The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents ten original stories--including his own--about  heroes that by top best middle grade authors. Now in trade paperback.

A cave monster . . . an abandoned demon . . . a ghost who wants to erase history . . . a killer commandant . . . These are just some of the challenges confronting the young heroes in this highly entertaining anthology. 

All but one of the heroes previously starred in a popular book from Rick Riordan Presents. You'll be reunited with Aru Shah, Zane Obispo, Min the fox spirit, Sal and Gabi, Gum Baby, Nizhoni Begay, Paola Santiago, Sikander Aziz, and Riley Oh. Who is the new hero? Read Rick Riordan's short story to find out! 

Ten bestselling and award-winning middle grade authors contributed to this collection: Roshani Chokshi, J.C. Cervantes, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Hernandez, Kwame Mbalia, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Sarwat Chadda, Graci Kim, and Rick Riordan, who also served as the editor. 

The cultures represented by these own-voices stories are: Indian, Mesoamerican, Korean, Cuban, Black American, African, Navajo, Mexican, Mesopotamian, and Celtic.

There's something for everyone in this best-selling collection of fast-paced and funny adventure stories that show what it takes to be a hero in any time, setting, and universe.

Read more about the heroes in these best-selling books:

Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani ChokshiRick Riordan Presents: The Storm Runner by J.C. CervantesRick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha LeeRick Riordan Presents: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos HernandezRick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame MbaliaRick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca RoanhorseRick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay MejiaRick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat ChaddaRick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim

About the Author

Rick Riordan (he/him), dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology. Rick's most recent book is The Sun and the Star, co-written with Mark Oshiro. Rick is also the publisher of an imprint at Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, dedicated to finding other authors of highly entertaining fiction based on world cultures and mythologies. He lives in Boston with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @ReadRiordan.

Author Residence: Boston, Massachusetts