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Best friends Cordelia and Larkin have always called the Glades—a peaceful swamp full of magical creatures—home. But when Oziris, Cordelia’s father and the leader of their village, dies unexpectedly, a dark curse sweeps over the land.
The girls know that the curse must be tied to Oziris’s death, and they’re determined to break its hold on their home and bring Oziris back to life. Together, Cordelia, Larkin, and their two little brothers set off into the wild Glades in search of an elusive and enigmatic witch who is rumored to have the power to reverse death.
The Glades are no longer a familiar and friendly place, though, and danger lurks around every corner. But on their journey, the children discover that the most difficult challenge isn’t wild marsh-maids or bogilisks or dragon-gators—it’s the grief threatening to consume them.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 25, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593611746
- File size: 163106 KB
- Duration: 05:39:48
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 950
- Text Difficulty: 5-6
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Reviews
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October 10, 2022
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.
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