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The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea Series

Thomas Taylor and Tom Booth
In the lonely seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea, something strange is always creeping out of the water or under the boardwalk, causing mischief and mystery.

Malamander by Thomas Taylor; Illustrated by Tom Booth
Festergrimm by Thomas Taylor; Illustrated by Tom Booth
Mermedusa by Thomas Taylor; illustrated by Tom Booth

The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea Series : Titles in Order

Book 5
In this fifth and final tale, the arrival of a team of cryptozoologists sets off a series of events that could reveal the deepest secrets of Eerie-on-Sea—and the truth about shipwrecked orphan Herbert Lemon.

It’s Midwinter again in Eerie-on-Sea, when legend claims the terrifying Malamander emerges to hunt—and search for its long-lost mate. It’s the anniversary of daring Violet Parma’s arrival in Eerie; a year later, she still hasn’t found her missing parents, just as anxious Herbert Lemon has learned little else about why he washed up on the shore in a crate of lemons. What’s more, the creators of the Anomalous Phenomena podcast have dropped anchor in town and are fishing around for Eerie secrets. Keeping ahead of the podcasters, Herbie and Violet set sail for the dangerous “Treasure Island,” where villain Sebastian Eel’s own sister mysteriously vanished years ago. Will they discover the heart of Eerie-on-Sea’s mysteries, or will Herbie and Violet be the next to disappear? Like a visit to an old boardwalk arcade, this conclusion to the spooky, fantastical series will leave readers shivering with fright and delight.
Book 4
In the fourth tale in this beloved series, villainous Sebastian Eels returns to Eerie-on-Sea, thrusting Herbie and Violet into a new adventure involving a missing girl, a spooky wax museum, and a dangerous clockwork robot.

Herbie Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, and his fearless friend Violet Parma have unearthed many secrets in their village of Eerie-on-Sea: secrets lurking beneath the waves, lapping onto the beaches, and lying behind locked doors. When their brilliant and ruthless nemesis, Sebastian Eels, returns with a plan to open the long-shuttered waxworks museum, Herbie and Violet suspect nefarious motives. Their investigation leads them into the dark Netherways below the town—and into the tragic past of the famous toymaker and inventor Ludovic Festergrimm and his doomed daughter, Pandora. Sebastian Eels is convinced that within the story of Festergrimm is the key to Eerie’s deepest secret—a secret in which Herbie himself plays a crucial part—and he’ll stop at nothing to uncover it, including bringing a terrifying clockwork legend back to life. With echoes of fairy tales and monster movies, plus a dismembered finger or two, this is a deliciously creepy addition to a fantastical mystery series that is perfectly calibrated to thrill middle-grade readers.
Book 3
In the third mysterious tale of Eerie-on-Sea, it’s almost Ghastly Night, and the Shadowghast—an ancient spirit in a lantern—lurks in wait for the power to enslave the town.

In this third adventure, shipwrecked orphan Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, must square off with a creature of town lore as he confronts a shadow from his past. While other towns celebrate Halloween, in Eerie-on-Sea it’s Ghastly Night, and a grim spirit in a lantern awaits its moment. Legend has it that if people fail to light manglewick candles on Ghastly Night, and if no showman conjures shadow puppets on the pier as an offering, the insulted Shadowghast will seize and devour the shadows of the living. This year, a professional theater troupe has been summoned, including a raven-haired magician named Caliastra with startling news of Herbie’s origins. No sooner have the players checked into the hotel than townspeople start vanishing into thin air, including the guardian of Herbie’s best friend, Violet Parma. It’s up to Herbie and Violet to separate truth from sleight of hand and solve the mystery of the Shadowghast lantern before darkness swallows them all.
Book 2
In the second fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea, Herbert and Violet team up to solve the mystery of Gargantis — an ancient creature of the deep with the power to create life-threatening storms.

There’s a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!
Book 1
“Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
 
It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor: Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age who lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby. She’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find her parents. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander—a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true—is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? Featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, this lighthearted, fantastical mystery kicks off the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series  — now available in paperback with a bright new cover featuring Herbie and Violet.

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