Archives de catégorie : Children’s Books

WANDER LOST de Laura Martin

From the critically acclaimed author of Float and Glitch comes a new stand-alone adventure full of humor and heart, perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman!

WANDER LOST
by Laura Martin
HarperCollins, June 2024
(via Writers House)

Rhett and his brother, Nash, have never been allowed to play board games. It’s their mom’s most important rule; the twins don’t know why, but they know not to push her on it. When their mom suddenly disappears, they’re reunited with Ace, their long-lost grandfather, who reveals that their family is descended from a board game character who escaped his game and lived in the real world. Their family now has the ability to enter the world of any game they want—but this gift also comes with a price. A game character who’s wanted revenge against their mom for decades has finally caught her and is holding her hostage in the world of a game. Which game? That’s up to Rhett and Nash to figure out, even if it means breaking Mom’s most important rule.

But as they learn to use their newly discovered ability, exploring new worlds and facing new challenges and risks, the brothers quickly realize that saving Mom won’t be all fun and games. It’s game on. . . or game over.

Laura Martin is a mom by day and a middle grade author by night, although in her heart she will always be a seventh-grade language arts teacher. She lives in the Indianapolis area with her family.

THE INCORRUPTIBLES de Lauren Magaziner

A dash of The School for Good and Evil, a pinch of Lockwood & Co., and a whole heap of queer joy make up this brand-new grounded middle-grade science fantasy series from internationally bestselling author, Lauren Magaziner!

THE INCORRUPTIBLES
by Lauren Magaziner
Simon & Schuster, 2025 – 2026
(via Writers House)

Fiora Barrowling has lived with her uncle ever since her parents disappeared on what was supposed to be a quick trip, presumably struck down by sorcerers. Fiora hates sorcerers. Only the worst kind of person would take a Dark Deal and sell their soul for a hint of power. But when an important client comes to collect a special cloak, Fiora learns exactly why her tailor uncle has gotten so secretive about his business over the past few years. Rather than crafting garments for the resistance, he’s been serving their sorcerer overlords instead. And when the sorcerer-client offers a Dark Deal and apprenticeship to Fiora, she refuses. But these are not people who take no for an answer.

A scuffle ensues and the stranger who comes to their aid informs Fiora and her uncle they’ve tangled with the Radiance, the worst of the worst sorcerers, and they’ll need to evacuate. But now that Fiora knows the resistance is real, she can’t go back to being just a girl, she wants to be an Inc.—one of the highly-trained human resistance fighters that have created tech to beat sorcerers at their own game.

But Inc. Academy is already in session and Fiora’s presence at their top-secret location is not welcome. Fiora must prove she deserves her place at the academy on a trial-basis, but when suspicious accidents start to occur on Inc. training missions, all eyes turn to Fiora. Now she must prove that she not only deserves to stay, but that she isn’t the spy selling the Incs out!

A story of the corrupting influence of power and the scrappy human ingenuity it takes to fight for good—however messy and hard that may be.

Lauren Magaziner is the author of the internationally bestselling Case Closed series and The Mythics series, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega. She has also authored three stand-alone books: The Only Thing Worse Than Witches, Pilfer Academy, and Wizardmatch.

DIVINE MORTALS d’Amanda M. Helander

Mona can name anyone’s soulmate—but she’ll never divine her own.

DIVINE MORTALS
by Amanda M. Helander
Disney Hyperion, November 2024
(via Kaplan DeFiore Rights)

Blessed by the crow god of love, eighteen-year-old Mona Arnett has the power to traverse the watery realm of the gods, speak with its seven deities, and divine soulmate matches with absolute certainty. Though Mona refuses to read her own match, she’s predicted pairings for wealthy nobles seeking amusement and lovesick couples desperate for affirmation. Still, it’s a shock when the king’s closest advisor demands her services.

The king is dying without an heir, explains Master Delmar Whitman—and if the royal line ends, the realm’s gods-given nexus will shatter and magic will vanish from the land. Only Mona can name the future queen and prevent the kingdom’s collapse.

But according to her reading, Mona is the king’s soulmate. Mona is destined to be queen—a role she doesn’t want and doesn’t believe she deserves. Worse: It’s not the king she thinks about when she’s alone at night.

Mona will lie, cheat, or contend with scheming gods if it keeps her off the throne. The only thing she can’t do is face her past. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens murder, confronting her secrets may be the only way to survive.

Amanda M. Helander is a romantic fantasy author and paralegal from Seattle, Washington. She likes to write about mental health struggles and hot wizard boyfriends. When she’s not writing, Amanda can be found watching horror movies, learning to crochet, or eating entire blocks of parmesan in one sitting.

THE DARK BECOMES HER de Judy I. Lin

Perfect for fans of Ryan LaSala and Trang Thanh Tran: a sinister tale of the supernatural, sisterhood, and the shadows that rule our darkest desires, New York Times best-selling author Judy I. Lin takes her first foray into horror with Rick Riordan Presents.

THE DARK BECOMES HER
by Judy I. Lin
Disney Hyperion, October 2024
(via Kaplan Defiore Rights)

Ruby Chen has always played the part of the dutiful eldest daughter: excelling in school; excelling in piano lessons; excelling at keeping her younger sister, Tina, focused on extracurriculars meant to impress college admissions officers.

But when a ghost from the spirit world attacks Ruby in the middle of Vancouver’s Chinatown neighborhood, her life is plunged into a darkness that no amount of duty can free her from. Overnight, Ruby’s sister seems to change. There are strange noises coming from her bedroom at all hours; and the once sweet, funny Tina has been replaced by something dark and unnatural.

As Ruby races to save her sister from demonic possession, she is thrown into an ancient battle over the gateway to the underworld. On one side, an evil traveling temple known for making dark wishes come true has returned to Chinatown after many years—intent on breaking down the gateway and unleashing the evil within. On the other side, the guardians who must stop them.

And in order to survive, Ruby must not only face the horror taking over her community, but must also confront the horror within herself.

Chinese and Taiwanese mythology get the Junji Ito treatment in this bone-chilling, propulsive story that takes the horrors of the Asian diaspora experience to a whole new level.

Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Book of Tea duology (A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet), was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughters.

RISE de Freya Finch

The action and adventure of Percy Jackson meets the complex heroines of The Cruel Prince as a family of valkyries fight to stop Ragnarök.

RISE
by Freya Finch
Disney Hyperion, July 2024
(via Kaplan DeFiore Rights)

For seventeen-year-old Bryn, being the youngest, messiest, most rebellious sister in a family of valkyries isn’t easy. Especially considering home is a Renaissance faire in Chicago full of costumed workers who see her as nothing more than a nuisance. When her mother disappears on a mission for Odin, Bryn begins having strange visions about the impending Ragnarök. Bryn senses their mother is in great danger, but her annoyingly perfect older sisters refuse to take her seriously. Their mother is, after all, captain of the valkyries.

Things only take a turn for the worse when a half human, half giant named Juniper crashes the party with a violent zombie in tow, confirming Bryn’s worst fears—her visions of Ragnarök are real. If that wasn’t enough, the faire’s mysterious new addition, Wyatt the Black Knight, just so happens to have a ferocious secret that threatens everyone around him. Determined to survive Ragnarök, Bryn, Juniper, and Wyatt team up to combat the horde of monsters that keeps appearing throughout the faire. But after Bryn ignores the call to deliver Wyatt to Odin’s eternal warriors in Valhalla, choosing to save his life instead, she starts to wonder if she’ll ever get this valkyrie thing right.

Whispers of divine interference—including sightings of the mischievous Loki—reach Bryn’s ears. Soon everyone at the faire becomes a suspect, leaving Bryn, her sisters, and their newfound friends the only ones who can stop the war to end all realms. Whether she’s ready or not, Bryn is about to learn how the ties between fate and choice are as interwoven and unbreakable as the bonds between sisters.

Freya Finch writes about myths, magic, and mischief-makers. Born and raised in Michigan, she earned her MA in writing and publishing from DePaul University in Chicago. Now she lives in the mountains of Poland, where you can find her hiking with her German shepherd or lounging at home with her husband watching their favorite movies. RISE is her first novel.