Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

NOT QUITE A GHOST d’Anne Ursu

From award-winning author Anne Ursu comes a dark, deeply-felt story of illness, of growing up, and of the ghosts that that lurk just beyond our sight—as well as the ones we carry with us.

NOT QUITE A GHOST
by Anne Ursu
Harper Collins, January 2024
(via DeFiore and Company)

The house on Katydid Street seems to sit apart from the others, silent and alone, like it doesn’t fit among them. For Violet Hart—whose family moves into the house—little feels like it fits anymore. Like her old home, too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or her friend group, which since middle school began is no longer enough for Violet’s best friend, Paige. But maybe, Violet tells herself, change is sometimes okay. Then Violet sees her new room.

The attic bedroom is shadowy, creaky, and wrapped in faded wallpaper covered with twisting vines and sickly flowers. After moving in, Violet falls ill, and days turn into weeks without any improvement. Her family grows more confused and her friends wonder if she’s really sick at all.

Violet finds herself more and more alone in the room with the yellow wallpaper, the shadows moving in the corners, wrapping themselves around her at night. But soon, she starts to suspect that she might not be alone in the room at all….

Anne Ursu is the author of the acclaimed novels The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, The Lost Girl, Breadcrumbs, and The Real Boy, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. The recipient of a McKnight Fellowship Award in Children’s Literature, Anne lives in Minneapolis with her family and an ever-growing number of cats.

THE DARK TIMES OF NIMBLE NOTTINGHAM de Ryan James Black

Orphan Jack “Nimble” Nottingham – is a wily, street-smart kid who has survived on his own for a very long time – well, aside from his dog Winnie. But when his accident-prone accomplice Mouse extinguishes an ancient candle in a blitzed out basement – Nimble quickly realizes that it wasn’t an ordinary candle, and it should have remained lit. For fans of Stranger Things, Serafina and the Black Cloak and The Goonies!

THE DARK TIMES OF NIMBLE NOTTINGHAM
by Ryan James Black
Penguin, September 2025
(via Park & Fine)

Somewhere beneath London, a candle has burned for centuries.

It’s World War II, and Jack “Nimble” Nottingham sets out to scavenge the bombed-out ruins of Gravenhurst, a spooky estate rumored to be so haunted that not even the Dead End Kids dare go near it. Inside, Nim hopes to find unspoiled food, flea-free blankets, and maybe even a spot of oil for his lantern. Instead, he discovers a hidden alchemist’s laboratory, and a candle locked away in its vault, impossibly still lit. That is, until accident-prone Mouse, who Nim reluctantly allows to tag along, bumps into it, extinguishing the wick and releasing the Aether, a predatory shadow trapped in Gravenhurst’s basement for the past three hundred years.

Nim and Mouse narrowly escape the Aether, but the Aether escapes Gravenhurst, free now to hungrily hunt the London streets for souls…especially Nim’s own. As everyone around Nim, including his faithful dog Winnie, comes under attack, he seeks answers from the mysterious owner of Gravenhurst, Allister Evermoor—either Nim’s most formidable opponent, or his only chance at solving a mystery that reaches back across generations, to another dark chapter of the city’s history.

Now, Nim will have to decide who to trust as he works to defeat the Aether once and for all. One thing is for certain: even as brave nurses and soldiers marshal their resources against England’s enemies, the Blitz blackouts are aiding a threat much closer to home. A Shadow is closing in, and it’s going to take fire starters, pickpockets, vandals, and bullies coming together to stand against it. Because if Nim can’t find a way to vanquish the Aether, it won’t stop at London… it will darken the world.

Ryan James Black is an Author Mentor Match mentee who hails from Manitoba, Canada. He’s a husband, father, and self-described “Weirdo” and “Tamer of the Wilds,” who brings both heart and admirable work ethic to his creative vocation. This is his debut novel.

A WOLF IN THE SUN de Coltrane Seesequasis

A WOLF IN THE SUN, the first book in a proposed series of four, is a fast-paced, fantasy adventure novel written by a highly talented Indigenous writer of Cree descent. The middle-grade book is set in a fantastical world in which humans (The Forgotten Ones) are extinct and many animals are now sentient…

A WOLF IN THE SUN
by Coltrane Seesequasis
Kegedonce Press, TBA
(via The Rights Factory)

Silversong is a lowly member of the Whistle Wind pack of wolves, all can manipulate wind and air as a defense mechanism or weapon. Other packs of the Four Territories can manipulate other elements like water, fire and earth. All live under the Wolven Code, a hierarchical system with a strict code of conduct. Any wolf who breaks the Wolven Code is banished to the Furtherlands, a corrupted land where outcast wolves are led by an enigmatic wolf called the Heretic.

In the story, Silversong wishes to prove himself after a devastating attack on his pack but gets caught up in a battle against a great enemy and in a quest for find an artifact that could benefit or destroy his world. Fans of the Erin Hunter’s work (Warriors, Seekers, Bravelands, etc.), The Wings of Fire series and Avatar The Last Airbender will find much to love in Silversong’s quest and the colorful cast of characters.

Coltrane Seesequasis is a young fantasy writer of Indigenous (Cree) heritage. Inspired by his love for nature as well as myths and folklore that challenge the limits of creativity, Coltrane is ready to join a new generation of writers and add his voice to the immersive genre of fantasy.

Série SECRETS OF THE SANDS d’Alisha Sevigny

Sesha must race to find a priceless scroll before time runs out.

SECRETS OF THE SANDS series
by Alisha Sevigny
Dundurn Press, 2020 – 2022
(via The Rights Factory)

Book 1: THE LOST SCROLL OF THE PHYSICIAN (January 2020)

After a brutal fire takes their parents’ lives, Sesha and Ky, children of the pharaoh’s royal physician, are left charming snakes and stealing food to survive. Unsure of who to trust, the pair are found and brought back to the palace, where the pharaoh tasks Sesha with finding a rare medical document her father was transcribing. But are the royals hiding something?

Befriended by a fellow scribe and a young princess, Sesha navigates palace intrigue and temple treachery while urgently seeking the valuable papyrus. For the scroll doesn’t just have the power to keep the pharaoh’s army alive and reveal the secrets around her parents’ death—it may be the only thing that can save Ky’s life.

Book 2: THE DESERT PRINCE (September 2020)

Ancient Egyptian healer and scribe Sesha is ready for another role: spy.

Forced to flee Thebes or face death, Sesha and her friends, Paser and Reb, travel up the Nile and into the desert in search of a hidden oasis. Led by a freed spy, they plan to rescue Pharaoh’s daughter Princess Merat, given to a Hyksos chieftain against her will. Before they can get there, though, they have to battle lurking crocodiles, endless dunes, and blinding sandstorms.

When the group finally straggles into the Hyksos camp, they find the rebels preparing for combat. But as Sesha and her friends spend time with the rival tribe, the lines in the sand begin to blur. When she takes on a dangerous secret mission and learns about a prophecy that could change the course of history, Sesha has to decide where her future—and the real danger—lies.

Book 3: THE ORACLE OF AVARIS (January 2022)

A search for answers from a mysterious Oracle has Sesha and her friends navigating intrigue and danger in this thrilling conclusion to the SECRETS OF THE SANDS series.

Leaving the oasis, Sesha and her friends set sail for Avaris, intent on stopping the Hyksos Chieftain from claiming the throne and declaring war on Thebes. On the journey, Sesha learns that she and the scroll are at the centre of a pair of prophecies made by a famed Oracle—prophecies with staggering implications for both her and the Hyksos people. But when the crew arrives in the bustling port city, they are stunned to learn the Oracle is missing. With the prophecies now in doubt and their lives in danger, Sesha, Paser, and Reb must race to find a mysterious Priestess sect and witness the third and final prophecy before the upcoming lunar eclipse.

As the young scribes seek answers, Sesha must untangle her past and future while keeping war from erupting in the present. For there is one person she cannot bear to face across the Hyksos battlefield: her brother.

Alisha Sevigny is the author of MG adventure series, SECRETS OF THE SANDS, as well as YA contemporaries, Summer Constellations and Kissing Frogs. Her baby board book Give Me a Snickle! came out April 2022. Alisha’s novels have been CCBCs Best Books for Kids & Teens picks and she was one of three finalists in North America’s National Excellence for Romance Fiction Award (NERFA) in their YA category. Born and raised in BC’s Pacific Northwest’s temperate rainforest, she now makes her home in the Cayman Islands with her family. A former literary agent, Alisha is also an actor, yoga teacher, tarot reader, and an avid collector of crystals.

Série UNICORN ISLAND de Donna Galanti, illustrée par Bethany Stancliffe

Beyond the mist lies a magical secret waiting to be discovered . . . From Epic! Originals, UNICORN ISLAND is a middle-grade illustrated novel series about a young girl who discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers!.

UNICORN ISLAND series
by Donna Galanti and Bethany Stancliffe
Andrews McMeel, 2021 – 2023

Book 1: UNICORN ISLAND (February 2021)

When Sam arrives in Foggy Harbor, population 3,230, all she can see is a small, boring town that’s way too far from home. And knowing that she’s stuck there all summer with her grumpy Uncle Mitch only makes things worse.

But when Sam discovers a hidden trapdoor leading to a room full of strange artifacts, she realizes Foggy Harbor isn’t as sleepy as it seems. With the help of a new friend, Sam discovers an extraordinary secret beyond the fog: an island of unicorns whose fates are intertwined with hers.

Book 2: SECRET BENEATH THE SAND (March 2022)

Sam can’t believe how much her life and luck have changed since she came to Foggy Harbor: First, she discovered that unicorns are real, and now she’s on her way to becoming an actual unicorn protector! With her new friend, Tuck, by her side during Uncle Mitch’s lessons, Sam finally feels like she’s home.

But as the long-buried dangers of Unicorn Island begin to surface and a mysterious scourge spreads throughout the herd, Sam learns the truth behind Aunt Sylvie’s disappearance and her own connection to the island. With determination, courage, and fierce loyalty to one another—and to their code as unicorn protectors—the kids set out to protect the island’s secrecy and the unicorns’ very existence.

Book 3: BEYOND THE PORTAL (April 2023)

For Sam, knowing a little about her mother’s disappearance through the portal is almost worse than knowing nothing at all. Determined to distract herself, she tries to learn everything possible about caring for the herd on Unicorn Island. But when she and her friend Tuck stumble on a coded verse in The Unicorn Protector Creed, they are faced with an even greater task.

With no way of knowing what’s beyond it, Sam, Tuck, and Barloc the unicorn step through the portal and find that not only is Sam’s mother no longer a unicorn protector, she also lives in a world plagued by its own problems—and convinced that the only solution to them rests in the horn on Barloc’s head.

With the portal closing at sundown on the third day, Sam and Tuck are in a race to rescue their friend, reunite their families, and save another world from a terrible fate of its own making!

Donna Galanti wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship––and has been writing fantasy ever since. Donna is the author of the middle-grade fantasy adventure, Joshua and The Lightning Road.

Bethany Jayde Stancliffe is a Central Washington-based artist who grew up in the Rockies, where she spent her time building tree forts, reading fairy tales, and filling up sketchbooks. Having had a spectrum of creative interests since childhood ranging from architecture to animation, she has found a home in illustration, where design and storytelling meet.