Spindlewood

A nonmagical girl must fake her way through a magic education while uncovering her family’s complicated past in this charming middle grade debut from Kölsch (Empty Heaven). Though 12-year-old Lilac Black doesn’t believe in the supernatural, she leaps into action when a notable séance her medium uncle is hosting goes awry, pretending to channel a spirit in his stead. Afterward, she learns that ghosts are real, her family members are Seers, and now that Lilac has appeared to come into her own power, she’s ready to attend the Spindlewood School of Seeing. Lilac avoids admitting that she can’t perceive ghosts, fearful that the International Delegation of Seers would erase her memory if they knew. Instead, as she acclimates to her new school, she fakes results through misdirection, research, and quick wits. Upon befriending fellow white-cued eighth graders—powerful True Seer Emmanuelle Williams and Dreamseer Chloe Christiansen—Lilac realizes that Spindlewood is teeming with more mysteries than she anticipated, and that her late mother, a Spindlewood graduate, may have been involved in a school tragedy years ago. Now Lilac must uncover what happened, without letting her own secret slip. This delightfully unsettling tale offers captivating mystery helmed by a stubborn and fiercely practical protagonist. Snarky omniscient narration propels a wry, enjoyable entry in the magical school canon. Ages 8–12. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (July)