In the thrilling sequel to Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw, an epic adventure novel that “is sure to keep lovers of Rick Riordan running to the shelves,” Sam London dives headlong into his second case involving a selkie, a mysterious girl, and an ominous new threat to the mythical and human worlds (School Library Journal)!
Sam London didn’t mean to uncover an ancient secret, but when he found out that mythical creatures are real and living in our national parks, he became the newest recruit to the Department of Mythical Wildlife. Ever since the middle schooler has been anxiously awaiting the call for his next case . . . and it finally arrives with the brazen appearance of a selkie in San Francisco Bay.
Along with Dr. Vance Vantana and the guardian Tashi, Sam pursues the selkie, who has taken a peculiar interest in fashion’s newest “it” girl and social media star, Pearl Eklund. But the closer he gets, the more questions emerge about Pearl’s mysterious connection to the mythical world. Is she the long-lost hope for an entire civilization or the harbinger of its doom? It’s up to Sam to find out the truth, and fast. . . . The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Praise for Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw, Book One:
“A death-defying, globe-spanning adventure, packed with creatures out of folklore and myth.” –Publishers Weekly
“So original and exciting. This is the best fantasy-adventure novel I have read in some time.” –Martin Olson, New York Times bestselling author of The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia
Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD
Enjoy this excerpt from The Selkie of San Francisco
Sam London was practically levitating with excitement. After finally hearing from Dr. Vance Vantana about a new case, it was time to spring into action. Vance had informed Sam that he’d pick him up at lunchtime, which was in only half an hour, and he was bringing Nuks with him since the raccoon-dog’s Sam London substitution services would be required. Sam would meet Nuks in the school library, where they would stealthily make the switch.
Although Dr. Vantana had mentioned that what they’d be investigating had made the news, Sam had no time to go online or find a TV to get a sneak preview. He still had to sit through the remainder of Mr. Canis’s class without upsetting his teacher any further. So he sat up straight and did his best to listen—or, rather, pretend to listen. The suspense was making it nearly impossible for him to concentrate. After all, the last time an event involving a mythical creature had made its way into the news, it had been Sam’s encounter with the gryphon. And that was because their meeting led to a chain-reaction collision and massive explosion.
When the school bell rang for lunch, Sam catapulted himself out of his chair and sprinted to his locker. As expected, Tashi was waiting for him. She always waited at Sam’s locker at lunchtime so she could accompany him to the cafeteria.
“Vantana contacted me,” Sam reported enthusiastically. “A mission?” Tashi asked, intrigued. Sam nodded and stuffed his books into his locker.
“He said it was something that made the news,” Sam said, then turned and headed for the library. Tashi followed closely. “He’s picking me up in a few
minutes. I’m meeting Nuks in the library so that he can—”
“The doctor is picking both of us up,” Tashi interjected.
Sam stopped.
“No, Tashi,” Sam replied. “You can’t leave campus with-out a really good excuse.”
“I have a plan,” Tashi said confidently, and she continued toward the library. Sam walked alongside her.
“If your plan has anything to do with faking an illness, you can just forget it,” Sam informed her. “Our school nurse used to be in the Russian military. Kyle from gym said she was responsible for making sure the soldiers who faked injuries to avoid combat were sent to the front lines. She has a nose for it. Tim Nelson, an eighth grader, perpetrated this elaborate scheme where he convinced everyone, even his parents, that he had chicken pox, just so he could stay home for a video game tournament. Nurse Orlova not only logged in to the game to beat him, but she went on to win the title, then snuck over to his house and dumped a big bucket of soapy water over him to prove that his so-called chicken pox were just dots from a red marker.” Tashi’s eyebrow raised for a brief moment as she came to a halt in front of the entrance to the library.
“You believe this tall tale?” she asked.
“I’ve seen photographic evidence, and the point is, pretending to be sick won’t work.”
“I appreciate the warning, but it will not be a problem,” Tashi asserted. “Now let’s go meet Nuks. We don’t want to keep the doctor waiting.” She entered the library, and Sam sighed heavily before following her. What does the Guardian have up her sleeve? he wondered.
When Sam and Tashi entered the library, the librarian, Ms. Bryce, was in her usual spot at the checkout desk. She was in her mid-twenties and always wore her hair tucked beneath a purple knit beret. Ms. Bryce looked over when she heard the door, and did a double take.
“Sam?” the librarian said, appearing confused. “Didn’t I just see you come in?”
Sam realized Nuks must already be waiting for him. The raccoon-dog was supposed to adjust his face before entering the school so they could avoid these kinds of awkward situa-tions.
“Uh . . . yes,” Sam replied. “Yes, you did. And then I left to get something out of my locker.”
“A new outfit?” she inquired, eyeing his clothes.
“Oh . . . yeah,” Sam answered. “I spilled some juice on my shirt and had to change.” Ms. Bryce nodded but didn’t seem convinced. Sam was eager to avoid any more questions, so he added hurriedly, “I’ll be in my favorite stack,” before heading to the back of the library with Tashi in tow.
The folklore and mythology section was the predeter-mined spot where he and Nuks had agreed to meet whenever the time came for them to switch places. Besides the ironic nature of the aisle’s subject matter, the section was well hidden and saw little foot traffic. Sure enough, Nuks was waiting exactly where he was supposed to. He had a book in hand and a duffel bag at his feet. He saw them approach and grinned.
“Sam! Tashi!” the raccoon-dog exclaimed. He held out the book proudly. “Look!” He pointed to an illustration of a raccoon-dog. The caption denoted the creature as a tanuki. Nuks continued excitedly, “It’s me. Well, not me. But one of my kind. Isn’t that cool?”
“Very cool,” Sam concurred. “I thought we talked about you changing your face if you ever came here. Ms. Bryce is totally suspicious.”
“I have to touch someone to do that,” Nuks explained. “And I didn’t have time.”
“All right. We’ll just be better prepared the next time we have to do this,” Sam said.
“Definitely!” Nuks agreed, then greeted the Guardian with a smile. “Hi, Tashi.”
“Nice to see you again, Nuks,” she replied. “Did you bring what we discussed?”
“You two discuss?” Sam asked with surprise.
“When necessary,” she said.
“Just like you wanted, Tashi,” Nuks told her as he reached down to the bag at his feet.
“What’s this all about?” Sam asked. “Dr. Vantana is waiting.”
Nuks unzipped the duffel to reveal a raccoon-dog. This one had pinkish-red fur and a pink nose. When it gazed upward and saw Sam, its eyes fluttered.
“Is that—” Sam began.
“Her name is Nuiko. She is from Japan,” Nuks explained.
Sam had a sudden realization.
“Tashi,” he said, turning to the Guardian. “You’re not thinking you’re going to—”
“You said it yourself, Sam London,” she replied. “I cannot leave school on a whim, so I must have someone take my place. I took Nuiko in like you’ve taken Nuks in, and she’s agreed to this arrangement. If Nuks ever got the call, he was instructed to bring Nuiko with him.”
“But you live with a cat lady,” he said. “An actual cat lady!” Sam emphasized, referring to the fact that the woman whom Tashi lived with was a child of Bastet, a creature that was half feline and half human. “Am I the only one who sees how that could be a problem?”
“Sam,” Nuks said dismissively. “We all get along just fine.” “Besides, I checked with Miss Bastifal beforehand, and she gave her approval,” Tashi reported. “Now let’s begin.” She leaned down to pick up Nuiko, but Sam reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Wait,” he said in a loud whisper. “You can’t just have her transform in here. What if Ms. Bryce turns the corner? Then what?”
“We do not have a choice. It must be done in here,” Tashi told him. “You will create a distraction.”
“I will? How?” Sam asked, unnerved.
“I do not know,” Tashi responded as she touched Nuiko and the raccoon-dog began her transformation. “But do so quickly.”
Exasperated, Sam stepped out of the aisle, his mind racing with possible distractions, all of which would likely get him detention. But it suddenly didn’t matter, because Ms. Bryce was walking toward him.
Hey, Ms. Bryce . . . ,” Sam said, placing himself between the librarian and the aisle where Nuiko was currently shape- shifting into a duplicate of Tashi. “How have you been lately?” “Good. Thanks for asking. I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” she began, pulling to a stop only steps away from the aisle. “I’m assuming you didn’t see the news yet?” “No, not yet. Why?”
“Have you ever been to Pier 39?” she inquired in her library whisper. Pier 39 was a popular tourist destination in San Francisco that featured restaurants, shops, and other attractions. Sam didn’t know where this exchange with the librarian was headed, but at least it was keeping her from walking into the folklore and mythology section and getting an eyeful.
“Sure,” Sam said. “Lots of times.”
“Do you know the sea lion colony?”
“Of course,” Sam answered. “I love that place.” Sam had stood at the railing with the other tourists to watch the creatures roll around in the sun and to hear them bark.
“Well,” Ms. Bryce continued, “there was a news story I think you’ll be interested to hear.”
“Oh?” Sam said, intrigued. He deduced that this “story” was likely the case Dr. Vantana had called about. Sam’s distraction of Ms. Bryce was not only fulfilling its purpose, but it might even prove to be informative. “What happened?”
“A bunch of tourists saw a man dressed in a seal costume climb onto one of the
platforms,” Ms. Bryce explained. “Someone got everything on video, and it’s gone viral.”
“Wow,” Sam said. “That’s pretty weird.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Ms. Bryce asked, surprised by his subdued reaction. “I figured you would have a crazy theory about how this guy was some sort of merman.” Ms. Bryce knew of Sam’s penchant for mythical creatures.
“You said he was a man in a seal costume,” Sam pointed out. “I know,” she said. “But what if he wasn’t? What if he was a seal in a human costume?” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his response. Sam nodded slowly.
“Now I get it. That is interesting. . . .”
Todd Calgi Gallicano is the author of “Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw,” the first case in the Sam London Adventure series from the Files of the Department of Mythical Wildlife. A graduate of New York University’s School of Film and Television, Todd began his career in the film industry, before venturing into the world of books when he was provided secret files from the Department of Mythical Wildlife’s archives.
Despite pressure from the news media and government, Mr. Gallicano remains tight-lipped when it comes to questions about the DMW and his sources within the secret organization. He encourages fans of Sam London to learn more about mythical creatures and to visit and support our nation’s majestic National Parks.
When he’s not hammering out the next Sam London novel on his 1938 Royal Deluxe typewriter, Mr. Gallicano enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He resides with his family in North Carolina, where he is constantly on the lookout for gargoyles, chupacabras, and other nefarious creatures.
Learn more at www.mythicalwildlife.com.
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Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE SELKIE OF SAN FRANCISCO, US Only.
Don’t miss any of the Selkie of San Fransico tour stops!
6/18/2018- Twirling Book Princess– Excerpt
6/19/2018- BookHounds YA– Excerpt
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6/25/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews– Review
6/26/2018- Christen Krumm– Excerpt
6/27/2018- Little Red Reads– Review
6/28/2018- Two points of interest– Review
6/29/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Excerpt
Elena L. says
This book is amazing, I am excited to gift it to my nephew!!!