Riddled with Myth, Driven by Adventure

David Teague is the author of the picture book Franklin’s Big Dreams and the forthcoming The Red Hat.  His middle-grade novels Connect the Stars and Saving Lucas Biggs are co-authored with his wife, the novelist Marisa de los Santos. From Saving Lucas Biggs authors Marisa de los Santos and David Teague comes a heartwarming middle grade adventure about two misfits discovering the importance of just being themselves. When thirteen-year-olds Aaron and Audrey meet at a wilderness camp in the desert, they think their quirks are enough to prevent them from ever having friends. But as they trek through the challenging and unforgiving landscape, they learn that they each have what it takes to make the other whole. Luminous and clever, Connect the Stars takes on some hefty topics of the day—bullying, understanding where you fit in, and learning to live with physical and mental challenges—all in a joyous adventure kids will love!

Paul Durham is the creator of the magical, mist-shrouded world of The Luck Uglies series, featuring a secret society of outlaws so notorious that their names can’t be mentioned out loud. In Durham’s second in the Luck Uglies, Fork-Tongue Charmers (HarperCollins) Rye O’Chanter has been declared an outlaw as the battle moves to the shores of Isle of Pest. In its starred review, Booklist writes, “There is not a single dull moment in this story, which packs in as many clever twists and fully-fleshed characters as the first book. And the writing remains a total delight: witty, richly layered, and capable of creating a world as real as this one.”