Amazing new speculative fiction fall 2024
There have been some amazing new titles in my Netgalley TBR pile and YAY for finally reading them! Here are two of my newest favorites!
The first one is called Westfallen. It's written by a sister and brother team - Ann and Ben Brashares. This is Ann's website. Ben doesn't seem to have his own website, but they are both prolific writers and their skills show in this tightly written and exciting story. The book opens with Henry, a middle schooler who is feeling abandoned by his two best friends-Frances and Lukas. Frances and Lukas have found different lanes (Frances is goth, Lukas is a sports guy), Henry is neither but when the hamster that they adopted together dies, he invites them over to bury the hamster. In digging a hole, they find an old radio that remarkably still works. They are able to connect with three other kids, who also live in their hometown. The 6 kids agree to meet at the local park and all six are disappointed with then other three don't show up. They don't show up because it turns out they live in different times. Henry, Lukas, and Frances live in 2023 and Artie, Alice, and Lawerence live in 1944. The kids have some conversations about how things have changed but then they decide to make a change to something in 1944 to impact the future. What Henry warns about in the very beginning of the book is that no one could have seen what a big impact that small change might have made and then they have to start trying to figure out how to fix what they changed. It's a super interesting idea and will provoke lots of interesting conversations with readers about choices, consequences, and the fabric of time. I loved this one and think kids are going to love it too!
Here's the cover!
And here's the book trailer.
The second one is magical fiction. It's called Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic by Dr. Jamar J. Perry. I haven't read any of his other work, but this one is terrific. His website is here. Jamar is starting middle school and not really feeling it. His best friend, Elijah, who is great at everything, attends a boarding school and is leaving soon. Jaden knows he can't go to the boarding school with Elijah, but he really wishes that Elijah would come to the local middle school with him. But then Elijah disappears. Elijah's parents have a memorial service for him. At the memorial service, Jaden finds notes written in symbols he doesn't understand. As his tears fall on the paper, the symbols change and suddenly he can read them-it's a note from Elijah and he needs help. Jaden faints and when he wakes up in the car with his family on the way home, there's a terrible car accident. Jaden is approached by Carmine, a magician, who tells Jaden that he's been chosen to come to magic school. Carmine also believes that Elijah is only missing and needs help finding him. Carmine believes that Jaden might be the key to finding Elijah. Jaden goes to magic school and although many of the students believe that Jaden might be evil because he's Elijah's best friend, Jaden does find two allies, Mikael and Scion to help. This is an exciting story with fun plot twists and is an excellent book for kids who like Harry Potter, or Amari and the Night Brothers or other books that take place in magical schools. Jaden has a wonderful fresh voice that kids are going to like a lot!
Here's the gorgeous cover!
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