This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Aladdin hardcover edition January 2015
Text copyright © 2015 by James Riley
Jacket illustration copyright © 2015 by Vivienne To
Author photograph by Maarten de Boer
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Jacket designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena
Interior designed by Gabe Levine and Laura Lyn DiSiena
The text of this book was set in Adobe Garamond.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Riley, James, 1977–
Story thieves / James Riley. — First Aladdin hardcover edition.
p. cm.
Summary: Except for reading the Kiel Gnomenfoot magic adventure series, Owen’s life is boring until he sees his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library and he learns that Bethany is half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.
[1. Books and reading—Fiction. 2. Characters in literature—Fiction. 3. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 4. Magic—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.1.R55St 2015 [Fic]—dc23 2014028133
ISBN 978-1-4814-0919-3 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-0921-6 (eBook)