running fox books

Take our gift and make us shine

The richest, the most righteous

The stars of our time

Pod says it began with the crow. Manny says it began with the rat. Flaco says it doesn’t matter—the boys in the band have to roll with the trouble that started in Pod’s barn, when their song summoned a strange little man.

Dressed like a gangster, the sinister stranger insists the boys have inked a deal with the “Big Boss.” As their band soars to new heights, threats also mount—to the boys, and to their family and friends. Their music got them into this mess. Can it get them out of it?

Legends come to life in the Battleband Saga, pitting the boys in the band against mysterious forces they never meant to unleash.

“A novel of friendship, love, and guts about three kids who refuse to surrender—brilliant and strikingly new!” ~ Terry Trueman, Printz Honor Author of Stuck in Neutral  

“Turn this book up to eleven! A musical, lyrical tale that must be read.” ~ Arthur Slade, author of The Hunchback Assignments

“The first movement in an ambitious song cycle of a tale” ~ Kirkus Reviews

Gail Giles is the author of several young adult novels, including National Book Award nominee Girls Like Us. Her debut novel, Shattering Glass, was an ALA Best of the Best Book, a Book Sense 76 selection, and a Booklist Top 10 Mystery for Youth selection. Her second, Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, was an ALA Top 10 Quick pick and a Book Sense 76 selection.

Deb Vanasse is the author of more than a dozen books for readers of all ages, including Cold Spell. Her debut novel, A Distant Enemy, was a Junior Literary Guild selection and is featured in Best Books for Young Readers, as was Out of the Wilderness.