Books like 'Penny Dreadful'
Readers who enjoyed Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder & Abigail Halpin also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy action / adventure urban fantasy realistic family children friendship magical-realism lgbtq
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The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 97 ratingsA magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages...Categorized as:
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Nightfall by Shannon Messenger
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsSophie Foster is struggling. Grieving. Scrambling. But she knows one thing: she will not be defeated.The Neverseen have had their victories—but the battle is far from over. It’s time to change tactics. Make sacrifices. Reexamine everything. Maybe even time for Sophie to trust her enemies... -
Lodestar by Shannon Messenger
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsDark schemes unfold--and Sophie's loyalty is pushed to the limit--in this thrilling fifth book in the best-selling KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES SERIES. Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities--but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc... -
Exile by Shannon Messenger
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsSophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled into her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny--the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities--her life finally seems to be coming together. But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there... -
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Matilda by Roald Dahl
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 87 ratingsMatilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived...Categorized as:
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Flashback by Shannon Messenger
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn this unforgettable seventh book, Sophie must let the past and present blur together, because the deadliest secrets are always the ones that get erased.Sophie Foster doesn’t know what—or whom—to believe. And in a game with this many players, the worst mistake can be focusing on the wrong threat... -
Brewing Trouble by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter barely escaping the business end of the hangman’s noose, Cricket Hawthorne wants nothing more than to forget it all...Maude the magical typewriter, Zoe’s stolen cauldron, Patrick the betrayer, and definitely the witch-hating, robe-wearing cult who tried to end her. Unfortunately, pressing the reboot button isn’t an option...Categorized as:
female-mc low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure adult book contemporary -
Blue Moon by James Ponti
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMolly is ready for more nonstop, undead action in this follow-up to Dead City, which Kirkus Reviews described as “a fast-paced read for those who like their zombies with just a little fright.”When Molly Bigelow discovered that zombies shared New York with humans, she didn’t think life could get more shocking...Categorized as:
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Lost by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThings have settled down at the Tulsa House of Night since Zoey and the gang closed the tear between worlds and sent Other Kevin back to the Other World. Neferet hasn't stirred. Damien and Jack are falling in love all over again. Stevie Rae and Rephaim are back in Tulsa where they belong. The Depot Restaurant is being rebuilt with the enthusiastic involvement of local humans...Categorized as:
family female-mc friendship lgbtq paranormal action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie...Categorized as:
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Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTHINGS FINLEY HART DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT• Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)• Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.• Never having met said grandparents.• Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot...Categorized as:
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Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTheo has always dreamed of belonging to a real family. Her dream seems to come true when she is mysteriously "adopted" by the warm Kaldor clan. For the first time, Theo has brand new clothes, things of her own, security, and good friends. But, as time passes, the magic of Theo's new life begins to fade--really fade. In fact, Theo herself is vanishing...Categorized as:
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When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSome stories refuse to stay bottled up...When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now, the tigers want it back...Categorized as:
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The Insiders by Mark Oshiro, Avi Roque
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThree kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in...Categorized as:
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Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSal and Gabi have to try to make everything right with our world when there is a rogue Gabi from another universe running loose.Sal Vidon creates wormholes. But Sal's father, a calamity physicist, is trying to shut down all the wormholes Sal creates, because Papi thinks they are eroding the very fabric of our world...Categorized as:
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This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDarkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer...Categorized as:
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If You're Reading This, It's Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsBeware!Dangerous secrets lie between the pages of this book.OK, I warned you. But if you think I'll give anything away, or tell you that this is the sequel to my first literary endeavor, The Name of This Book is Secret, you're wrong...Categorized as:
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Der Ruf des Wassers by Tanya Stewner
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDas Geheimnis von Alea, dem Mädchen aus dem Wasser. Alea fühlt den Sog des Meeres, seit sie denken kann, und doch fürchtet sie es. Denn wenn sie mit Wasser in Berührung käme, könnte es tödlich für sie enden. Das hat Aleas Mutter ihrer Pflegemutter gesagt, bevor sie verschwand. Eines Tages schließt Alea sich den Kindern von der Alpha Cru an, die auf einem Segelboot über die Meere schippern... -
Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe highly anticipated third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Supernatural Investigations series that began with Amari and the Night Brothers! Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Nevermoor.War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari’s two worst enemies are leading the charge...Categorized as:
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In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThis fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise...Categorized as:
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Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsIt will take more than magical candy to win this war!Something fishy is going on over at the new amusement centre in Walnut Hills. The trouble seems linked to the mysterious disappearance of Mozag and John Dart, who have spent their lives policing the magical community...Categorized as:
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The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSophie loves the hidden shop below her parents' bookstore, where dreams are secretly bought and sold. When the dream shop is robbed and her parents go missing, Sophie must unravel the truth to save them. Together with her best friend—a wisecracking and fanatically loyal monster named Monster—she must decide whom to trust with her family’s carefully guarded secrets...Categorized as:
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The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCatherine Doyle's stunning middle-grade debut, an evocative tale of ancient magic, bravery, and family bonds.“Fans of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson can add Fionn Boyle as a generous and brave hero from the Emerald Isle.” – School Library ConnectionWhen Fionn Boyle sets foot on Arranmore Island, it begins to stir beneath his feet...Categorized as:
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The Lost Fairy Tales by Anna James
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe second magical bookwandering adventure in the nationally bestselling Pages & Co. series, featuring Tilly Pages as she journeys to France to wander inside a peculiar book of fairytales. Perfect for fans of Inkheart and The Land of Stories...Categorized as:
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The Buying of Lot 37 by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling novels It Devours! and Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season Three of their hit podcast, featuring an introduction by the authors, a foreword by Dessa, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations...Categorized as:
lgbtq low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal season-summer action-adventure adult book -
The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury, Suzy Jackson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsLength: 8 hrs and 18 minsHumor, heart, and a symphony of magic take center stage in this middle-grade fantasy, perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The School for Good and Evil series.Amelia Jones has always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic...Categorized as:
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The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsYou just can't keep a good girl down . . . unless you use the proper methods.Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie.Sure, she hasn't mastered reverse propulsion and her turns are kind of sloppy, but she's real good at loop-the-loops.Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma's at her wit's end...Categorized as:
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Scumble by Ingrid Law
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsNine years after Mibs's Savvy journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned thirteen . . . But Ledger Kale's savvy is a total dud-all he does is make little things fall apart. So his parents decide it's safe to head to Wyoming, where it's soon revealed that Ledge's savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought...Categorized as:
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Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsMysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream...Categorized as:
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Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsImaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise.Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends...Categorized as:
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The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWarning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch. As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances...Categorized as:
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Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimee Carter
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA thrilling debut in the tradition of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull about a boy who discovers a secret race of animal shape shifters.Twelve-year-old Simon Thorn’s life has never been easy or normal, but things like being bullied at school and living in a cramped Manhattan apartment with his Uncle Darrell are nothing compared to his biggest secret: He can talk to animals... -
Opal by Maggie Stiefvater
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAn enchanting story from Maggie Stiefvater featuring Opal, Ronan, and Adam from her bestselling Raven Cycle, taking place after the events of The Raven King...Categorized as:
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Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Jenny Nimmo
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsDark forces are gathering at Bloor's Academy as the Bloors search for a lost box containing a hidden will- a will that reveals the true destiny of the Red King's heirs. And the Bloors are determined to keep Charlie Bone from finding it first. But Charlie is also facing the lord of the sea, who is trying to drown his parents, and a deadly expert swordsman from another century...Categorized as:
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Our Lady of the Streets by Tom Pollock
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying finale" -- Tor.com In this thrilling conclusion to the Skyscraper Throne trilogy, Beth will come face-to-face with the goddess of the streets . . . Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere...Categorized as:
friendship lgbtq low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure book children-books -
Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCan a bully be defeated by a magical love potion?Jolina can't take Claudine's bullying any longer! The taunts and teasing are too much. Though Jolina knows she's still in training to use her grandfather's arbularyo magic, she sneaks into his potions lab to get her revenge. Jolina brews a batch of gayuma, a powerful love potion.And it works. The love potion conquers Claudine's hateful nature...Categorized as:
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Thundersword by Julian Rosado-Machain
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGUARDIANS INC. BOOK 2: THUNDERSWORDThe search for the Book of Concord is on the brink of failure. Guardians Inc. can’t move without being followed by the Azure Guard, and the balance between Magic and Technology has begun to shift giving Magical creatures a stronger hold in our world...Categorized as:
children low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
Guardian by Claire Cullen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn omega without a home. An alpha without a family. They need a pack—they just don’t know it yet.Hawk put everything he had into fulfilling his father’s ambitions, almost dying in the process. After a year spent recovering, he has one thing left to do before he returns to the army—get his childhood home ready to be sold... -
Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA richly imagined magical adventure set in West Africa by a prize-winning new voice in children's writing, Children of the Quicksands introduces readers to Yoruba myths and legends while showcasing the wealth of culture, traditions, adventure, joy, pride, and love found in Nigeria. In a remote Nigerian village, thirteen-year-old Simi is desperate to uncover a family secret...Categorized as:
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The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe much-anticipated new fantasy series from Ransom Riggs, his first since introducing the #1 global phenomenon Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone...Categorized as:
friendship paranormal magical-realism low-fantasy fantasy young-adult fiction audiobook -
A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA thoughtful, uplifting and magical story of childhood, family and finding ways to change the inevitable . . .Meet Willa Waters, aged 8 . . . 33 . . . and 93.On one impossible day in.1965, eight-year-old Willa Waters receives a mysterious box containing a jar of water and the instruction: 'One ocean: plant in the backyard... -
Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire by John August
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsArlo Finch thought becoming a Ranger meant learning wilderness skills, like camping and knots. But upon arriving in the tiny town of Pine Mountain, Colorado, Arlo soon learns there's so much more. His new friends Indra and Wu teach him how to harness the wild magi seeping in from the mysterious Long Woods - a parallel realm of wonder and danger...Categorized as:
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The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, each suitcase transports you to a different world. All you have to do is step inside . . .When 12-year-old Flick Hudson accidentally ends up in the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, she uncovers a fantastic secret: there are hundreds of other worlds just steps away from ours. All you have to do to visit them is jump into the right suitcase...Categorized as:
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Ambush by Obert Skye
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThings are strange in the town of Kingsplot. The usually sleepy town is experiencing things it just can't explain. Plants are vandalizing the museum, buildings are being torn apart at night, and the minds of residents are growing foggy and confused.In the Pillage manor above the town, Beck's life is unraveling as well...Categorized as:
children family low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure book children-books -
A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLeonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young...Categorized as:
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A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsIntroducing an extraordinary new voice---a magical debut that will make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten . . .and your heart sing.Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away...Categorized as:
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Tunnel of Bones by Victoria E. Schwab
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsTrouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs...Categorized as:
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The Mires by Tina Makereti
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA literary page turner that explores the intertwined lives of three neighboring families in a small coastal New Zealand town—a blend of Little Fires Everywhere and The Island of Missing Trees, combining domestic drama, suspense, indigenous folklore, and the threat of extremism on ordinary lives.Three women give birth in different countries and different decades...Categorized as:
female-mc family paranormal magical-realism fiction literary-fiction audiobook contemporary -
A Scottish Island Summer by Julie Shackman
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGet ready to fall in love with the brand new spring romance set on the Isle of Skye from bestselling author, Julie Shackman...Categorized as:
season-summer realistic female-mc family friendship europe british-isles united-kingdom
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