Oliver Hawthorne and the Scepter of Amandine

Twelve-year-old Oliver "Ollie" Hawthorne knows every path through the peaceful village of Hyllside. He also knows that nothing truly extraordinary ever happens there—until a mysterious wooden box bearing his name appears on his doorstep and carries him beyond the clouds. On the other side waits Amandine, a radiant realm Ollie thought existed only in stories. A world where rain returns color to the mortal world, stairways move on their own, and enormous doves soar above glowing seas. It is also home to the one person Ollie never expected to see again. But wonder quickly gives way to danger. The fabled Scepter of Amandine has been stolen from the Fountain of Life. Without it, the barrier separating Amandine from the desolate Waystland is failing. If Malakar, the dark ruler of Waystland, regains the Scepter, he could restore his ancient power—and destroy the mortal realm in the process. Drawn into a mystery no twelve-year-old should have to solve, Ollie joins his new friends Skylar, Landen, Jesse, and Toby in a race to expose the enemy hiding within Amandine. Along the way, he must confront the strange power awakening inside him, face creatures born from darkness, and uncover the truth surrounding his father's death. To save the world he came from and the realm that has begun to feel like home, Ollie will need courage, loyalty, and friends willing to stand together to face whatever comes next. "Oliver Hawthorne and the Scepter of Amandine" is the first book in The Amandine Trilogy, a middle-grade fantasy adventure about grief, friendship, family, and the extraordinary courage hidden inside an ordinary baker's son.