Certain fantasy tropes can’t be avoided. To start, there’s a chosen one, or hero, who must take up a task that only he or she is able to complete. Friends are found along the way, and together they bond and join forces. Once their quest has begun, the group, whether it is composed of elves and hobbits or ka-tets and wizards, faces challenges and rises and falls as a team. In the end, though, it’s only the chosen one who can save the day. By now, the imagined realms where these stories take place are numerous, and often recognizable to fantasy fans, which is why it’s exciting to discover new books with unique twists on world-building. A familiar world is skewed when viewed through a Snicket-esque lens in the wickedly amusing The League of Beastly Dreadfuls (Random, 2015; Gr 4-7). Anastasia is living an uneventful existence with her loving but absent father and her not-so-loving and absent mother when her life unexpectedly changes. Informed at school that her parents have perished in a tragic vacuum cleaner accident, the girl is whisked away by two elderly aunts that she has never met and taken to live at the St. Agony’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane, a former institution housed in a Victorian manor. Aunts Prim and Prude enjoy reading aloud from bodice rippers but don’t seem to enjoy children very much, giving their determination to keep Anastasia inside and away from the rest of the world sinister overtones. Debut author Holly Grant mines tension from Anastasia’s exploration of the crumbling, dusty mansion. The doors are almost always locked, mysteriously depressing portraits of unfamiliar children line the walls, and the creaky floors are covered in dust. The oppressive atmosphere of the 11-year-old’s new home is tempered with a healthy dose of humor and repugnant detail. (Anastasia develops a taste for live moths while the aunts snack on blood-filled leeches.) Readers will find themselves zipping through the book and, perhaps, cackling softly. The first book in a series, League is sure to garner an audience that will eagerly await the author's planned sequels. Readers looking for a slightly less-familiar world will find themselves intrigued by the premise of Jennifer A. Nielsen’s ("The Ascendance Trilogy") latest title, The Mark of the Thief (Scholastic, 2015: Gr 5-8). Set in Rome during the final days of the empire, Nielsen's book breathes magical life into this ancient world. Enslaved Nic has labored for years in the mines under a cruel master. When a general with plans to overthrow the emperor comes looking for a legendary bulla, an amulet that once belonged to Julius Caesar and is rumored to possess great magic, Nic finds himself drawn into a complex and violent game of chess, with the future of the Roman Empire and his very soul at stake. In vibrant, detail-filled descriptions of locations from the bustling markets to the hellishly warm chambers underneath the Coliseum, Nielsen’s ancient city becomes its own character. The author doesn’t shy away from depicting the great empire’s unsavory aspects, either; the plight of the enslaved, women, and unwanted children and the treatment of animals are all examined. The action sequences, whether involving soaring over an underground lake on the back of a mythological creature or fighting desperately for life in the gladiator’s arena, will keep readers enthralled. Combining Roman mythology with political maneuvering and a traditional hero’s tale, The Mark of the Thief offers an intriguing look at a long ago time while offering a thrilling, adventure-filled story. Fairy tales are well-trod ground in middle grade fantasy, and Grounded, The Adventures of Rapunzel (Scholastic, 2014: Gr 4-7) reworks the classic story of the long-haired, tower-bound girl in a fascinating fashion. Far from longing to leave her tower, Rapunzel feels she is the luckiest girl in the Kingdom of Red. Witch loves her, provides for her, and protects her from nefarious princes and filthy peasants, all of whom wish her harm. When a boy appears in her tower and references events he swears happened the evening before that Rapunzel can’t remember, the girl begins to realize her world might not be as secure as she originally thought. Far from fleeing Witch, she leaves her tower to save Witch from death at the hands of the fairies and finds herself on an epic adventure. The magic is thrilling—Witch’s powers are immense and potentially catastrophic, while some of the other enchantments, such as the "Ubiquitous" brand of acorns (each containing something a character might need, e.g., a bridge or warm food) and the beautiful fairy woods, which transport people thousands of miles in a single step, offer their own pleasures. Each of the color-coded kingdoms in Tyme that Rapunzel travels through possess their own attributes, a tribute to debut author Megan Morrison's considerable world-building skills.The author also cleverly weaves in references to other tales, including Jack and the Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty, while keeping the story of Rapunzel and Jack spinning in new and fresh ways. By the story’s end, the main plots points are wrapped up, but readers will rejoice to discover that the door has been left open to potential sequels. Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla (@liswithanS) is the Assistant Head of Children’s Services and Collection Development Coordinator at Darien Library in Darien, CT. An avid sci-fi and fantasy fan, she can usually be found with her nose buried in a book. Elisabeth's last fantasy picks for School Library Journal in Fall 2014 was titled Old Friends, Fresh Stories.