Centerville Chronicles

Ray thought magic only existed in books and movies, not in real life! On the first day of seventh grade, 12-year-old Ray Sebastian discovers his home town, Centerville, is the most dangerous place on Earth. Buried in caves underneath the town is a treasure-trove of ancient and powerful artifacts that were kept secret—until now.

The last time Ray Sebastian got his hands on a magical artifact, it turned out to be the most dangerous thing in the world. But this time, he’s discovered a magic dagger that seems too good to be true. One touch from this dagger bestows incredible abilities—Ray transforms from a wimp to a kung-fu master, his friend Clancy gets the ability to shoot like Robin Hood, and even Ray’s pokey dad instantly learns to drive like a NASCAR legend. Who wouldn’t want an artifact like that?

Ray knows he has to save the world this coming summer since he’s supposed to be “The Shining One.” But then, the mysterious new bully in town, Finn, tells Ray that he’s the true one from the prophecies, not Ray. Finn has taken the Stone of Excellent Luck from the deadly caverns underneath the town, the first magical artifact needed to stop the Awful Solstice.

The awful solstice is just a few days away. Ray doesn’t know if he’s ready to be the Shining One, but he’s determined to try. For a kid whose biggest worry used to be trying out for the baseball team, it still seems crazy to be carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders. But now, Ray has new allies–which would be great, except all of them have their own ideas about what he’s supposed to do.