Book excerpt: Fourteen-year-old Jessica Graves is stuck spending the summer in the countryside with her eccentric Aunt Esmeralda. Feeling abandoned by her parents, Jessica expects the time to drag with no friends and nothing to do. But when her aunt encourages Jessica to read and leaves her alone in a library with towering bookshelves, something magical happens. Reading has always been hard for Jessica but an ancient-looking, red-leather-bound book entices her into its pages—quite literally. Jessica enters the Kingdom of Glimmer with turreted castles, magnificent horses, dashing knights, and a charming princess and prince who befriend her. But this exciting magical realm also holds danger as Jessica navigates uncharted feelings, evil spells, peculiar dragons, and wicked foes with the help of an oddly familiar mentor. Throughout the adventure, Jessica rises to new challenges, forges her own path, and realizes that she can be the hero of the story. Young teenage readers will recognize their own trials in this coming-of-age modern fairytale. From dealing with insecurity and loneliness to defending others and standing up for herself, Jessica discovers the power of love and friendship—even when things are turned upside down. A charming tale that combines fantasy and magic with empowerment, The Dragon’s Tears is the first book in the Jessica's Quest series.