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Plenty of dialogue between the author and readers, plus lots of insights and extras! Visit the P.W. Catanese Facebook page now.

Very cool! It's the cover for the German translation of Happenstance Found.

Here's what the book will look like if you buy the German translation. Fans of Nima and Boroon will really enjoy this illustration.

See it larger here (scroll to the bottom).  Be sure to check it out - it looks even better when it's bigger!

I hope to share the covers for the Turkish and Spanish editions soon.

Big honors for Happenstance Found.

The first book in the Books of Umber series has been named among the "Best Children's Books of the Year 2010" by The Bank Street Children's Book Committee.  From the site: The Children's Book Committee was founded almost 100 years ago to help parents, teachers and librarians choose the books that children will find captivating and transforming. The Committee reviews over 6000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children.

Happenstance Found has also been nominated for children's book awards in Hawaii and New Hampshire. More on the Books of Umber page.

A title for Book 3!

The final installment in the Books of Umber series will be called The End of Time.  It begins a few weeks after Dragon Games ends, with big trouble in Kurahaven. Lord Umber has fallen into another dark melancholy. The sorceress is stirring in her chamber. Umber's enemy is poised to take the throne. And a threat this world has never seen before is rapidly approaching. A stirring and action-packed conclusion to the series. 

Audio book news.
Dragon Games is now available in audio - look for it at Amazon and audible.com. The reader is Richard Poe, the actor who has read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, among other great titles. School Library Journal's audio book review of Happenstance Found says  "...a compelling cast of characters...Narrator Richard Poe does an excellent job voicing all the nuances of a caring, bewildered boy...An excellent first title in the projected series." Stay tuned for news on future audio books. Buy them and listen to excerpts here.

Who are "Casualidad"  and "Tesadüf"?

That's what Happenstance will be called in the Spanish and Turkish translations of Happenstance Found.  The Books of Umber series is also getting foreign translations in Catalan and German.

Read the beginning of Dragon Games and get a story preview.
The official Books of Umber web site has been updated, with all of chapter one and a look at some of the chapter heading illustrations. Look here!