# Once There Was

**Author:** Kiyash Monsef
**Grade range:** Grades 9–12
**First published:** 2023
**Page count:** 0
**Genre:** Young Adult
**ISBN-13:** `9781398520448`
**ISBN-10:** `1398520446`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/once-there-was
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Discover a world of extraordinary beasts and unexpected heroes in the dazzling debut from Kiyash Monsef. Perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, J.K. Rowling and A.F. Steadman. Once was, once wasn't . . . So began the stories Marjan's father told her as a little girl - tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder: Griffons. Unicorns. Dragons. But Marjan is not a little girl anymore. After her father's sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friendships and her dad's struggling veterinary practice. But a mysterious visitor soon reveals that Marjan's father was no ordinary vet. The creatures from his stories are real - and he travelled the world to care for them. Stepping into a secret world hidden in plain s

## Where this book is assigned

### Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook)

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)

### William C. Morris YA Debut Award

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2024 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)

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