Christopher Healy

No One Leaves the Castle

The Lilac. The bard songs say that she’s the world’s most fearsome bounty hunter. That there’s no criminal she can’t catch, no mystery she can’t solve.

None of that is true. Yet.

In reality, the Lilac is just a kid, and the bard who wrote all that is her best friend, Dulcinetta. But the Lilac has set her goals on becoming the best bounty hunter in the Thirteen Kingdoms—and when a priceless artifact goes missing from the home of famed monster hunter Baron Angbar, the Lilac and Netta are eager to apprehend the thief and make a name for themselves.

But when their investigation brings them to a dinner party at Castle Angbar, and they meet the Angbar family and their servants and guests—an unsavory group of nobles, mages, and assorted creatures, each more shady than the last—the Lilac begins to wonder if the reward is worth the trouble.

And that’s before the dead body is discovered.

Now everyone is magically sealed inside the castle—and there is a murderer among them. If the Lilac wants to make it out with her reputation intact, it’s going to be up to her to figure out who the killer is. But everyone in the castle—even the Lilac herself—has secrets to hide, and as the walls literally start to close in around them, the Lilac worries that her first job as a bounty hunter may be her last. . . .

Praise for No One Leaves the Castle

“Agatha Christie meets the Brothers Grimm in an unexpected, hilarious, and wholly original new fantasy-mystery from the beloved author of The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.” –Pages Unbound

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

August 15, 2023

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Mystery

Rights

JGLM

This Is Not That Kind of Book

This is a book that answers all the kids who have ever posed the question What kind of book is it?

This clever alphabet book… Wait, that’s not right. This original fairy tale… Nope. Mystery? Joke book? Superhero story? Pirate adventure? This delightful mash-up features every kind of character found in the picture-book universe—all in one book. Just when the reader is convinced the story is going in one direction, it spins off in another.

Ever-changing illustrations keep pace with the rapid reversals, and the setting shifts with nearly every turn of the page. Truly inventive, here’s a picture book that can be anything you want it to be!

Praise for This Is Not That Kind of Book

“Cleverly meta and totally fun, with a spoonful of (almost tongue-in-cheek) morals thrown in.” –Kirkus

Publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date

October 15, 2019

Age Category

Picture Book

Genre

Humor

Rights

Random House

A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #1: A Dastardly Plot

It’s 1883—the Age of Invention! A time when great men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nicola Tesla, and George Eastman work to turn the country into a land of limitless opportunity.

And it all happens at the world famous Inventor’s Guild headquarters in New York City—a place where a great idea, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck can find you rubbing elbows with these gods of industry who will usher humanity into the future.

Unless, of course, you’re a woman.

Molly Pepper, daughter of brilliant but unknown inventor Cassandra Pepper, lives with her mother in New York. By day, they make ends meet running a pickle shop; but by night, they toil and dream of Cassandra taking her place among the most famous inventors in America.

In an attempt to find a way to exhibit Cass’s work at the World’s Fair, they break into the Inventor’s Guild, where they discover a mysterious plot to destroy New York.

The evidence points to the involvement of one of the world’s most famous inventors, and now it’s up to Molly, Cassandra, and a shop hand named Emmett Lee to uncover the truth—even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.

Praise for A Dastardly Plot

“A zany, rollicking series opener.” –Kirkus

“Plot twists and banter hit at breakneck speeds in this heartfelt yet tongue-in-cheek look at the tumultuous Age of Invention, and its focus on two often marginalized groups—immigrants and women—allows for relevant social commentary.” –Publishers Weekly

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

September 25, 2018

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Historical Fiction

Rights

JGLM

A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #2: The Treacherous Seas

It’s 1883—only a few months after Molly Pepper; her mother, Cassandra; and her friend, Emmett, saved New York from an attack by the megalomaniacal Ambrose Rector while managing to preserve the reputations of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, whose technology was manipulated in Rector’s scheme. Their selfless heroism will finally earn them a place in the Inventors’ Guild, alongside the greatest minds of their generation.

Unless, of course, no one knows that they did any of that.

Left with nothing but empty promises and a struggling pickle shop after the government chooses to cover up the crisis, Molly, Cassandra, and Emmett have no idea where to turn—until they learn of a daring expedition to the South Pole, where an meteorite of mysterious power is embedded, and where Emmett’s father, explorer and ship captain Wendell Lee, disappeared years ago.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, our heroes commandeer an experimental seacraft to make their play on the pole. But the trip is more treacherous than they realize, and there’s no guarantee that they will return successful—if they even return at all.

Praise for The Treacherous Seas

“Part screwball comedy, part sly wit and all fun.” –Kirkus (starred review)

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

November 5, 2019

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Historical Fiction

Rights

JGLM

A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #3: The Final Gambit

The adventure continues in the third and final volume of the Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem series!

Despite thwarting the treacherous schemes of diabolical genius Ambrose Rector by marooning him in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, Molly Pepper, her best friend Emmett, her inventor mother Cassandra, and Emmett’s newly rescued father are still wanted fugitives and have no choice but to go into hiding. And much to their own surprise, they kind of like it.

The productive, peaceful new life they craft for themselves comes crumbling down, however, when Molly discovers evidence that Rector has somehow escaped Antarctica and is plotting his biggest attack yet—the destruction of Washington, D.C.

Now Molly, Emmett, and their parents must make a difficult choice: save the nation’s future or their own.

Praise for The Final Gambit

“A fitting farewell packed with action, humor, and heart.” –Kirkus

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

December 1, 2020

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Historical Fiction

Rights

JGLM

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It’s a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

Praise for The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

“The fairy-tale world is tongue-in-cheek but fleshed out, creating its own humor rather than relying on pop-culture references. Healy juggles with pitch-perfect accuracy, rendering the princes as goobers with good hearts and individual strengths, keeping them distinct and believable. Inventive and hilarious.” –Kirkus, starred review

“Healy’s fast-paced debut is overflowing with suspense, humor, and carefully developed characters. Healy injects age-old characters and fairy tale tropes with a fresh, contemporary sensibility, resulting in a crowd-pleaser with laugh-out-loud lines on nearly every page.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

May 1, 2012

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Fantasy/Adventure

Rights

HarperCollins

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don’t you? They’re the Princes Charming, who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses—Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose—to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms. But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening—even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.

Praise for The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle

“The friendships and romantic relationships between the many players continue to grow in complexity, and readers will be eager to find out where the princes’ misadventures take them next.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

April 30, 2013

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Fantasy/Adventure

Rights

HarperCollins

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You think you know those guys pretty well by now, don’t you? Well, think again. Posters plastered across the thirteen kingdoms are saying that Briar Rose has been murdered—and the four Princes Charming are the prime suspects. Now they’re on the run in a desperate attempt to clear their names. Along the way, however, they discover that Briar’s murder is just one part of a nefarious plot to take control of all thirteen kingdoms—a plot that will lead to the doorstep of an eerily familiar fortress for a final showdown with an eerily familiar enemy.

Praise for The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw

“Part screwball comedy, part sly wit and all fun.” –Kirkus, starred review

Publisher

Walden Pond Press

Publication Date

April 29, 2014

Age Category

Middle Grade

Genre

Fantasy/Adventure

Rights

HarperCollins

Agent

No One Leaves the Castle

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This Is Not That Kind of Book

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A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #1: A Dastardly Plot

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A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #2: The Treacherous Seas

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A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #3: The Final Gambit

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The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

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The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle

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The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw

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