Happenstance Found

Twelve-year-old Happenstance awakens in a cave with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. Soon a mysterious trio arrives to take him away: the explorer Umber, the shy archer Sophie, and Oates, whose strength and honesty are both brutal. Hap and his new acquaintances narrowly escape the cavernous underworld and make their way to Lord Umber's bustling jewel of a harbor city, Kurahaven.

Once there, Hap learns that Lord Umber is an extraordinary man -- he's a merchant, adventurer, inventor, royal adviser, and chronicler of all things monstrous and magical. But Umber's accomplishments can't answer the question closest to the boy's heart: Who is Happenstance?

Desperate to uncover clues in his new, baffling surroundings, Hap accompanies Umber on dangerous and unusual missions. But Hap soon learns that there are powerful enemies inside the kingdom, and a ruthless assassin is hot on his trail. Faced with many unknowns, Hap knows one thing is certain: There's a reason Umber has chosen him...if only he could determine it.

P. W. Catanese's richly spun fantasy chronicles one boy's quest for answers and hope in a world riddled by knowledge and power corrupted.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Published: 01/27/2009
ISBN: 9781416975199
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.30d
Award: Nene Award - Nominee
Award: Great Stone Face Book Award - Nominee
Award: Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee
Award: Sunshine State Young Reader's Award - Nominee

Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 12/01/2008 pg. 1255
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2008
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2009 pg. 89
Publishers Weekly 01/05/2009 pg. 51
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2009
Booklist 04/01/2009 pg. 31
School Library Journal 05/01/2009 pg. 101
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2009 - Superior,Well Above Average

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 129348 / Happenstance Found
Reading Level: 4.9 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 10