The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney

Sixth grader Countess Jewel Delaney, an inquisitive aspiring journalist living in the small fictional college town of Galahad, Ohio, secures a summer opportunity to be a community citizen reporter at the Galahad Guardian, where her grandmother serves as editor. While reporting on the grand opening of a skate park, a howling shriek from the Galahad Grove woods prompts CJ to investigate with hopes of breaking a big story. After gathering clues from the scene, CJ notices that animals have vanished all over town. When her best friend Parker shows her some “weird pix” depicting ritualistic-looking items such as bones and miniature altars set up in the Grove, CJ sets out to uncover what’s really happening in the woods. With a handful of clues, a trail of missing animals, and photographs of unidentified “cult” paintings, CJ determines to prove that she has the passion and wits to be taken seriously as a journalist. Via an endearing and quirky cast embarking on an adventurous, unearthly mystery, debut author Williams presents a new world of thrills and mystique for young readers. CJ and Parker are Black. Ages 8–12. (May)