Growing up, I loved Russian fairy-tales, but when I tried reading them to my son, in Arizona, he wasn't impressed. The stories felt foreign and dated to both of us. But I still loved the characters and the magic of these fairy-tales, so I decided to write a series aimed at American kids.

The first book is Firebird: Adventure One.

This is the second book, where ten-year-old Alex and his nine-year-old sister Katie have just returned from their first adventure into the land of Russian fairy-tales where they met Baba Yaga, the Russian witch, and got a magical feather from the Firebird.

Now, Alex wants to know what Aunt Karina's old book says about the real ending to the Firebird story.

"You and Katie created the real ending. The stories and legends are alive and always changing. And you can change their outcomes," Aunt Karina says.

Excited, Katie finds another story to change. A young man named Emelya is imprisoned by an evil tsar. Alex and Katie rush to the rescue. When they stop by a log cabin to ask for directions, a creature in a sheepskin's coat with green furry hands opens the door. His emerald eyes shine a bright green light right at Alex and Katie. Is he a friend or an enemy? Will Alex and Katie find Emelya? Will they return safely to Aunt Karina's house?