Cattywampus
The magical story of a hex that goes haywire, and the power of friendship to set things right!
In the town of Howler's Hollow, conjuring magic is strictly off-limits. Only nothing makes Delpha McGill's skin crawl more than rules. So when she finds her family's secret book of hexes, she's itching to use it to banish her mama's money troubles. She just has to keep it quieter than a church mouse -- not exactly Delpha's specialty.
Trouble is, Katybird Hearn is hankering to get her hands on the spell book, too. The daughter of a rival witching family, Katy has reasons of her own for wanting to learn forbidden magic, and she's not going to let an age-old feud or Delpha's contrary ways stop her. But their quarrel accidentally unleashes a hex so heinous it resurrects a graveyard full of angry Hearn and McGill ancestors bent on total destruction. If Delpha and Katy want to reverse the spell in time to save everyone in the Hollow from rampaging zombies, they'll need to mend fences and work together.
Cattywampus was chosen for American Booksellers Association’s Indies Next Fall 2020 and Indies Introduce, featured on Scholastic Canada Divas Books Not to Be Missed List, included in the American Literary Association’s Rainbow Book List, and has been featured by Autostraddle and Mombian.
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A Touch of Ruckus
A laugh-out-loud, ghostly Southern mystery that's perfect for fans of Cassie Beasley and Natalie Lloyd.
TENNESSEE LANCASTER HAS A HIDDEN GIFT.
She can pry into folks' memories with just a touch of their belongings. It's something she's always kept hidden-especially from her big, chaotic family. Their lives are already chock-full of worries about Daddy's job and Mama's blues without Tennie rocking the boat.
But when the Lancasters move to the mountains for a fresh start, Tennie's gift does something new. Instead of just memories, her touch releases a ghost with a terrifying message: Trouble is coming. Tennie wants to ignore it. Except her new friend Fox-scratch that, her only friend, Fox-is desperate to go ghost hunting deep in the forest. And when Tennie frees even more of the spirits, trouble is exactly what she gets...and it hits close to home. The ghosts will be heard, and now Tennie must choose between keeping secrets or naming an ugly truth that could tear her family apart.
Magic and mayhem abound in this spooky story about family legacies, first friendships, and how facing the ghosts inside can sometimes mean stirring up a little bit of ruckus.
A Touch of Ruckus was included on the American Library Association’s Rainbow Book List, and highlighted in LGBTQ Reads Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Fiction 2021 and Mombian’s Spooky Books for Halloween.
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Indiebound
THE BEAUTIFUL
SOMETHING ELSE
The cover of The Beautiful Something Else by Ash Van Otterloo. The art depicts a tween with short hair wearing a hoodie and red boots, silhouetted against a glowing multi-colored sparrow with its wings spread across a dark blue night sky. The blurb at the top reads: "'An endearing celebration of the value of queer community and family.' -Alex Gino, Stonewall Award-winning author of MELISSA"
2024 CBC Notable Social Studies Award
“Full of humor and heartbreak, this story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world is perfect for fans of Alex Gino and Kyle Lukoff.”
It’s exhausting trying to be the perfect daughter.
Still, getting good grades without making any waves may be the only way to distract from the fact that Sparrow Malone’s mother is on the verge of falling apart. Which means no getting upset. No being weird. No standing out for the wrong reasons.
But when Mom’s attempts to cope spiral out of control, Sparrow is sent to live with Aunt Mags on a sprawling estate full of interesting, colorful new neighbors. And for the first time, trying to fit in doesn’t feel right anymore. Even Sparrow’s shadow has stopped following the rules.
As Shadow nudges Sparrow to try all the scary, exciting things Mom has always forbidden, Sparrow begins to realize something life-changing: they don’t feel like a girl. Or a boy. And while this discovery is exciting, now Sparrow must decide whether to tell everyone—their new family and friends, not-so-secret crush, and most importantly, their mom—the truth, especially if it means things change forever.
The Beautiful Something Else received the 2024 Children’s Book Council & National Council for the Social Studies’ Notable Social Studies Award, was a 2024 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and was chosen for Bank Street College of Education's The Best Children's Books of the Year 2024.
Additionally, it was featured on Children’s Book Council’s Hot off the Press list, was included in the American Literary Association’s 2024 Rainbow Book List, listed among Chicago Public Library’s Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2023, and has been featured in many publications including Pride and Mombian.
PURCHASE LINKS for THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE:
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Signed/personalized copies from my indie! (seriously, I love signing books for readers)
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