Leila and the Blue Fox

Leila and the Blue Fox
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2024-04-02
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1454954361

Weeks pass, to her they are nameless, they are fading and growing light, the warming of weather. On this day, she wakes, and begins to walk. It’s a summer of firsts for twelve-year-old Leila: her first time traveling alone, first time apart from Amma and her cousin Mona, and first time seeing her mother, a climate scientist in Norway, since war forced their family from Syria six years ago. Together, Leila and her mother’s research team follow the migration of a tiny Arctic fox, Miso, across ice floes and international borders, hopeful the midnight sun will illuminate how to adapt to a constantly changing world. The Arctic Circle is nothing like Leila has ever imagined—so bright and brutal and undeniably wild. It tests her in every way: her understanding of home and what it means to belong, her determination to do what’s right, and her belief in how much is possible in even the most impossible of situations. Inspired by an Arctic fox’s real 2,000-mile trek across continents, Miso's and Leila’s entwined journeys offer hope in the face of an uncertain future and reinforce that even the smallest voices can make the biggest impact.

Leila and the Blue Fox

Leila and the Blue Fox
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024
Genre:
ISBN: 9781454954354

While on a journey across the sea to track the migration of an arctic fox, twelve-year-old Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she had lost.

Julia and the Shark

Julia and the Shark
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2023-03-28
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1454948701

"Deep beautiful, and true--a classic from cover to cover." --#1 New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer There are more secrets in the ocean than in the sky... Ten-year-old Julia loves the mysteries of the ocean and marine biology, just like her scientist mother. Her family is spending the summer on a remote island where her mom is searching for the elusive Greenland shark, a creature that might be older than the trees, and so rare that it’s only been seen a few times. But the ocean is reluctant to give up its secrets, and Julia tries not to worry as her mother returns disappointed at the end of each day. Determined to prove that the shark is real, Julia sets off on a quest to find it herself, armed with a set of coordinates, a compass, and her trusty rain jacket. She soon realizes that there are some journeys you shouldn’t go on alone. As Julia comes face to face with the dark and wondrous truths of the sea, she finds the strength to leave the shark in the depths and kick up towards the light. Through a unique blend of poetic prose and stunning illustrations, Julia and the Shark tells an unforgettable story full of dark depths and starry skies, courage and hope. This lyrical, deeply moving middle grade novel about one family’s fierce love and resilience is perfect for starting conversations about mental health and how it’s okay to not be okay.

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2021-07-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593206975

For fans of the Aru Shah and Serpent's Secret series, this action-packed fantasy-adventure sees a girl's drawings of Indian mythology spring to vivid life--including the evil god who seeks to enter the real world and destroy it. Kiki Kallira has always been a worrier. Did she lock the front door? Is there a terrible reason her mom is late? Recently her anxiety has been getting out of control, but one thing that has always soothed her is drawing. Kiki's sketchbook is full of fanciful doodles of the rich Indian myths and legends her mother has told her over the years. One day, her sketchbook's calming effect is broken when her mythological characters begin springing to life right out of its pages. Kiki ends up falling into the mystical world she drew, which includes a lot of wonderful discoveries like the band of rebel kids who protect the kingdom, as well as not-so-great ones like the ancient deity bent on total destruction. As the one responsible for creating the evil god, Kiki must overcome her fear and anxiety to save both worlds--the real and the imagined--from his wrath. But how can a girl armed with only a pencil defeat something so powerful?

Nantucket Blue

Nantucket Blue
Author: Leila Howland
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2013-05-07
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1423179196

"Utterly romantic and fun. I didn't want Nantucket Blue to end." --New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han One summer changes everything in this romantic, emotional, unputdownable story of love and friendship, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she'll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams. Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn't. When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer. But it's the things Cricket hadn't counted on --most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits. -- that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality. A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue. "[Howland] evokes the Nantucket setting vividly . . . when it comes to indulgent beach reading, sometimes it's more fun to get pushed over by a wave than to stay safely on your towel." -- The New York Times "Readers should feel empowered by Cricket's efforts to grow up into a strong, honest, and emotionally intelligent young woman, even as they are enchanted by the romantic and exclusive island setting. This is a natural beach read, but will easily win Howland year-round fans, too." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "Sand, secrets, Nantucket Reds, and romance. A fresh, feel-good debut." -- Boston Globe "Utterly romantic and fun. I didn't want Nantucket Blue to end." -- New York Times best-selling author Jenny Han "Several elements in this novel make it a little more than just another summer romance. Cricket's struggle to define herself apart from Jules, her decision to follow her heart, and her realization that she can rise above her parents' divorce make this a story that many teens will find absorbing." --VOYA "It's going to be the perfect summer for Providence teenager Cricket Thompson. She'll live with her friend Jules' family in their Nantucket house and pursue Jay Logan, the boy of her dreams. But tragedy strikes Jules' life and everything changes, including their friendship. Cricket does end up on Nantucket, but living in the inn where she works long, hard hours. To her surprise, she falls in love with entirely the wrong person -- and learns how magical love can be. A rich satisfying novel for high school students (and older)." -- Providence Journal "Fans of Sarah Dessen will find much to like here, as the charm of this summery yarn lies in Cricket's open appeal. Readers will root for her as she falls down, takes her lumps, and moves forward to her final year in high school, always remembering what she learned under the Nantucket sun." -- School Library Journal

The Girl of Ink & Stars

The Girl of Ink & Stars
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Yearling
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2018-04-10
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0553535315

A beautifully written story of friendship, discovery, myths, and magic that the London Times called "reminiscent of fantasy greats such as Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman." Legends say that the island of Joya was once a place where songbirds sang in every tree and the islanders were free to come and go as they pleased. That was before the harsh-ruling Governor arrived, and ravens drove out the native birds. Now there are no songbirds, and the people are forbidden to travel beyond the forest that separates them from the rest of the island. But for Isabella, the legends of her island home have always seemed like more than just stories. And when a series of mysterious events shakes the community, it’s Isabella—daughter to the island’s only mapmaker—who will lead a party of explorers into the forest in search of answers. As the group ventures deeper and deeper into the island, dark secrets begin to surface, and the legends Isabella has listened to all these years show signs of coming to life. Debut novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave draws on the cultural folklore of the Canary Islands in this richly told story of a girl’s quest to map her own place in a world that legends alone have shaped. Advance Praise: "[R]eminiscent of fantasy greats such as Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman." --The London Times

A Secret of Birds & Bone

A Secret of Birds & Bone
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher:
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2021-01-07
Genre: Children's stories
ISBN: 9781913322960

In Renaissance Siena, a city ravaged by plague, Sofia's mother carves beautiful mementoes for the grieving from the bones of their loved ones. But one day, she doesn't return home. Sofia and her friends follow clues carved in bone until they find the terrible truth ...

The Deathless Girls

The Deathless Girls
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2019-09-19
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1510105808

Gothic, intoxicating, feminist, darkly provoking and deeply romantic - this is the breathtakingly imagined untold story of the brides of Dracula, by bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave in her much-anticipated YA debut. They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin. On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts. They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate...

The Mercies

The Mercies
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2020-02-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316529222

The women in an Arctic village must survive a sinister threat after all the men are wiped out by a catastrophic storm in this "gripping novel inspired by a real-life witch hunt. . . . Beautiful and chilling" (Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe). When the women take over, is it sorcery or power? Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the skies break into a sudden and reckless storm. All forty of the village’s men were at sea, including Maren’s father and brother, and all forty are drowned in the otherworldly disaster. For the women left behind, survival means defying the strict rules of the island. They fish, hunt, and butcher reindeer—which they never did while the men were alive. But the foundation of this new feminine frontier begins to crack with the arrival of Absalom Cornet, a man sent from Scotland to root out alleged witchcraft. Cornet brings with him the threat of danger—and a pretty, young Norwegian wife named Ursa. As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence. "The Mercies has a pull as sure as the tide. It totally swept me away to Vardø, where grief struck islanders stand tall in the shadow of religious persecution and witch burnings. It's a beautifully intimate story of friendship, love and hope. A haunting ode to self-reliant and quietly defiant women." (Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize winning author of Shuggie Bain)

The Way Past Winter

The Way Past Winter
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2020-10-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1452181616

The Way Past Winter is a riveting adventure about magic, an eternal winter, and one girl's unbreakable determination to reunite her family. Mila, her sisters, and her brother, Oskar, live in a small forest cabin, surviving in a world gripped by frost and snow. When a mysterious man shows up on her doorstep, Mila and her family grant him shelter for the night. But in the morning, the man is gone—and he's taken Oskar with them. • Written by award-winning and internationally recognized author Kiran Millwood Hargrave • Inspired by European folklore • Middle grade novel that explores deeper topics—grief, inner strength, and the unbreakable bonds of family Determined to save their brother, Mila and her sisters set out on a mission to rescue him. But challenges await them at every turn: wolves with the speed of demons, tempestuous gold, an untrustworthy mage—and always the relentless, stinging freeze of winter. The Way Past Winter is a classic adventure story in the vein of Phillip Pullman, Anne Ursu, and Kelly Barnhill that evokes the best of the middle grade fantasy genre. • A beautifully written, smartly paced tale of riveting adventure with a focus on family • Perfect for children ages 10 and up who love fantasy and magic • You'll love this book if you love books like Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.