middle grade fantasy

A magical middle grade debut, inspired by Filipino folklore, about a ten-year-old girl who embarks on a quest in the world of gods and spirits to save her and her family from a sinister shadow god. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and When You Trap a Tiger.

Learn More → “Wait,” you tell me. “Another book? You’re offering another book?” I get the look on your face. You’ve got loads of books at home, some you haven’t even read, but listen to me closely. You might want this book. I know some lovely reasons why you would. And it’s coming out in paperback, too! So please, grab a seat as I make this short presentation. Maybe I could convince you to grab one. Or two. Three is great, by the way. You adore middle-grade fantasy. That’s it. Full stop. Marikit and the Ocean of Stars is perfect for your collection—this Spirited Away-inspired adventure stars a young Filipina heroine out to discover who she really is in a land unseen by the naked eye. We’ve got shadows and monsters and gods and creatures of the Tagalog region. It’s fantasy you have never seen before (unless you already did)You are a teacher or a parent (or both) who wants to introduce the beauty of diversity to young readers. Marikit and the Ocean of Stars is just perfect for them: this book has a full Filipino cast ranging from magical to human, grown-ups to children, forever-living fireflies to talking man-horses we call Tikbalangs. We’ve also got good guys and bad guys and gods with their secret agendas they don’t like to share. Politicians? Sleeping boy scouts? Girls with fire in their skin? We got them all. Love learning new languages? Other than a full glossary with pronunciations, Marikit and the Ocean of Stars opens up a chapter with a Filipino word paired with a funny, quirky description. A nice way to start discovering the beauty of learning Tagalog!Questing is your calling. Books the bring you to magical, otherworldly places are your bet. That’s just perfect—Marikit wears a map that leads her to places ruled by the Engkantos. Prepared to be, and this I say with sincerity, enchanted. Okay. Why paperback? You’re a practical reader who loves to collect books without spending too much on them. Paperbacks are much more affordable than hardcover versions, but they’re still as nice. It’s the same story, anyway.Maybe you skipped the hardcover version because you hate them. They’re pretty heavy to lug around with, anyway. You want a softer, more lightweight version so it won’t add up to the burden of many books you’re probably carrying. Light is cool. You’re cool.Bookstores are stocking on the new thing. This paperback is a sparkly, new thing. It’s more likely you’d find this on the shelf rather than the hardcover. But if you’re still these hardbound ones with the nice jacket, you can head to online bookstores that still carry them. The paperback version will have a three-chapter excerpt from The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon . Who doesn’t like a free read? I love free things. Do any of these reasons tick a box? Or two? Great! Marikit and the Ocean of Stars paperback is out April 22 this year. Preorder from your favorite bookstore through these links:Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetBookshop