Soulfire: 1 (The Soulfire Chronicles)

Soulfire is an LGBTQ-inclusive upper middle-grade fantasy novel by Chaz Harris (Promised Land/Maiden Voyage). Twelve-year-old George Grimes is afraid of growing up. If becoming a teenager means he has to stop believing in Grandads tall tales about Mythika - a magical place where artists have special powers - then he wants to stay twelve forever. On the eve of Georges thirteenth birthday a man with a forked beard and a crooked nose clambers out of the Grandfather clock in the upstairs hallway. The man claims to be from Mythika where the evil Lord Helwrath once a boy who lost his imagination has been murdering Creators - artists who use their imaginations to keep Helwraths power in check. When George enters Mythika he joins forces with a talented group of young artists to stop Helwrath before its too late. However a long-kept family secret leads some to believe that George can create the only power strong enough to fight Helwrath...Soulfire. The story and characters were wonderfully engaging and it conjures Narnia and traditional fantasy tropes in a way that felt fresh modern and relevant. I especially loved the emphasis on creating and how organically it was woven into the narrative. Mark Ordesky Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings trilogyLGBTQ+ kids and teens so rarely get to see themselves in books especially as the hero. This middle-grade adventure story featuring a queer protagonist who teams up with a crew of talented artists to fight against a great evil seems destined to become an instant classic. Margot Atwell Senior Director of Publishing Kickstarter