The Serpent's Egg — J. Fitzgerald McCurdy

Published in 2001, The Serpent's Egg became an instant hit among Canadian middle readers and 'tweens, selling thousands by word-of-mouth alone.

Ottawa is under siege. Parliament Hill has fallen to the Demon. The fate of the entire world rests in the hands of Miranda and her Ottawa school friends. Searching through the labyrinth of tunnels under the Library of Parliament, they must find a portal into a parallel world, where the only way to save the two worlds from the Demon and her crazed minions is to capture the Serpent's egg.

In the classic tradition of epic fantasy, The Serpent's Egg has all the magic ingredients for a captivating tale: good versus evil, an unlikely heroine, awesome battles, evil-doers extraordinaire, and a story that puts courage and friendship to the test.