Jasmine and the Lamp of Spells

Book excerpt: After three children mysteriously vanish from their village without a trace, sorcery is suspected. Eleven-year-old Jasmine is warned by her father to not stray far from home, but when she learns she is targeted to become the fourth missing child, she ignores his wishes and escapes to the dreaded Bantok Forest. Jasmine is soon lost in the dark woods. Frightened, hungry, and alone, she sits in a clearingand is suddenly befriended by a king who is surrounded by fairies, gnomes, and dwarves. Led into a magical world, Jasmine soon learns the king has saved her from danger and that the medallion she wears around her neck has special powers. Desperate to return home, Jasmine drinks a dark liquid and awakens in her own bed once more. But tragedy awaits her there, as her elderly friend Maudella is accused of witchcraft and driven from the village and her father suddenly goes missing. After Jasmine finds Maudella, she is given the Lamp of Spells for safekeepinga gift that changes her life forever. Confronted by giant crows, black hounds, and deception from both sides, Jasmine struggles to protect the lamp as she sets out on a quest to save her world from the powerful forces of evil.