By Janelle McCurdy (author) , Ana Latese (illustrator) Part of the Umbra Tales series
"A gripping, action-packed fantasy adventure set in a fascinating world of darkness and light (the best of Pokémon in a book)"
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August 2022 Debut of the Month |Shortlisted for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize 2023 | Shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023
Readers who like their heroes brave, resourceful and caring, magical and with a skill in martial arts are going to love twelve-year-old Mia, star of Janelle McCurdy’s gripping new fantasy adventure Mia and the Lightcasters.
Mia lives with her parents and little brother Lucas in the city of Nubis. Most towns in their kingdom are dark, plunged into night years ago by the powerful and evil Reaper King. When his forces arrive in Nubis and take the population prisoner, including her own parents, it’s up to Mia and her friends TJ and Jada to rescue them. In this she’ll need help from the umbra.
Umbra are mysterious, magical creatures, which take different forms but bond with a particular human. Following a terrifying incident when she was much younger, Mia is going to need to dig deep into her resources of courage to discover her own umbra taming abilities.
Like the best fantasy (and the best video games, McCurdy is a big fan), this fast-paced adventure allows readers to escape into a totally different world, one full of danger and excitement, and provides a chance to imagine themselves in situations that bring out the very best in people.
This is book one in a series that is sure to be really popular.
The biggest middle grade fantasy debut of 2022. Beware of the shadows, the Reaper King is coming . . .
Read the full description
Mia always dreamed of being an umbra tamer until she met the wild creature on the Nightmare Plains. Since that day, she prefers to stay safe within the walls of Nubis. Safe, that is, until a surprise attack. With her parents captured, Mia's only hope is to travel to the City of Light to find help. But with only her little brother, two friends and one solitary tamed umbra, the journey feels impossible.
Mia not only has to overcome her fears, she also has to learn to harness her umbra taming abilities if they are to complete the quest in time.
For fans of Amari and the Night Brothers , The Legend of Podkin One-Ear and Nevermoor, this is the first in the sensational Umbra Tales series, illustrated by Ana Latese.
'This book has everything I love: cinematic world-building, a page-turning adventure, pulse-pounding action scenes and characters so vivid I miss them already.' A. F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
'Thrilling . . . a wonderful adventure.' L. D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency
'A fresh, wild, gripping adventure.' Kieran Larwood, author of The Legend of Podkin One-Ear
'A thrilling, highly imaginative and action-packed fantasy.' Louie Stowell, author of Otherland and Loki
'I absolutely loved it.' Tola Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun
'A deliciously dark and magical world that video game fanatics will devour.' Aisha Bushby, author of A Flash of Fireflies
Janelle is an author and fully-fledged gamer. Having started writing and querying at only sixteen years-old, she joined JULA in her early twenties.
After graduating from Royal Holloway University with a Criminology and Sociology degree, Janelle moved back home to London, and began writing middle grade fantasy.
In her free time, you can find her holed up in her room, gaming and watching anime (some of her favourites being Inuyasha, Dragon Ball Z and Death Note), or attending numerous comic cons and gaming events.
Janelle says 'The Umbra Tales trilogy was born from my love of gaming, anime and fantasy books. Growing up, I hardly saw any fantasy books with Black girls and boys front and centre. Mia and the Lightcasters is a nod to all the anime, manga, fantasy books and games I loved both now and as a child. It's a book about finding your inner strength, friendships and hope. I want kids to know that they are enough, they're resilient and stronger than they think. I want them to get lost in this world and let their imaginations run wild. I can't wait to share this story.'
Her FAB Prize winning story was acquired by Faber in a major auction.
Check her out on Instagram @janellemccurdyy
Photograph © Dujonna Gift-Simms
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Mia and the Lightcasters and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Mia and the Lightcasters features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 9+, Fantasy / Magical, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback, Ebook. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Mia and the Lightcasters was written by Janelle McCurdy and published by Faber & Faber
Mia and the Lightcasters has 406 pages
Yes it is part of Umbra Tales series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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