Kindle Edition Amazon Novelist Juls Duncan & The Morgan Koda Adventures Series Big Sky Press Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Big Sky Press ISBN-10:  1490975772 Type: Fiction Pages: 334 Copyright: Sept 9, 2012 ISBN-13: 9781490975771 Price: $4.99 (eBook) Morgan Koda has landed in a world full of magic. Now she has to survive it.  A simple English class assignment turns twelve-year-old Morgan Koda's world upside down, and she never dreamed delivering a Christmas letter to her local Mall’s Santa Claus would be her ticket to a world she never knew existed. In this enchanted place, she walks through rainbows, makes friends with elves and talking animals, and experiences magic around every corner. Yet, she finds things are not as serene as they seem. A classmate wants her dead. An evil sorcerer, The Dark Emir, hunts the one with the power to control the Mask of Noesis, an ancient artifact that has the ability to seize or manipulate a wizard's magic.   Morgan and the Emir are in a race against time for the relic. But, in order for her to fulfill her destiny with the golden mask, she has to survive the encounters with an eccentric classmate and the Dark Emir.   Nevertheless, Morgan Koda is anything but helpless.   Author's Website:        Excerpt Professor Mackenzie called to them, “You four please come with me… Miss Hayden, you may carry on to dinner.” She said sternly. The four of them and Sonny followed in her wake through the other students making their way to the Dining Hall. "Pippin, get lost for a bit. I'll meet you in the Dining Hall." Rex whispered to the bird on his shoulder. Pippin was off in a flash of tiny wings. Zoie watched Rex go disappointedly. She turned and made her way into the dining room. She would get another chance to talk to Rex, she assured herself, and with happy smile she sat down at her table and waited for the fairies to appear. Morgan whispered out the side of her mouth as she followed Professor Mackenzie. “She knows we left the school without permission… we're in deep trouble.” Fear iced her blood, and she just knew they were about to be expelled. She quickly glanced at Tristan, who was walking beside her. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing to reassure her. Professor Mackenzie led them through the school, and didn’t stop until she came to a hardwood door. She rapped on the door and waited. A hollow voice said, “Enter.” She pushed the door open and went inside. Morgan glanced again at her friends, then reluctantly followed Tristan, Rex and Raine into the room. It was as if they had stepped into the past. Which was something that had never happened to any of them, Morgan thought, with a little smirk. The room was decorated like a captain’s stateroom aboard an old clipper ship. Dean Dae sat behind his desk reading a report. He laid it carefully aside as they marched into his office. Professor Mackenzie waved her hand, and two more chairs appeared beside the two lining the front of his desk. The foursome sat where she indicated. Dean Dae eyed them for a few seconds over his steeple fingers, then said, “I would like to know what those two wizards wanted with you four this afternoon in the Activity Room.” He glanced over the four of them getting right to the point, then his eyes centered on Morgan. Morgan, unthinkingly, muttered, “Today?” before she could stop herself. She received a kick from Tristan sitting in the chair next to hers. She couldn't believe she had returned them on the day those wizards had questioned them in the Activity Room. Dean Dae's eyes widen at her comment, but decided to let it slide. He had more important things to discuss, “I understand—" He said, taking his eyes off Morgan, and gazed to Professor Mackenzie. "...from Professor Mackenzie, you four are doing a project on the Mask of Noesis?” At their nods, he continued. “I have been to the bookshop in the village, and Mr. Jurich said the book's been given to a student." His eyes swung back straight into Morgan's. "He described Morgan as the one who found the book in his shop and brought it back to the school.” “The book was of no use to us for our project.” Morgan paused at the confused glare he shot her. “It's written in a foreign language.” She added quickly. “May I see the book?” he asked. “Um…" she said hesitantly, "I don’t have it anymore.” she muttered. “I sent it to my grandmother. It’s a very old book, you see, and she collects them. I thought it would be a great birthday present for her.” She wasn’t exactly telling a lie. Her grandmother did like old books, and collect them from time to time, and it was almost her birthday. However, Morgan knew none of those were the reason she had sent the book. Moreover, lying came hard for her, especially to the man who had changed her life.. Sonny spoke up, “Dean Dae, I took the book to the Mail Dispatch Office.” “I can go and see if the package has left the island.” Morgan offered, trying to make up for the lie. “I am sure your grandmother has it already.” He replied, studying her intently. “How can she have it already?" Morgan asked, bewildered. "Doesn’t it take days for a package to get across the pacific?” She stared into his bright blue eyes. “No, once a package is dropped off at the Mail Dispatch Office, they send them immediately by magic, right into the addressee’s living room. “Oh” was all Morgan could think to say. “Dean Dae, why did those wizards want to know our names and what dorm we were in? What do our dorms have to do with the book?” Tristan asked. “They wanted to see our bracelets as well." Morgan said quickly. "They were examining them when you told then to leave.” She wanted to know why their bracelets interested those men. And she was very curious about the Bracelet of Noesis. “Did they see — all — your bracelets?” The Dean said, gaining his feet so fast that his chair shot back from his desk. “Just mine,” Raine said, glancing over at Morgan. “I tried to show him mine, but he wasn’t interested.” Rex said helpfully. "And yours Morgan… Did they see yours?” Dean Dae asked, as he retrieved his chair, sat down, and shot a quick glance at Professor Mackenzie. “No, Sir," Morgan answered. "But I think if you hadn’t shown up when you did. He would have tried to force me to show it to him. He wasn't a very nice man.” She said, as only a child could. “Why did he want to see them?” She asked again. She wanted answers, so she tried to get the conversation back on track. Dean Dae gave an amused smile at the four teens staring keenly at him. “I can only speculate. I am assuming you all know what the Mask of Noesis was used for?” He continued when they all nodded their heads. He told them his ideas on why the men were hunting for the book, “The Bracelet of Noesis has resided with the Rainbow Caretakers since the Creator wore it. In addition, it’s believed that only a relative of The Creator will be chosen to wear it, or use it in correlation the mask. The bracelet might as well be as lost as the mask.” Dean Dae said studying Morgan. “Would it be okay if I saw your bracelets?” He asked softly to the four of them. Four arms stretched out over his desk. “Thank You.” He said, once he had examined the last one. “Off to dinner then.” He rose from behind his desk and crossing the room. Opening his office door, he watched the four of them to leave. Dean Dae and Professor Mackenzie stood for a long minute staring at the empty doorway from where the four students and the dog had disappeared. Professor Mackenzie turned, and gazed up at Dae, then asked, “Is it as you surmised? Does she wear the bracelet?” She couldn’t bring herself to glance into his eyes. “Yes... she wears the bracelet. We must keep it between ourselves and nurse Kieran." Who had alerted him to the unusual bracelet on Morgan's arm. "We will also have to keep a close watch over Miss Koda.” He said, taking Professor Mackenzie by the elbow. He led her back into the room, and quickly closed his office door. They had much to discuss.

Mask Of Noesis, A Morgan Koda Adventure, Book One.
THE MASK OF NOESIS by Juls Duncan is wonderfully written and will spur the imagination of those who read it. My favorite part is where they encounter some creature (no, I won't tell you what they are.) and Tristan is pushed over a 500 foot cliff, and plunges for the ocean below. Morgan leaps over after him even though she can't swim. Only Juls Duncan could come up with that. Another show of Duncan's imagination is Morgan meeting herself in the end of the book. The book is a great mystery as well as an urban fantasy, where Morgan learns to trust her friends, Tristan, Rex, and Raine when her magic fails her and they face a T-rex and a band war-crazed Indians. I highly recommend all the books in the Morgan Koda Adventures series. I see the series becoming as popular as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

Mask Of Noesis, A Morgan Koda Adventure, Book One.
How can a parent compete with video-game addiction and the mindlessness of the Cartoon Network? With the soon to be outrageously popular Morgan Koda Adventures series, Juls Duncan has solved that dilemma by proving once and for all that kids really can love great books. Twists and turns make this story THE MASK OF NOESIS, Book one, of Morgan Koda Adventure, resemble the Harry Potter Series, by J.K Rowling, in which loose ends are expertly tied and more threads become compellingly unraveled. Part of Morgan's appeal is that she could be any ordinary 12-year-old girl, an underdog readers will root for: small and skinny, with a horrible foster family. She is, however, bright and competent, and a witch. She discovers she is the last in her family line to control a magical mask. Juls Duncan has taken everyday situations such as going to school, dealing with school rivalry, and then there's, having your magic run away with you. Duncan has convincingly combined them with fantasy to create a world more accessible to teens than Stephenie Meyer novels, the Twilight series. From walking through a Rainbow to get her magical bracelet ("When I call your name… Please stand at this end of the rainbow.) to Her magic running afoul (First dinosaurs, and now this.) the book is packed with entertaining details and creative riffs life.