A standalone middle-grade adventure with a touch of magic and series potential that is perfect for fans of The Manifestor Prophecy and The Last Cuentista.

STAR AND THE STOLEN WISH
by Stephanie Sosa
on submission
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Twelve-year-old Star has only ever had one dream: to sail the high seas with el Capi, her ex-pirate father, his crew of pirate hunters, and her best friend Maite. But with her disposition for seasickness, and a surprise visit from her estranged Lady Mother, Star’s dream is sinking fast. Her Lady Mother plans to take her far away from both her beloved father and any chance of an adventurous life as soon as she turns thirteen, instead mooring her to a landlocked capital city she has never seen.

With just one week before her dreams are swept away, Star catches a break when she overhears the notorious Coralillos gang, el Capi’s nemeses, plotting to steal a Wish from the governor. If she can stop them and save the day, then her parents would have to see that she is meant to spend her life protecting the seas.

After surviving her mother’s shopping trips, she meets a nosey young boy, Ciro, who warns her that wishes can be dangerous if not used with great care, convincing Star even more that she’s doing the right thing. With Ciro and Maite’s help, Star is able sneak into the governor’s mansion just in time to stop the thieves from stealing the wish. Unfortunately, she absorbs its magical powers when the vial containing it breaks in her hand.

Now in hiding from the guards, the gang, and her family, and with only Maite and Ciro left to confide in, she has to protect the wish from those who want nothing less than to eradicate her family and put themselves in power—all while resisting the urge to use the life-changing magic for herself.

Stephanie Sosa was born and raised in Mexico, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and French from Amherst College, and a master’s degree in Publishing and Writing from Emerson. She now continues to live in New England, where she fights the colder temperatures with tea and blankets. In her writing, she combines her Mexican heritage with magic, and a healthy pinch of complicated family dynamics. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the movies or deeply immersed in a DnD campaign.