Clever, quirky, and packed with supernatural mischief.
Marshall turns one boy’s unwanted move into a wonderfully offbeat adventure in this engaging middle-grade novel. Thirteen-year-old Liam Cyprus expects little from his family’s move to the drearily named town of The Dumps. Then fearless Em-j recruits him into the Fellowship of the Otherworldly Arcana, a club investigating the town’s strangest mysteries. When local girl Rayna Cade disappears and troubling clues lead toward the Mossy-Moon Forest, Liam joins the search, confronting the unsettling possibility that mythical creatures are very real.
Marshall gives this middle-grade fantasy mystery an appealingly distinctive personality, balancing supernatural danger with the everyday rhythms of childhood. Liam’s skeptical first-person perspective makes him an effective entry point into a town where witches, werewolves, goblins, and magical protections are treated as ordinary facts of life. Em-j’s confidence, Grunt’s analytical nature, and Wren’s bubblegum-chewing composure create a lively ensemble.
Sensory details, improvised investigations, strange clues, and increasingly unnerving encounters keep the mystery moving. Marshall also leaves intriguing corners of The Dumps unexplored, promising plenty of supernatural trouble ahead. A quirky, spirited fantasy mystery with mischief to spare.
***
Pub date July 17, 2026
ISBN 978-1069283245
Print length 125 pages
Reading age 8-13 years
Price $10.99 Paperback, $3.25 Kindle edition
