Beyond the Door — Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Beyond the Door, the first in a series from Maureen Doyle McQuerry, weaves a wonderful coming-of-age story with elements of fantasy and mythology. With his love of school and the game of Scrabble, Timothy James feels that the only person who really understands him is his older sister, Sarah, and he's fairly certain nothing interesting will ever happen to him. But one night, while his parents and sister are away, he sees something that changes everything: mythical creatures in his own living room! Soon, a mystery of unparalleled proportions begins to unfold, and Timothy has to team up with his sister and the school bully, Jessica, in the name of the Light in order to defeat the powers of the Dark. A secret code runs throughout the book that readers can decipher to learn more about their favorite characters and legends.