About the Author

Brian Farrey acquires young adult fiction for Flux. He and he alone has the power to make you an honorary Grimjinx. (You know you want it.) He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Brett Helquist's celebrated art has graced books from the charming Bedtime for Bear, which he also wrote, to the New York Times-bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket to the glorious picture book adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

"In an excellent, self-contained adventure, 12-year-old Jaxter Grimjinx is anxious to prove himself at the family business: thievery. Farrey's rich fantasy hits the ground running and never lets up." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"There couldn't be a more likeable family of thieves. This funny and serious series opener features action, twists and pleasingly original vocabulary, such as the swear 'zoc' (as in 'Zoc that') and the expression 'bangers, ' which means, roughly, 'awesome.' Bangers!" -- Kirkus Reviews"Rollicking. Highly accessible. Jaxter is as heroic as the early Harry [Potter], but he has a loving family, which makes a big difference in his ability to trust his own instincts as he works for the community's greater good. Readers will hope for a continuation of the story." -- ALA Booklist"With the deftness and ingenuity of a master thief, Brian Farrey spins the tale of a boy who is tasked with the unenviable job of defeating fate. Enticing, lively, and wholly engrossing, this book takes us on a journey as twisty and treacherous as an old castle staircase--where danger lurks behind every bend, nothing is ever as it seems, and things can always, always get worse. A book readers will devour in one sitting--and then immediately long for the sequel so they can be absorbed in this world again." -- Anne Ursu, acclaimed author of The Real Boy and The Lost Girl"Humorous and inventive. I'm eager to read the second in the trilogy!" -- Joseph Delaney, bestselling author of The Last Apprentice series"A charming story that's at times laugh-out-loud funny but also a satisfying fantasy, offering a magical world that will strike a chord with fans of the Harry Potter series." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Gr 4-8-Jaxter Grimjinx was born into a family of thieves, but he's so clumsy that his first big robbery lands his whole family in jail. The Grimjinxes are released when a prophecy woven into a tapestry predicts that they will save the city of Vengekeep from a variety of disasters. The tapestry is revealed to have been planted by Jaxter's parents, but soon all of the predicted disasters start happening. The family discovers that the false tapestry was inadvertently woven out of fateskin, a magical substance that will make all of the false predictions come true and is almost impossible to destroy. Jaxter's interest in herbal remedies to counter magic might hold an answer for how to destroy the fateskin, so he and his friend Callie set off on a quest to find the exotic and magical ingredients and save Vengekeep, meeting both allies and enemies as they race against time to save their city. Farrey creates a world filled with interesting characters and a detailed background culture, including sayings and words in the ancient par-Goblin language now used by thieves, including the Grimjinxes. Jaxter's parents, grandmother, and sister are fully realized and entertaining characters who have many illegal talents. The nonstop action and danger will draw in fantasy and adventure fans and may appeal to reluctant readers as well. While this is the first volume in a trilogy, all immediate action is nicely resolved, making it a satisfying and fun read.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.