Readers who like their heroes brave, resourceful and caring, magical and with a skill in martial arts are going to love twelve-year-old Mia, star of Janelle McCurdy’s gripping new fantasy adventure Mia and the Lightcasters.

Mia lives with her parents and little brother Lucas in the city of Nubis. Most towns in their kingdom are dark, plunged into night years ago by the powerful and evil Reaper King. When his forces arrive in Nubis and take the population prisoner, including her own parents, it’s up to Mia and her friends TJ and Jada to rescue them. In this she’ll need help from the umbra.

Umbra are mysterious, magical creatures, which take different forms but bond with a particular human. Following a terrifying incident when she was much younger, Mia is going to need to dig deep into her resources of courage to discover her own umbra taming abilities.

Like the best fantasy (and the best video games, McCurdy is a big fan), this fast-paced adventure allows readers to escape into a totally different world, one full of danger and excitement, and provides a chance to imagine themselves in situations that bring out the very best in people.

Author, Janelle McCurdy, Illustrated by Ana Latese

"A gripping, action-packed fantasy adventure set in a fascinating world of darkness and light (the best of Pokémon in a book)"