"Amazing Audiobooks" nominations for The Books of Umber.

The American Library Association has announced the nominees for YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks (link).  Both Dragon Games and The End of Time are among the nominees. Check out the great performance by reader Richard Poe!

Welcome to readers from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Texas, New Hampshire, Missouri and Hawaii!

Happenstance Found has been nominated for book awards in your area. Thanks for the readership, and feel free to email the author to say hello and ask questions: pwcatanese@aol.com. 

About The End of Time.

The final installment in the Books of Umber series 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. 

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

The German covers are amazing.

Here's what the German translations look like. Fans of Nima, Boroon and the Silkship will really enjoy these illustrations by wonderful German artist Helge Vogt. See them larger here (scroll to the bottom).  They look even better when bigger!

Another big honor 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.

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!