Middle grade speculative fiction -August 2024
There is some terrific new middle grade speculative fiction coming out this month that I think kids are going to love! My first new favorite is called Majestica by Sarah Tolcser. It's about Hattie, who is an orphan who works in a hotel in a magical animal preserve. She tries hard and wants to do a good job, but things don't always go the way she thinks they should. One day, a new group of guests arrives and the group includes Evelyn, the niece of the hotel owner. When Evelyn's chaperone takes sick (because Evelyn poisoned her), the head of the staff asks Hattie to take over as Evelyn's companion. Hattie tries to be positive, but Evelyn is pretty headstrong and disagreeable. They go out on a safari and Hattie starts to think something might be amiss. When the train they're traveling on derails, Hattie knows something is wrong and wonders if Evelyn or one of the other guests might have something to do with it. Each of the guests...