Anomalies 53: Into the Shadows

by Angela Cervantes Narrated by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz

Overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

It's one thing to leave the world behind; it's another thing when you can never return.

Next door to the notorious Area 51 sits Area 53, the underground lab where the government secretly holds “the anomalies.” These are the Earth-born mythical and magical creatures-fairies, wyverns, manticores, and more-that have been captured and brought in for careful study. It's also where eleven-year-old Ollie Robles and his best (and only) friend, Garen Jackson, the kids of Area 53's lead researchers, have grown up. They've lived safely within these cement-and-steel halls their whole lives . . . that is, until the day that Ollie and Garen accidentally free six anomalies: two sprites, a wyvern, a baby manticore, a llamacorn, and a golem named Henry. Now it's up to Ollie and Garen to chase down the anomalies and bring them back home.

It's a daring, high-stakes adventure into a world full of magical creatures, dark corners, and surprising revelations as told in the way only Pura Belpré Honor-winning author and master storyteller Angela Cervantes can.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Middle-graders will fly through this deftly told fantasy involving fierce wyverns, unpredictable goblins, manticores, llamacorns, and dragons — and two ordinary kids named Ollie and Garen who, thrust into a fight for their lives in a Shadow Land, find powers they never dreamed they had.” -Peter Lerangis, author of the Seven Wonders series — Peter Lerangis, author of the Seven Wonders series

“With heart, humor, and high stakes, this whirlwind story explores the delicate balance between discovery and destruction. Themes of friendship, perseverance, and the search for truth run throughout, making this an exciting read for lovers of adventure and mythology alike. A rollicking, fast-paced fantasy adventure in which science meets myth.” — Kirkus Reviews

“…Cervantes balances quippy dialogue, resourceful protagonists, and pulse-pounding action to establish this series launch with flare.” — Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

2025-05-03
For best friends Ollie and Garen, home is an underground lab filled with magical creatures.

Deep within the Nevada desert, Area 53 is home to beings like wyverns, golems, and llamacorns (not to be mistaken for Area 51’s alien counterparts). The government keeps the “earthborn mythical creatures” known as anomalies contained, hoping their magic holds the key to stopping the constant apocalyptic lightning storms. For 11-year-old Ollie Robles and 13-year-old Garen Jackson, whose parents lead the research, Area 53 is all they’ve ever known. And as the only two kids there, they’ve been “onlies” from the start—each other’s only option for a friend. But when Ollie accidentally triggers the emergency alarm system, some of the anomalies escape. Now, the duo must track them down before disaster strikes. Their chase leads them into the Shadowland, a hidden realm teeming with creatures of legend—chupacabras, kappa, ogres, and more. Along the way, they uncover secrets their parents never meant for them to discover, forcing them to question everything they thought they knew about themselves and the world they inhabit. With heart, humor, and high stakes, this whirlwind story explores the delicate balance between discovery and destruction. Themes of friendship, perseverance, and the search for truth run throughout, making this an exciting read for lovers of adventure and mythology alike​.

A rollicking, fast-paced fantasy adventure in which science meets myth.(Fantasy. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940193537564
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/12/2025
Series:	Anomalies 53 , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Videos