Jorie and the Magic Stones is the first book in
a new chapter book series, by A. H. Richardson, that follows one heroic nine-year-old girl on an unforgettable
adventure. Children everywhere are loving this adventurous tale of Jorie and Rufus, two orphans from very different walks of
life, who meet by chance and discover a mystic book about
dragons, that soon leads them on a quest through a magical world unlike
anything either of them have ever experienced…
Praise:
“An easy to read chapter book that can be enjoyed of children of all
ages, Jorie and the Magic Stones succeeds at creating an
extraordinary world full of memorable characters and dangerous villains. In
Jorie and Rufus, the narrative follows the blossoming of a friendship, while
exploring the strengths of each of these two main protagonists. Weaving in
morales about important ideals like loyalty, bravery, and what it means to
be a good friend, the story shows younger readers how important it is to do the
right thing, no matter the costs. With rich descriptions, realistic dialogue,
and settings you feel as if you are truly immersed within, this is the start to
a promising new fantasy series...” - Red City Review
“Jorie is inquisitive, brave, and wise beyond her years,
and yet still a child at heart… she is everything a heroine should be... All
this, coupled with a one of a kind plot and an exceptional setting, brought to
life an amazing fantasy tale.” - 5
Stars, Readers’ Favorite
“If ever there was a children's book that was meant for
children of all ages, this would be that book. From page 1, you instantly fall
in love with the Jorie, the heroine. The storyline flows wonderfully. It makes
you feel as if you're there with the characters feeling the excitement, fears,
and joy that they feel as they go on an incredible adventure.” - 5 Stars, Matthew
and Alicia Lucy
“I absolutely love this story! It just carried me away and
I couldn't put the book down!! I loved all the different characters... The
author did a wonderful job describing all of them and my imagination kept on
going!” – 5 Stars, Amazon Review
Synopsis:
When
Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn’t imagine the
adventures she would have with dragons — good and bad — and all the strange
creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky
9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy
named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie — for
that is what she prefers to be called — finds a dusty ancient book about
dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a
mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry
for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find
themselves in the magic land of Cabrynthius.
Upon
meeting the good dragon, the Great Grootmonya, Jorie and Rufus are given a
quest to find the three Stones of Maalog — stones of enormous power — and
return them to their rightful place in Cabrynthius. Their mission is neither
easy nor safe, and is peppered with perils in the form of the evil black
half-dragon who rules the shadowy side of the land. They have to deal with a
wicked and greedy professor, the tragic daughter of the bad dragon, caves of
fire, rocky mountainous climbs, and a deadly poisonous butterfly.
Jorie
must rely on her wits and courage to win the day? Can she do this? Can she find
all three Stones? Can she save Rufus when disaster befalls him? Can she emerge
victorious? She and Rufus have some hair-raising challenges, in which they
learn valuable lessons about loyalty, bravery, and friendship.
Excerpt
Once in the quiet of her room, Jorie
closed the door and retrieved the book carefully hidden under the floorboard.
She didn’t know why she felt it so important to hide the book, but her
instincts told her that this was a very special book that needed to be
carefully guarded. Before settling down to study it, she went to open the
window in order to hear the sound of the horses when her aunt returned from her
errands. In that way, she would have time to put the book back in its hiding
place.
Perhaps
because of the rain and damp, the window was stuck and refused to open.
Although Jorie pushed, it appeared that it was well and truly stuck shut. Jorie
returned to her book and opened the pages oh-so-gently. She didn’t understand
the words in front of her, even though she was an excellent reader. They were
faded and seemed to be written in another language. Jorie spoke quite good
French, but this was certainly not French. She thought it might have been
Celtic, because there were c’s, and w’s and y’s, and they all seemed to run
together.
She
found one phrase that caught her attention, and carefully pronounced it under
her breath. “Cwythr ogan mosdrath kiranog. I wonder if that is how it is
pronounced.” Then in her most dramatic voice she called out, “Cwythr ogan
mosdrath kiranog,” and felt a shiver run through her. No sooner had she said
this than the window flew open. Jorie’s hand flew to her mouth. She inhaled,
staring hard at the window. “That window was stuck and wouldn’t budge an inch,
even under my tugging.”
As
she regained her composure, Jorie decided she needed to memorize these words.
She had always been good at history and could easily remember dates of battles,
when kings were crowned, and where, and all the things they make you remember
at school. She turned the four words over in her mind, a bit afraid to say them
aloud again. What if something else happened? Could it be a spell? Could it be
a curse? Was it someone’s name? Although it would be a really long name. Of
course, it could just as easily be a recipe for a jar of marmalade! Jorie
giggled. They probably didn’t have marmalade back in those days, and why would
they put it under a picture of a flying dragon? No — that didn’t make sense.
Jorie
studied her new wonderful find for most of the afternoon. After that, she lay
back on her bed, her hands clasped under her head, and turned things over in
her mind. She thought about the window; now that had been very, very strange!
She was sure that Aunt Letty had no idea that the book existed, for had she
known, she might have given it to a museum or a library for old stuff. If she
had known about it, she wouldn’t have put it under old floorboards, covered
with dust and cobwebs.
Jorie
didn’t care much for spiders, but she had plucked up her courage and plunged
her hands into that space, perhaps sensing that there was a treasure there.
She
wondered what her new friend Rufus might think of it. Should she tell him?
Could she trust him? Might he not tell grownups, who she believed would take it
away immediately, never to be returned? She couldn’t take that chance.
She
needed to give her new friend a chance; perhaps Rufus would keep it their
secret, and maybe the two of them could put their heads together and find out a
little more about this book. Jorie felt that this discovery of hers had more to
do with the history of Dunham and its mysterious past than it had as a mere
fairy story.
About the Author:
A. H. Richardson
was born in London England and is the daughter of famous pianist and composer
Clive Richardson. She studied drama and acting at the London Academy of Music
and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a musician, a painter and sculptor, and
now an Author.
She published her
debut novel Jorie and the Magic Stones in December 2014. At the request of
those who loved the first ‘Jorie’ story, Richardson has written a sequel
titled Jorie and the Gold Key,
and she is currently working on the third book in the series.
She is also
the author of Murder in Little Shendon, a thriller murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little
village in England after World War Two, and introduces two sleuths, Sir Victor
Hazlitt and his sidekick, Beresford Brandon, a noted Shakespearian actor.
She has more ‘who-dun-its’ planned for this clever and interesting duo… watch
for them!
A. H.
Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee, her adopted state, and has
three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs. She speaks four languages
and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on writing many more books and hopes
to delight her readers further with her British twist, which all her books
have.
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