• Age: 12 to 15
• Grade: 7 to 10
• Reading age: 12 to 15

In The Ruby Kingdom, readers were captivated as Amelia Hammer and her cousin, Simon, and friend, Ike, discovered a secret gate leading from the small, southern-Ontario town of Dunstone to the extraordinary land of Mythrin - a world populated by dragons. Now, dragon leader, Mara, seeks the help of Amelia and her friends again. This time, a peculiar race of humans from a world called Cassar is searching for the Prism Blade - a legendary weapon forged at the beginning of time. Both the dragons and the Casseri seek the Prism Blade for their own protection; both the dragons and the Casseri fear the Blade falling into each others’ hands.

Caught in the middle, Amelia, Simon, and Ike are also caught by surprise when they discover that the Prism Blade has been hidden for centuries in their own town … and is one of the most treasured objects in all of Dunstone.

Patricia Bow is the author of The Bone Flute (Orca, 2004), a fantasy novel for young people that was nominated for the Silver Birch and Red Cedar awards. Her other published books include The Spiral Maze (Thistledown Press, 1997), also a fantasy novel for kids, and Chimpanzee Rescue (Firefly Books, 2004), a non-fiction book that was chosen as an Honor Book by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Ruby Kingdom (Dundurn), the first book in a series, is due out in February 2007.
Patricia has been reading ever since the local library opened its magic doors for her and writing since she was old enough to hold a crayon. She uses a computer now instead of a crayon, but the thrill of the story hasn't changed. She writes what she loves to read: fiction with a strong flavour of the strange and mysterious, anchored by down-to-earth heroes.
Over the years she has worked as a librarian, a press reader for a clipping service, and a reporter at a small-town newspaper. Now she works in communications at the University of Waterloo. By day she writes serious prose; by night she maps new worlds of the imagination.
Patricia Bow lives in Kitchener, Ontario with her husband Eric and a small but fierce grey tabby named Pooka. She is a member of CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers).
Email: pabow@gto.net
Website: http://home.golden.net/~thebows/patricia.htm

Patricia Bow's profile page

"The book is a never ending adventure ... If you liked Eragon, Dragonspell and/or The Dragons in Our Midst series than you should like this one too. It ended up being one of my favourite books I have read."

Topeka, Flamingnet

This book is an easy but exciting read, full of twists and turns, designed for the fantasy and adventure seeker. The storyline is geared for young teenagers, however I feel it would appeal to older teens and adults who enjoy a light fantasy and an uncomplicated story. I enjoyed taking the journey with Amelia and her friends and anticipate the next book in the series, The Starry Window.--Chelsey Brown, What If? magazine