Skylight

by Patchree Jones

Overview

For fans of Hayao Miyazaki, this middle-grade novel welcomes you to an immersive Thai fantasy where twelve-year-old best friends Sofia and Cara explore the boundaries of family, friendship, and learning to forge your own path.

Sofia Luana longs to fit into her Colorado hometown. Constantly bullied by her classmates, who see her as an outsider, Sofia only has her best friend, Cara Felicity, for support. When Sofia's parents suddenly decide to move to California, her only hope is Cara, who says her family's moving there, too.

On their plane ride halfway across the country, Sofia and Cara see a magical door in the clouds. The girls soon find themselves in a new land filled with a shapeshifting octopus, winged warriors, and the exiled sorceress Muet starting a war to take the throne.

With her best friend, Sofia must learn to embrace her royal Mehk lineage, figure out who can be trusted, and find the courage to make her own decisions to end the war--or else Muet and her Night Army will extinguish Sofia's skylight forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781960323149
Publisher:	Shaherazad Shelves
Publication date:	06/25/2024
Series:	Mehk Light , #1
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.94(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

"A thrilling debut that transports us across realms" - - George Jreije, author of the Shad Hadid Series

From the Publisher

2024-04-20
Thai American besties discover new worlds.

Thirteen-year-olds Sofia and Cara have always been together, so it’s a relief that their families are both moving from Colorado to Los Angeles (their moms have the same employer). The pair have barely settled into their new homes when they’re whisked away to the kingdom of Tropos, a land of clouds. Horned, winged royal guards escort the girls to the palace, where Sofia, who struggles with panic attacks, is greeted with the revelation that she’s Jao Ying Saengfaa, the lost crown princess. Her royal parents sent her away as an infant to protect her from Muet, the leader of the Night Army. Muet is raging war, and she believes that Sofia is the key to conquering the three realms and reclaiming what she believes is rightfully hers. While the girls receive combat training, the Oracle drops hints about Cara’s role in the kingdom. The introspective third-person narration toggles among different characters’ perspectives, including that of octopuslike, shape-shifting Plaek, who’s Muet’s servant and is tasked with helping to carry out her campaign. While the premise of the novel and many of the plot twists are compelling, the quick buildup and easy resolutions of the climax and the somewhat pedestrian writing style will leave readers wishing for more depth. Lingering questions set the story up for a sequel.

A debut with potential that explores friendship and identity. (glossary) (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews