Into the Glades

In her middle grade debut, Laura Sebastian (the Ash Princess series) transports readers with a stunning Everglades-inspired fantasy rooted in friendship and storytelling. Cautious Larkin, 11, and headstrong Cordelia, 12, have grown up together in the Glades, a peaceful swampland community founded by Cordelia’s father, Oziris, who’s “the sort of man people followed.” When Oziris unexpectedly dies, a seeming curse sweeps through the area: “Dragon-gators had attacked farms, frogres broke into shops, hordes of pix-squitoes descended on people walking outdoors.” Convinced that only Oziris can set things to rights, Cordelia, Larkin, and their two younger brothers hatch a plan: to locate a witch rumored to have dark resurrection magic. Wielding their own burgeoning, unstable magic and the stories Oziris told them, the grieving children embark on a dangerous quest to return peace to the Glades. Efficient worldbuilding and well-developed characters make for an immersive telling that compassionately considers themes of grief and change, culminating in a compulsively readable narrative. Protagonists read as white. An author’s note concludes. Ages 8–12. Agent: John Cusick, Folio Literary. (Oct.)