Time is short for Mack MacAvoy and the Magnifica! Mack hates doing homework (that's what golems are for), but it seems that the only way to defeat the Pale Queen and her evil daughter, Risky, is to learn the magical language of Vargran. If only ancient, magical languages came with cheat sheets . . . . . . Oh! But they do! (Or at least, this one does. We can't speak for any other ancient, magical languages.) Mack, Jarrah, Xiao, Dietmar, and Stefan travel to Europe to find the Key, an engraved stone that unlocks the power of Vargran. But can they locate the invisible castle of William "Blisterthöng" MacGuffin, who guards the Key? (Yeah, we said "Blisterthong." Yeah, it's as painful as it sounds.) Mack has less than thirty days to master Vargran, round up the rest of the Magnifica, and defeat Princess Risky. Will the Key be enough? Or is there something else Mack must find in order to save the world? The Magnificent 12: The Key is another fast-paced episode in bestselling Michael Grant's hysterically funny fantasy adventure.