{"product_id":"once-there-was-9781665928519","title":"Once There Was","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eA Morris Award Finalist\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them\u003c\/i\u003e meets Neil Gaiman in this \"striking and heartfelt\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e) novel about an Iranian American girl who discovers that her father was secretly a veterinarian to magical creatures--and that she must take up his mantle, despite the many dangers.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eOnce was, once wasn't.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSo began the stories Marjan's father told her as a little girl--fables like the story of the girl who sprung a unicorn from a hunter's snare, or the nomad boy who rescued a baby shirdal. Tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut Marjan's not a little girl anymore. In the wake of her father's sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, friendships, and keeping her dad's shoestring veterinary practice from going under. Then, one day, she receives a visitor who reveals something stunning: Marjan's father was no ordinary veterinarian. The creatures out of the stories he told her were real--and he traveled the world to care for them. And now that he's gone, she must take his place. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMarjan steps into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped. She finds friends she never knew she needed--a charming British boy who grew up with a griffon, a runaway witch seeking magic and home--while trying to hide her double life from her old friends and classmates. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe deeper Marjan gets into treating these animals, the closer she comes to finding who killed her father--and to a shocking truth that will reawaken her sense of wonder and put humans and beasts in the gravest of danger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster Books for Young Readers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/07\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781665928519\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.63h x 5.13w x 0.72d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e William C. Morris YA Debut Award - Finalist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader Quiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e521662 \/ Once There Was\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 4.9 \/ \u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Middle Grade \/ \u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 16\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Kiyash Monsef","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43733093286069,"sku":"9781665928519","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_2e416495-e93d-46a6-a196-f95e2e8d8ea6.jpg?v=1710258465","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/once-there-was-9781665928519","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}