If you’re unremarkable… How will you leave your mark on the world?
THE PROPHECYMAKERS #1
by Julie Abe
Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Winter 2026
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)
Lyra is Extremely Unremarkable. It’s even printed on her birth certificate. Her prophecy is the absolute worst rank in the realm. Lyra is also an orphan, shuttling from Guild to Guild, and looking for someone to take her in as one of their own. As soon as they find out about her fate, she’s shoved out the door, ragged suitcase in hand. If she doesn’t get into a Guild Registry before she turns twelve years old, she’ll be banished from the realm.
Her last chance is Waterfall Way. It’s a mysterious, beautiful village rumored to be rife with bad luck. Still, she’s determined to prove her worth. When her eccentric guardian requests she sort out Waterfall Way’s waterlogged, neglected magical library, she jumps at the seemingly impossible task. But, as she battles the bookdragons and makes friends with the villagers, she finds clues that hint that the prophecies that the realm relies on might not be exactly what they seem. Lyra may have an Extremely Unremarkable past, but she’s determined to fight fate for a future all her own.
THE PROPHECYMAKERS is a young middle grade fantasy where the heartwarming whimsy of Anne of Green Gables meets the sweeping adventures of Wilderlore, with a hint of A Wish in the Dark.
Julie Abe has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures. Her debut novel Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch received a starred review from Kirkus: “Bewitching… a must-read for fantasy lovers,” and was also listed as a Best Middle Grade Book by Kirkus Reviews, New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and Book Riot. Julie is also the author of Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch; Alliana, Girl of Dragons; and Tessa Miyata is No Hero, as well as the young adult novels The Charmed List and Our Cursed Love.
Remy Kobata has always wished she was destined to be with her best friend, Cam Yasuda. From growing up neighbors to mixing up magical prank potions together, nothing’s a secret between Remy and Cam—except for how much she is in love with him. Remy is trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings during their senior high school winter break trip to Japan when they stumble upon a secret magical apothecary in the back alleys of Tokyo. Remy and Cam are offered an ancient soulmate elixir, created before all love potions were banned by the magical government. They each have their reasons for wanting to take it, and what could go wrong with finding your soulmate? Except, after they drink up, their trip flips into the worst vacation ever: Cam has forgotten who she is. Cam’s got a feeling that this girl who’s a stranger is important to him—they have thousands of photos together—but he doesn’t have a single memory. If Remy can’t help Cam remember her by midnight on New Year’s Eve, they’ll both be cursed to forget each other. To unravel their past and rewrite the future, Remy and Cam must travel through Tokyo to rediscover Cam’s memories and make new ones—and maybe even fall in love all over again.
Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school on the sidelines, keeping her art Instagram private and shying away from the world. She can’t even tell her only friend, Lia, who she really is: Ellie is part of a secret magical community, and no one outside of it can know it exists. The only person Ellie could fully relate to was Jack Yasuda – her childhood friend who mysteriously started to snub her a few years ago.