Two sisters come to terms with their extraordinary powers in a new middle-grade fantasy from Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist and her sister, the writer Jessica Benoist, with the New York Times bestselling author, Mariko Tamaki.
THE POWERS #1: HAVEN’S SECRET
by Melissa Benoist, Jessica Benoist
with Mariko Tamaki
Amulet/Abrams, October 2021
Ellie McFadden has intuitive gifts. She can sense what other living things are feeling. She can even talk to animals! Too bad she can’t connect with her twin sister, Parker. Parker McFadden has kinetic gifts. She can cause shocks to the earth and produce heat energy that explodes from her body like fire, especially when she is angry. The sisters aren’t aware of the legacy they inherited from their mother until, on their thirteenth birthday, two mysterious relatives on the Power side whisk them off to an isolated sanctuary called Haven. Ellie immediately adapts to their new routine, but Parker has one impulse: to get back to her normal life of friends and sports, fast.
Unlocking Haven’s secrets is just the beginning of what Ellie and Parker can do if they choose to work together to harness their abilities. But the sinister force that took their mother has other plans; and if the sisters’ fragile relationship succumbs to The Danger, a terrible fate may befall the people they love.
This epic tale of two remarkable girls and the powers they wield is sure to appeal to fans of Chris Colfer, Rick Riordan, and Tui T. Sutherland.
Melissa Benoist is an American actress best known for her roles in Glee, Whiplash, and Supergirl (in which she plays Supergirl). She and Jessica Benoist, her sister, are lifelong readers of science fiction and fantasy and are particularly passionate about using fantasy as a vehicle for making topical themes accessible to young readers.
Mariko Tamaki is a writer known for her graphic novels This One Summer, a Caldecott Honor and Printz Honor winner cocreated with her cousin Jillian Tamaki; Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, a Harvey, Ignatz, Eisner, and Printz Honor winner; and other notable works. Visit her at marikotamaki.blogspot.com.
When Doctor Frances Ai’s younger sister Maura died in a tragic accident six months ago, Frances swore she would bring her back to life. However, the creature that rises from the slab is clearly not Maura. This girl, who chooses the name “M,” doesn’t remember anything about Maura’s life and just wants to be her own person. However, Frances expects M to pursue the same path that Maura had been on—applying to college to become a scientist—and continue the plans she and Maura shared. Hoping to trigger Maura’s memories, Frances surrounds M with the trappings of Maura’s past, but M wants nothing to do with Frances’ attempts to change her into something she’s not.
In Linette Moore’s debut, middle-grade graphic novel, THE PRISONER OF SHIVERSTONE, eleven-year-old Helga Sharp is found unconscious in a drifting rowboat near the coast of Utley Island. Utley, as Helga finds out when she awakens in the hospital, is forbidden territory: it’s a prison island to which the Mainland has exiled troublesome mad scientists for generations. Helga is questioned by the island’s guards and though they’re suspicious of her story, they agree to let her stay until they find her family.
Hakim is traveling up the mountain to visit his friend Daisy, but the fog is so thick that he can’t see the road ahead. Then an old goat appears out of nowhere and delivers a sinister warning: “Beware! Beware! There are monsters up there!” Hakim trots with caution, until he hears an awful groan, growing closer and closer. And out of the mist comes the strangest creature Hakim has ever seen. . . .
Daisy is new to the garden and just opening her petals to the sun when Rose tells her that she’s just a weed. What’s a weed? Rose explains that weeds aren’t planted on purpose and only get in the way. As Daisy compares herself to other plants in the garden, she begins to feel even worse: she isn’t tall like Sunflower, nor sweet like Strawberry, nor fragrant like Rose. Just as Daisy worries that Rose might be right—that she is a weed after all—a strange and beautiful plant offers a new perspective. Maybe Daisy does have a purpose! And why do others get to decide who she is? This sweet and empowering story shows the inner strength it can take to define ourselves on our own terms, and how supporting one another can help us grow.