The Watchmen of Port Fayt

Gr 4–7—Port Fayt is a somewhat wretched hive of scum and villainy, but it is one of the few places where everyone—human and otherwise—is more or less welcome. The town is governed in turn by three ruling families, and things are not going well. Joseph Grubb, a half-goblin/half-human orphan working in his uncle's tavern, accidentally gets mixed up in a complicated plot involving the League of Light, an organization dedicated to the eradication of trolls, elves, fairies…and goblins. A former, supposed-to-be-dead governor of the town has joined with the League and plans to use illegal magic to bring forth a terrible monster to destroy the town. Standing in their way is the Demon Watch, a ragtag crew that includes blue-haired Tabitha, orphaned daughter of another former governor, who's just itching to have her chance to fight. The Demon Watch must contend with eel-eating pirates, duplicitous sugar-addicted fairies, and the Dockside Militia, while Joseph fights to survive run-ins with a shapeshifting cat, a tank of ravenous sharks owned by an underworld kingpin, and a magical wooden spoon. The story is quite cinematic with plenty of explosions and destruction, humor (mostly in the form of the Bootle brothers, the troll version of the Weasley Twins), and enough drama to invest readers in future titles.