The Prince of Nowhere

This sweeping middle grade fantasy debut by Rochelle Hassan follows Roda and Ignis, a girl and a shapeshifter who must put aside their differences and work together to best a nefarious force that threatens their past, present, and future—think Howl’s Moving Castle meets When You Reach Me. Open the door. I’ll be waiting for you. Roda knows monsters are real; they live outside the wall of deadly, freezing mist that surrounds her small town and keeps the monsters out. So when Roda finds an injured crow on the instruction of her secret pen pal, Anonymous—whose letters arrive without warning and correctly predict the future—she’s surprised to learn she’s brought home a monster from the outside world. Because her crow is really a shapeshifting boy named Ignis. Ignis doesn’t remember where he was going before he crash-landed. But Anonymous knows something. The only way to find out why Anonymous brought Ignis and Roda together is to follow a trail of confusing instructions and clues in Anonymous’s letters. Their perilous journey leads them into the mist and beyond, to a mysterious place called Nowhere. But Ignis is hiding some startling secrets, and the farther they get, the more Roda doubts she can trust him. As a nefarious force closes in, they’ll have to put aside their differences and work together. For after all, they might be each other’s only defense against an enemy who threatens their past, present, and future.