingly weird.
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Ben turned around, realizing he’d never been in Lozano’s
office before. It was like something from another century—old bookshelves,
weird telescope-looking things, and ancient leather-bound books piled on a
table. A low humming sound seemed to be coming from them. Ben rubbed his
ears.
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Screeching from right outside the office made Ben forget all
about the humming. The birds hurled against the window. Thump! Thump! Thump!
The glass started to crack.
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“We need to hide.” Bridgette yanked her backpack onto her
shoulders.
“Behind there!” Ben ran to the heavy oak desk on the far
wall. Bridgette and Maya followed.
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Davey crouched behind a plush chair near the door, clutching
his suitcase. “Make them go away,” he whimpered.
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A crash sounded on the other side of the door. Ben clamped
his eyes shut, hoping Mr. Lozano was okay.
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“Griffin!” Maya cried out.
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Ben opened his eyes to see the guinea pig running at top
speed toward a crack in the wall. Maya started after him, but Ben grabbed her
arm. “He’ll be fine. We need to stay together.”
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The square glass window in the door shattered. Davey threw
his hands over his head as the birds flew directly at him. His screams pierced
the air. Ben gritted his teeth together. No matter how awful Davey was, Ben
couldn’t just hide like a coward while birds were trying to kill him. This
wasn’t a third-grade play. This was real.
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“We have to help him. Distract the birds,” Ben told Maya and
Bridgette.
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“How?” cried Bridgette. “It’s not like we have bird seed.”
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“Hey!” Maya called out, standing up and waving her arms.
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“What are you doing?” Bridgette yelled at her as birds flew
toward them.
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Ben crawled across the floor to Davey, where a bird was
flapping over his head, poking him with its beak. He grabbed Davey’s suitcase
and threw it at the bird. The bird dodged it, shrieking.
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“Hey, that’s expensive,” Davey cried out.
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“So’s our lives!” Ben yelled as more birds converged around
them. He grasped for the nearest book, an ancient one with a dragon etched into
the leather and the imprint of a harp-looking instrument stamped on it. Ben
flung it at the birds. The book landed with a thud on the ground, open.
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Everything went completely still.
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A gust of wind whooshed through the broken window and caught
the pages, turning them fast and then faster. The humming he heard earlier grew
louder in his ears. Ben gasped as sparks flew out of the pages like sparklers
on the Fourth of July.
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A column of fire-red flame shot up from the book. Something
huge, red, and terrifying burst from the center of it.
About Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley,
and Amy Christine Parker:
Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley, and
Amy Christine Parker are
best friends who bonded over their love of telling stories and going on
adventures. They live in sunny Central Florida with their families, where
inspiration is just a beach day away.
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