THIMBLE When the giants left, they left everything behind, including one very small, very sarcastic mouse. Thimble scavenges his gear from scraps: a handkerchief cloak, a bottle-cap shoulder guard, a sewing-needle sword, and a twig staff with a mysterious blue crystal. When his first spell launches a cat, he meets Lira Velan, a red-haired druid who talks to plants. Together they'll find out what a tiny mouse with scrap magic can become, and what woke up when he found that crystal.

• Fantasy