The Borderlands trilogy is a contemporary fantasy, coming-of-age series that begins with Book One, Journey. 

 

The series tells the story of sixteen-year-old Dale, a girl who is a dreamer, artist, and a reader, and who has no friends aside from an old homeless man called Gareth who she met when she was twelve. In The Borderlands: Journey, we are introduced to Dale's life – her school life filled with bullies and boredom, and her home life with her mother, who doesn't seem to know who Dale is, or even care.

 

Dale loves painting images of childhood memories in which magical creatures like sprites, gnomes, elves and dragons were her friends. But, it has been years since visits to her mother's psychologist friends made those friendly creatures disappear, and now she yearns to spend more time with Gareth, sailing their little boat called Joy.

 

Dale makes plans to spend the summer with Gareth, sailing away from her family, and the bullies at the exclusive international school her mother makes her attend. But things keep interrupting her plans. First, she meets a new boy at school called Rhys, who seems to take an interest in her. Then a tragedy strikes when her only friend in the world is struck down in a moment of shocking violence. Dale has to make a hard decision. She escapes the world she's always known and sets out on a lonely adventure to find a place called the Borderlands, and, unbeknown to Dale, to find out who she really is.