Book excerpt: Twelve-year-old science genius Zachary Jones resembles an overgrown leprechaun and thinks the worst of his troubles are enduring the teasing from his fellow classmates at Da Vinci's Middle School for Achievers in Salem, Massachusetts. But Zack has no idea he is about to become an unwilling pawn in a dangerous and epic game of magic, deceit, and world domination. After Zack's parents mysteriously disappear, an oddball pair of Irish grandparents who Zack believed to be dead show up with pets in tow even stranger than themselves. Suddenly Zack is propelled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with ancient and dark forces with one thing in mind to recover a valuable Celtic amulet entrusted to Zack. As the stakes grow more desperate, Zack is introduced to his rich and wondrous magical heritage at Dragonbane. As he embarks on an adventure to save the world, he soon discovers himself in ways he could never have imagined. Alchemy Jones and the Source of Magic is an action-packed fantasy tale that paints a rich and mesmerizing backdrop of a world on the flipside of reality a place populated with wizards, creepy creatures, and luscious landscapes.