Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - June 2020 - Post One

Alex Aster - Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island) - Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers (June 9, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1492697206 - Hardback - Age: 7+

A fast-paced series starter, perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and filled with adventure, mythology, and an unforgettable trio of friends.

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.

Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.

The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.

With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.

"Debut author Aster takes inspiration from Colombian folklore to craft a rousing series opener that's both fast-paced and thrilling. As her protagonists face off against a host of horrors, they learn the value of friendship and explore the possibility of changing one's fate in a world where destiny is predetermined.

Erin Bowman - The Girl and the Witch's Garden - Published by Simon & Schuster Books (June 23, 2020)  - ISBN-13: 978-1534461581 - Hardback - Age: 8+

The Secret Garden meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in this rich, charming middle-grade adventure about a girl determined to infiltrate her grandmother’s enchanted garden with the help of some magically gifted friends.
Mallory Estate is the last place twelve-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory—the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother—is a witch.

But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.

The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, and magic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.

J . C. Lucas - Sword of Light (The Four Keys) - Published by J.C. Lucas - Author (June 15, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1735076409 - Paperback - Age: 8+

"You must find the four Keys to keep our worlds from burning..."Andie didn't expect to be orphaned, and she doesn't want to leave the only house she ever lived in. No parents, no Nan, no one but Anne, a weird woman who carries on conversations with old books and empty purses.

When Anne drops her off at her new home in a small town in The Middle of Nowhere, Texas, Andie is at a loss. Her new guardian, Celeste, claims to have been a lifelong friend of her nan, and is one eccentric figure among many others who live in the small town, all of whom seem to know something that Andie doesn't...

One evening, when the woods behind Celeste's house spirit her away, Andie discovers a secret so incredible she can scarcely believe it: she's half-Fae, half-Witch, and it's her destiny to find the four Keys that will save the Tuatha De Danann from annihilation. 

Worlds collide when two of her new friends from school, the sweet, helpful Teagan and the rude bad boy Hunter, join her on her journey to reach the mysterious place known only as Finias. There; they'll find the first Key: the Sword of Light.

As they flee the wicked Fomorians and do battle with the Witch Freya, Andie and the boys forge new alliances and make some more adversaries. Will Andie and her friends rise to the challenge, or is the magical realm as good as gone already?

A . J. Hartley - Cathedrals of Glass: Valkrys Wakes - Published by To the Stars (June 23, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1943272365 - Hardback - Age: 11+ ( Foreword by Tom DeLonge )

Teenagers fight for survival on an icy planet in this dystopian science fiction thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Steeplejack.

Second in the Cathedrals of Glass series.

The struggle is far from over for the deviant passengers of the Phetteron…

Since their ship crash-landed on frozen Valkrys, life for Sola and her companions has been harsh. The deserted, unknown planet has awakened troublesome psychic powers within them. Meanwhile, a malevolent parasite used their minds to turn them against one another. Then what they thought was a rescue team was actually a group of soldiers sent to eradicate them.

Months later, those who survived seem to have settled into a quiet routine. Instead of the protein bars and nutra drinks they once consumed back home, they now eat what small birds and furry animals they can catch. They’ve also traded server towers and chat rooms for the cobalt blue crystal underground caves and ancient cities that block out their psychic powers and allow them to disconnect from each other.

Sola, however, tires of this life and is desperate to leave this world behind. She believes the ancient crystal ruins hold the solution. What she discovers may help everyone escape Valkrys—if they can still trust each other. Otherwise, the icy planet may be their final resting place…