The Horn of Caninia: The Adventures of Ian Richards

by Eddie Ferguson Author, Jack Wylder Illustrator

Some new kids get a new school. Ian Richards gets a new world. When his family moves to a rambling old house in the Texas bayou country, twelve-year-old Ian Richards expects nothing but mosquitoes, boredom, and a summer without his friends. What he finds instead is a symbol carved into an old oak, a matching mark deep inside a drainage culvert, and a shimmering gate that swallows his Afghan hound, Penelope—whole. Ian goes in after her. On the other side is Caninia: a world of two moons and talking dogs, ruled by the noble Queen Coraline and threatened by an alligator warlord named Snaptooth who is swallowing villages one by one. The canines fight with teeth and claws. It isn't enough. But Ian has something no dog in Caninia has ever had—a human's knack for building, scheming, and turning a weakness into a trap. He can't out-bite an alligator. He might just out-think one. With a nervous whippet, a rambling pug scholar, a Doberman hiding a dangerous secret, and a talking dog who has waited her whole life to finally speak her mind, Ian sets out to find the legendary Harrier's Horn—an artifact that answers only to a human hand, a canine paw, and a small silver cross from home. The Horn of Caninia is the first adventure in The Adventures of Ian Richards—a fast, funny, heart-first middle grade fantasy about courage, loyalty, second chances, and a boy and his dog against an empire. Perfect for readers who love talking-animal kingdoms, portal adventures, and good guys who win the hard way.