October 6, 2026 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
There is excitement in Bonne Fin, Haiti when a stranger, Mr. Laurent, comes to town with his personal chef. Lena, whose mother and grandmother are both Mambos, who help the people in her village commicate with the spirits, wants to attend the party at his house with her best friends, Luke and Jesula, hoping it will take her mind off the death of her father, a college professor. Her father was also writing a book of local scary legends, but Lena can't find the thirteenth tale that was supposed to be in the book. Her father was supposedly too afraid to include it. Lena finds the story in his office and discovers the reason why: it is a tale of a demon sailor who was transporting enslaved people, and who made a deal that involved coming for the blood of one of his descendants, who would have a birthmark eerily like Lena's! Things are strange in Bonne Fin; Lena loves living in Haiti, but knows that life there is often hard. When people start acting strangely, the echoes of her father's Thirteenth tale resonate with her. Her Gran tells Lena that it's important for her to practice communicating with the Loa, spirit who govern certain practices, but Lena blames them for the death of her father and is reluctant to talk with them, As she and her friends try to understand why people are acting strangely, they uncover a historical event, the LeJune case of 1788, before the Haitian revolution, that ties in to the story of the demon sailor. Will they be able to thwart the demon and save their town?
Strengths: It was interesting to see Lena's village and learn about her family's role as spirit liaisons. Aside from churches and religion, we don't think as much about the spirit world in the US, and I don't feel like it is any part of my every day life. The linking of real life history to the threatening spirit was a good way to deliver facts in a more engaging way. Having a scary song was haunting; I may never hum Frere Jacques to myself in the same way! Lena's reluctance to embrace her mother and grandmother's role because she is angry about her father's death makes sense. It was fun to see zombies in their traditional Caribbean setting instead of the Dystopian one they so often inhabit in middle grade literature.
Weaknesses: It would have been satisfying to see Lena's mother and grandmother help her a little more in her fight against the demon sailor, and to watch them impart some Mambo wisdom to her.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy creepy, culturally connected tales like Baptiste's 2015 The Jumbies, Strong's 2022 Eden's Everdark, Stringfellow's 2022 Comb of Wishes, or Bourne's 2026 Here Lies a Ghost or Nightmare Island.
Hunter, Erin. The Broken City (Renegades #2)
November 3, 2026 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Willow is concerned that her sister Luna is still missing, and she is on the run with Violet Rousseau, whose parents are evil. This book reads almost like a Young Adult version of Warriors, with more magic, more humans, and more angst. There's a bit more violence as well.
INTO THE WILD came out in 2004, so it's not surprising that my students' interest in this series has waned a bit. I've stopped buying the new series of WARRIORS book because no one has been reading the later books. It used to be that students would come from elementary school having read everything that had been published, but that doesn't happen as much.
I've described the RENEGADES series to some of my super fans, and they didn't seem very interested. RENEGADES doesn't have the cat-centered world of the previous books. This would almost be better for readers really interested in magic, since the cats have a bit of a "familiar" role. I'm still considering this one, but haven't had enough interest to purchase.
From the publisher:
Strengths: It was interesting to see Lena's village and learn about her family's role as spirit liaisons. Aside from churches and religion, we don't think as much about the spirit world in the US, and I don't feel like it is any part of my every day life. The linking of real life history to the threatening spirit was a good way to deliver facts in a more engaging way. Having a scary song was haunting; I may never hum Frere Jacques to myself in the same way! Lena's reluctance to embrace her mother and grandmother's role because she is angry about her father's death makes sense. It was fun to see zombies in their traditional Caribbean setting instead of the Dystopian one they so often inhabit in middle grade literature.
Weaknesses: It would have been satisfying to see Lena's mother and grandmother help her a little more in her fight against the demon sailor, and to watch them impart some Mambo wisdom to her.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy creepy, culturally connected tales like Baptiste's 2015 The Jumbies, Strong's 2022 Eden's Everdark, Stringfellow's 2022 Comb of Wishes, or Bourne's 2026 Here Lies a Ghost or Nightmare Island.
November 3, 2026 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Willow is concerned that her sister Luna is still missing, and she is on the run with Violet Rousseau, whose parents are evil. This book reads almost like a Young Adult version of Warriors, with more magic, more humans, and more angst. There's a bit more violence as well.
INTO THE WILD came out in 2004, so it's not surprising that my students' interest in this series has waned a bit. I've stopped buying the new series of WARRIORS book because no one has been reading the later books. It used to be that students would come from elementary school having read everything that had been published, but that doesn't happen as much.
I've described the RENEGADES series to some of my super fans, and they didn't seem very interested. RENEGADES doesn't have the cat-centered world of the previous books. This would almost be better for readers really interested in magic, since the cats have a bit of a "familiar" role. I'm still considering this one, but haven't had enough interest to purchase.
From the publisher:
Willow and Luna have always relied on each other to survive in the city. But when the sisters stumbled on a hidden world of magical animals and human witches, they realized they were no ordinary cats. They have magic themselves.
Now, for the first time, they must forge their own paths.
Willow is on the run with Violet, a witch girl with whom she shares a powerful bond. But Violet’s parents, the Rousseaus, are determined to hunt them down and destroy Willow.
Meanwhile Luna is reeling from a deadly attack by the same Rousseaus. She and her fellow Renegades are driven to join forces with the Truthtellers, a sinister coven of animals with secrets of their own.
As tensions explode into magical conflict, Willow and Luna must grapple with the same question…
What if your worst enemy is your own sister?
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