Journey's End

Description

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings us a riveting middle grade fantasy-adventure, perfect for fans of Lisa Graff. The town of Journey's End may not literally be at the end of the world, but it sure feels like it to Nolie Stanhope. Spending the summer with her scientist father in the tiny Scottish village isn't exactly Nolie's idea of a good time, but she soon finds a friend- native Journey's Ender Bel McKissick. While Nolie's father came to Journey's End to study the Boundary-a mysterious fog bank offshore-Bel's family can't afford to consider it a threat. The McKissick's livelihood depends on the tourists drawn by legends of a curse. Still, whether you believe in magic or science, going into the Boundary means you'll never come back. . . . Unless you do. Albert Etheridge, a boy who disappeared into the Boundary in 1914, suddenly returns-without having aged a day and with no memory of the past hundred years. Then the Boundary starts creeping closer to the town, threatening to consume everyone within. While Nolie's father wants to have the village evacuated, Bel's parents lead the charge to stay in Journey's End. Meanwhile, Albert and the girls look for ways to stop the encroaching boundary, coming across an ancient Scottish spell that requires magic, a quest, and a sacrifice.

Rachel Hawkins is the author of Rebel Belle and the New York Times bestselling series Hex Hall. Born in Virginia and raised in Alabama, Rachel taught high school English for three years before becoming a full-time writer. Follow her on twitter @LadyHawkins.

"Hawkins's latest middle grade novel is a spooky tale of friendship and adventure."--School Library Journal "[T]he story meanders happily through local myth and legend, seamlessly blending an American and Scottish perspectives....Rife with emotion and adventure, Hawkins's novel celebrates the joyful explorations of childhood and the sometimes-difficult lessons learned with age."--Publisher's Weekly "Entwined with the contemporary story...is an account of a 500-year-old tragedy: the death of a laird's son, the nanny punished for it, and a powerful curse."--Kirkus "At the heart of the story . . . is not the supernatural phenomenon but the slowly developing relationships between the two girls. . . . readers who like their story's threads, supernatural or otherwise, neatly tied up will find this journey's conclusion perfectly satisfying."--BCCB