Endling: The Last - Hardcover

by Katherine Applegate (Author)

In this first book of an epic middle grade series, Katherine Applegate takes us on an unforgettable journey.

A New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of the action-packed Animorphs series and the award-winning The One and Only Ivan.

Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra.

After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true.

Along the way, she meets new allies--both animals and humans alike--who each have their own motivations for joining her quest. And although they begin as strangers, they become their own kind of family--one that will ultimately uncover a secret that may threaten every creature in their world.

Building on the success of her critically acclaimed novels The One and Only Ivan, Crenshaw, and Wishtree, while also returning to her action-packed fantasy roots of Animorphs, the Endling series is Katherine Applegate at her finest. With its enthralling characters, unique setting, and gripping adventure, this series is the perfect next read for fans of Rick Riordan, Brian Jacques, and Tui T. Sutherland.

Don't miss the second book in Katherine Applegate's "simply sublime" (Kirkus) epic middle grade animal fantasy trilogy, Endling #2: The First, plus the concluding volume, Endling #3: The Only. Read all three

Front Jacket

I REMEMBERED
with a sudden pang, my mother's words the last time we were together: It's never wrong to hope, Byx.

Of course, she'd also said: Unless the truth says otherwise.

Byx is used to being the youngest and the smallest. But for all her life, she's also been part of something bigger--part of a family, part of a pack. Until the terrible day Byx finds herself alone, the last of the dairnes. The endling.

For dairnes, the pack is everything: root and branch, heart and soul. Byx is determined to see if the legends she's heard over the years about others of her kind are true. She sets off on a quest, traveling through the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. Along the way, she meets new allies who each have their own motivation for joining her: Tobble, the worthy wobbyk; Khara, the girl of many disguises; Renzo, the thief with honor; and Gambler, the principled felivet.

They start as Byx's friends and become her family, and together they uncover a secret that will threaten the existence of not just the dairnes but every other creature in their world.

Back Jacket

I REMEMBERED
with a sudden pang, my mother's words the last time we were together: It's never wrong to hope, Byx.

Of course, she'd also said: Unless the truth says otherwise.

Byx is used to being the youngest and the smallest. But for all her life, she's also been part of something bigger--part of a family, part of a pack. Until the terrible day Byx finds herself alone, the last of the dairnes. The endling.

For dairnes, the pack is everything: root and branch, heart and soul. Byx is determined to see if the legends she's heard over the years about others of her kind are true. She sets off on a quest, traveling through the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. Along the way, she meets new allies who each have their own motivation for joining her: Tobble, the worthy wobbyk; Khara, the girl of many disguises; Renzo, the thief with honor; and Gambler, the principled felivet.

They start as Byx's friends and become her family, and together they uncover a secret that will threaten the existence of not just the dairnes but every other creature in their world.