Just a few weeks ago, Wylie Dalton was living on a magical island where nobody ages past seventeen, and in love with Phinn, the island's leader. Now, her home is a creaky old boat where she's joined a ragtag group of cast-offs from the island, all dead-set on getting revenge on Phinn for betraying them. … Continue reading THE LOST KIDS, by Sara Saedi, Viking/Penguin Random House
Fantasy
TIME SHARDS, by Dana Fredsti & David Fitzgerald, Titan Books
It’s called “the Event.” An unimaginable cataclysm in the 23rd century shatters 600 years of the Earth’s timeline into jumbled fragments. Our world is gone: instantly replaced by a new one made of shattered remnants of the past, present and future, all existing alongside one another in a nightmare patchwork of different time "shards"—some hundreds … Continue reading TIME SHARDS, by Dana Fredsti & David Fitzgerald, Titan Books
PHILIPPA FISHER’S FAIRY GODSISTER, by Liz Kessler, Orion, UK
Philippa Fisher tries and fails to summon a fairy, but is taken aback when Daisy, the new girl at school, announces that she is her fairy godmother - or godsister, since they are the same age. Daisy is not best pleased with Philippa, but she has a mission to fulfil and is obliged to stick … Continue reading PHILIPPA FISHER’S FAIRY GODSISTER, by Liz Kessler, Orion, UK
SHADOW WEAVER, by Marcy Kate Connolly, Book One, Duology, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Fans of Serafina and the Black Cloak and The Night Gardener will devour Shadow Weaver, the first in a dark middle-grade fantasy duology that's filled with shadows, danger, magic, and has the feel of a new classic. Emmeline's gift of controlling shadows has isolated her from the rest of the world, but she's grown to … Continue reading SHADOW WEAVER, by Marcy Kate Connolly, Book One, Duology, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
WONDERBLOOD, by Julia Whicker, Random House Canada
Set 500 years in the future, a mad cow-like disease called "Bent Head" has killed off most of the U.S. population. Those remaining turn to magic and sacrifice to cleanse the Earth. Wonderblood is Julia Whicker's fascinating literary debut, set in a barren United States, an apocalyptic wasteland where warring factions compete for control of … Continue reading WONDERBLOOD, by Julia Whicker, Random House Canada
A NEARER MOON, By Melanie Crowder, Simon & Schuster/Kids
In a small river village where the water is cursed, a girl’s bravery—and the existence of magic—could mean the difference between life and death in this elegant, luminous tale from the author of Parched and Audacity. Along a lively river, in a village raised on stilts, lives a girl named Luna. All her life she … Continue reading A NEARER MOON, By Melanie Crowder, Simon & Schuster/Kids
LOST CHILDREN OF THE FAR ISLANDS, By Emily Raabe, Random House Kids
Twins Gus and Leo and their little sister, Ila, live a quiet life in Maine—until their mother falls ill, and it becomes clear her strength is fading because she is protecting them from a terrible evil. Soon the children are swept off to a secret island far in the sea, where they discover a hidden … Continue reading LOST CHILDREN OF THE FAR ISLANDS, By Emily Raabe, Random House Kids
TORN, by Rowenna Miller, Orbit Books/Hachette Book Group
TORN is the first book in an enchanting debut fantasy series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions, for fans of The Queen of the Tearling. Sophie is a dressmaker who has managed to open her own shop … Continue reading TORN, by Rowenna Miller, Orbit Books/Hachette Book Group
TESS OF THE ROAD, by Rachel Hartman, Penguin Teen, Penguin Random House
In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can't make a scene at your sister's wedding and break a relative's nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer … Continue reading TESS OF THE ROAD, by Rachel Hartman, Penguin Teen, Penguin Random House
LOOKING FOR DEI, by David A. Willson
Fifteen-year-old Nara Dall has never liked secrets. Yet it seems that her life has been filled with them, from the ugly scar on her back to the strange powers she possesses. Her adoptive father refuses to say anything about her origins, and soon, she and her best friend must attend the announcement ceremony, in which … Continue reading LOOKING FOR DEI, by David A. Willson
