ONCE THERE WAS
ONCE THERE WAS cover
When her father dies under mysterious circumstances, 15-year-old Marjan Dastani inherits his veterinary clinic, only to discover that he was secretly caring for creatures that should only exist in fairy tales. And now those creatures need Marjan’s help …
An adventure through the mythology of ancient Iran and the world, and a coming-of-age story about facing grief, connecting with a cultural heritage, and finding family.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Instant New York Times bestseller
William C. Morris Debut Award Honor
Odyssey Audiobook Award Honor
Audible Best Children’s Audiobooks of the Year
Target Children’s Book of the Year
Barnes & Noble Best Middle Grade Book of the Year Finalist
Junior Library Guild Award winner
QBD Children’s Book of the Year (Australia)
Amazon Editor’s Pick
Colorado Blue Spruce YA Readers’ Choice winner
Once was, once wasn’t
Yeki bood, yeki nabood.
This is how all Persian fairy tales begin. This is how the stories Marjan Dastani’s father told her when she was a little girl began — stories about noble griffons, ferocious manticores, and a wild and solitary unicorn. But Marjan’s not a little girl anymore. And now that her father is dead, she’s starting to realize that those stories might not be just stories after all, but clues to an important and dangerous calling that her family has secretly carried for hundreds of years.
Welcome to the world of Once There Was, where fabulous creatures are hiding in plain sight. It’s a world of black market trades and eccentric billionaires. It’s a world where a runaway witch and her unusual familiar might one day appear on your doorstep. It’s a place where even the most ordinary-seeming person could be keeping the most extraordinary secret.