The Merchant of Death (Pendragon #1)
by D. J. MacHale
Young adult · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 750L · 2005
Why we'd hand it over
A solidly entertaining multi-world adventure that hooks kids on a long series—fast-paced enough to fly through, but the epistolary framing device and moral ambiguity give it more backbone than typical early-YA adventure.