Archives de catégorie : Frankfurt 2023 Children’s Books

BEYOND THE HAWTHORNE TREE de Catelyn Wilson

Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Sarah Henning’s Sea Witch, this standalone YA fantasy is a spooky, chilling read that explores grief and loss that follows a teen girl who must fight dangerous fae and ancient gods to break a family curse.

BEYOND THE HAWTHORNE TREE
by Catelyn Wilson
Catelyn Wilson Publishing, August 2022
(via JABberwocky Literary Agency)

Cassie Murdoch is haunted by the black-eyed woman that killed her mother. For her mental health, Cassie is sent away to live with her estranged grandmother on Tide Island. While there, Cassie searches for clues to her mother’s old life and why she fled her home never to return. With help from her grandmother’s secretive errand boy, Henry, Cassie unravels a terrible family secret: a curse that spans generations.

Henry and Cassie follow a series of clues left by her ancestors to find that Tide Island is a dangerous place, the link to a mysterious realm called the Otherworld where the black-eyed woman rules. After learning she is descended from a long line of sea witches, Cassie is plunged into a world of spells and secret ceremonies. Desperate to save herself and her newfound friends from her spiraling control, Cassie searches for a way to break her curse. But in the Otherworld enemies are not as they seem, and Cassie must find whom to trust before those she loves most are lost at the hands of the black-eyed woman.

Catelyn Wilson writes YA Fantasy with a splash of romance. She loves incorporating mythology into her books and firmly believes morally grey is the way to any woman’s heart. She has an unhealthy obsession with Jane Austen, sunscreen, and animals. Catelyn lives in Texas with her husband and mini-Aussie, Churro.

SOMETHING CLOSE TO MAGIC d’Emma Mills

A cozy, funny YA fantasy perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Sarah Rees Brennan, about a baker’s apprentice who must embrace her magical talents in a world where magic is seen as useless.

SOMETHING CLOSE TO MAGIC
by Emma Mills
Atheneum BYR, June 2023
(via JABberwocky Literary Agency)

It’s not all sugar and spice at Basil’s Bakery, where seventeen-year-old Aurelie is an overworked, underappreciated apprentice. Still, the job offers stability, which no-nonsense Aurelie values highly— until a stranger walks in and upends Aurelie’s careful life forever. The stranger, who turns out to be a remarkably bothersome bounty hunter named Iliana, asks for Aurelie to use her Seeking abilities to help rescue Prince Hapless, the charming-but-aptly-named prince. Even more dangerous are the feelings she’s starting to have for Hapless. The more time Aurelie spends with him, the less she can stand the thought of going back to her solitary but dependable life at the bakery. Must she choose between losing her apprenticeship—or her heart?

Emma Mills is the author of several young adult novels, including Foolish Heats and First & Then. When she is not writing, Emma can be found editing scientific manuscripts, tending to her large collection of succulents, and deep diving into various fandoms. Emma lives in St. Louis with her dog Teddy, who is best described as a big personality in a tiny package.

QUEEN OF FACES de Petra Lord

QUEEN OF FACES is the first in a YA fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Marie Lu and Leigh Bardugo, and the animanga Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Ghost in the Shell.

QUEEN OF FACES
by Petra Lord
TBD
(via Park & Fine Literary and Media)

Anabelle Gage is trapped in a boy’s body, and it’s rotting from the inside out.

In the nation of Caimor, the wealthy buy and swap fabricated bodies like clothes. But Ana, a mere scullery maid, can only afford a grey, withering form for herself, and by her seventeenth birthday, it’s already falling apart. Attending Paragon Academy, Caimor’s elite magic school, is her last shot at a new body—but when Ana fails the entrance exam for the third time, she puts her illusion magic to the task of stealing one instead.

Except Ana is caught, and by no less than the Paragon headmaster. He offers her a choice: die for her crime, or become a mercenary under his command, working secretly against those who would see the nation’s magical elite toppled. Desperate, Ana accepts. No matter how dangerous or illegal the job is, if she earns enough money, she just might be able to escape her body before it kills her.

But revolt brews in Caimor’s smog-choked underworld, and at its helm is Khaoivhe, the most infamous outlaw mage in history. As Ana steals, fights, and kills for the school of her dreams, she is drawn into the dark, tangled web of Khaoivhe’s machinations…and she discovers secrets that will upend her idea of who the heroes of her story are—and that threaten to leave her world in ruins.

Petra Lord is a biracial trans author. She has a BFA in TV Writing from New York University, which she uses to recommend Netflix shows to her parents and predict the endings of Marvel movies. She’s currently based in Los Angeles, where she feeds her dual addiction to Sweetgreen and Korean barbecue and sustains herself off videos of her cat. QUEEN OF FACES is her debut novel.

DUCK AND MOOSE de Kirk Reedstrom

Duck and Moose will need to put their differences aside to learn to live with each other and maybe even become friends in this laugh-out-loud early graphic novel series perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Chick and Brain.

DUCK AND MOOSE
by Kirk Reedstrom
Disney Hyperion, March 2024
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Book 1: DUCK MOVES IN!

The first book in a laugh-out-loud early graphic novel series perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly! Quiet-loving Moose’s life is turned upside down by free-wheeling Duck. The two will need to put their differences aside if they’re ever going to be neighbors…or friends!

Moose loves peace and quiet, relaxing, living alone, and spring! He can’t wait for the arrival of sun, flowers, and…a new neighbor?! Duck just landed himself a new home. He loves parties, karaoke, and living with—and on—Moose’s head. Moose tries everything he can to send Duck away, but he soon finds that this persistent neighbor might just be the best thing spring could bring.

Book 2: MOOSE BLASTS OFF!

The second book in a laugh-out-loud early graphic novel series perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly! Quiet-loving Moose’s life is turned upside down by free-wheeling Duck. The two will need to put their differences aside if they’re ever going to be neighbors…or friends!

Moose loves playing astronaut. Imagining his helmet, his seatbelt, and rocketing off into space are his favorite things to do! One day, Moose invites Duck to play with him. But there’s just one problem—Duck doesn’t know how to use his imagination! Moose teaches him but soon becomes frustrated because Duck doesn’t play astronaut the “right” way. How will these friends learn how to work—and imagine—together?

Filled with zany hijinks and slapstick humor, Kirk Reedstrom’s Duck and Moose series showcases unlikely friendships and the power of compromise.

Kirk Reedstrom has spent most of his adult life surrounded by books—he currently works at a public library, and he used to be a bookseller at Blue Willow, an independent bookstore in Houston, TX. He has led children’s art workshops at The Kimball Museum and interned with William Joyce at the Moonbot Studios. And he mixes all his past experiences with traditional and digital mediums to develop fun-filled characters with a little bit of mayhem. Kirk enjoys creating books that make people laugh.

GRAVE MISTAKES de Kitty Curran

A twelve-year-old’s family is deadly embarrassing (literally) in this modern middle grade coming-of-age mystery that crosses the madcap macabre humor of The Addams Family with a poignant depiction of friendship, grief, and finding your way home (even if your home is in a graveyard).

GRAVE MISTAKES: THE DEAD FAMILY
by Kitty Curran
Disney Hyperion, August 2023
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Molly Dade has big problems. She’s got an important violin audition coming up, she’s been paired with her nemesis for a group project, and she’s struggling to hide a life-or-death secret from…well, from everyone. It wasn’t long ago that the Dades were just a regular Maine family living in their reportedly haunted house in the local cemetery. But then Molly’s mom and twin brother Marty were killed in a freak accident. And Molly, her older brother Timothy, and her father became the town’s newest bereaved family.

Except Mom and Marty are still very much present. No one knows why, but Mom is now a ghost and Marty is a poltergeist. Oh, and there’s also Molly’s younger sister Dyandra, who is a zombie.

Keeping all this supernatural stuff a secret from everyone is hard work, especially when the dead (undead?) members of the family still want to participate in things like the Parent Teacher Association meetings or come to the (very public, very potentially embarrassing) school concert.

When Dad’s new cemetery assistant seems to know the Dade family secret, Molly and Marty worry about the future of their family. And when Marty begins to regain his memories of the explosion that killed him and Mom, the twins realize that the situation might be even more grave than they thought. Someone might be after the Dade family—but who? And why?

Kitty Curran is the co-author of two adult books published by Quirk (For Your Consideration: Keanu Reaves and My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel), as well as a YA time-travel fantasy graphic novel forthcoming from Boom! Studios. Kitty has also worked as a designer and had her work featured in Time, Upworthy, CNN, HelloGiggles, CBS, and The Huffington Post. She is a London native who is now based in Chicago. GRAVE MISTAKES is her middle grade debut.