Language : English
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250208262
ISBN-13 : 978-1250208262
“Be prepared, it will be hard to take a break from Erika Lewis’s The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. The action leaps off the page, rich in ancient Celtic mythology and taut with emotion, with characters who are flawed, human, and awesomely gifted. Middle-grade readers with a thirst for high adventure with all the feels, in the tradition of J. K. Rowling, Tamora Pierce, and Lloyd Alexander, have reason to rejoice.” ―Peter Lerangis, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Wonders series
“You’ll be on the edge of your seat while reading, and while waiting for more to come in this rich and engaging world. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and the Harry Potter series.” ―Janet Fox, award-winning author of The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle
“Fast-paced and oh-so-fun, this exciting story celebrates the importance of friendship and the power of kids’ choices. I couldn’t put it down!” ―Alyssa Colman, author of The Gilded Girl
“With vivid world-building and a marvelous blend of mythology and magic, Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is a rip-roaring ride pulsing with the heart of its fierce and tenacious heroine! The opening installment of this epic new fantasy series will leave readers clamoring for more.” ―Alysa Wishingrad, author of The Verdigris Pawn
“Move over Hogwarts, there’s a spellbinding new school in town. Enroll yourself for myth, mystery and magic. Not to be missed!”―Cavan Scott, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: The Rising Storm
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy—a foster child raised in the human world—is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and—most importantly—finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor.
But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
1
KIDNAPPED!
Pt. 1
a field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
She’d been suddenly moved back to Boston last week, to a group home as miserable as the last nine, and it was her first day at yet another new school.
The bus ride was filled with the usual awkward smiles. Kelcie did her best to remain invisible, choosing a seat in the very back, and slinking down, pretending like she was asleep.
A slimy spitball struck her nose.
The boys across the aisle laughed, waving at her, trying to get her attention.
“Hey . . . Red?” one of them called.
Kelcie wiped the spitball off with her sleeve, hoping they’d move on to someone who cared, but they didn’t.
A wet straw poked her cheek. “Hey. I’m talking to you. What’s your name?”
“Asher, you’re so disgusting.” A girl with brown pigtails and flower overalls in the seat in front of Kelcie glanced over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. From the smirk on her face, Kelcie could tell she didn’t actually find him disgusting in the least. She
spun around, smiling. “Your name’s Kelcie, right? I was behind you when Mr. Katz took attendance.”
Kelcie nodded. She pressed her sliding sunglasses up her nose, leaning the back of her head against the window, hoping the cool glass would ease the pounding in her skull. Kelcie’s head hurt, all the time. A dull ache that never went away. Bright lights and stress made it exponentially worse. Before tests, her eyes always felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. It was why she never did very well in school. The pain made it hard to con- centrate on anything but wanting it to go away.
“Sinusitis,” the first doctor had said. “Vertigo,” the next diagnosed.
The last doctor was a different kind. He told her it was all in her head. Basically, she was nuts. After that, Kelcie stopped complaining.
“I’m Jenna. This is Susan.”
The blond girl next to Jenna saluted.
“I like your jean jacket. Looks vintage,” Jenna said, sliding into a gasp. “And that necklace. Can I see it?”
She reached out to touch Kelcie’s most prized possession. The necklace was the only thing of importance she had on her the night she was found. It was nothing special. A simple silver charm, a branch from a tree, but it was the only link to her past.
Kelcie recoiled.
Nobody was allowed to touch it.
Jenna took the hint. She lowered her offending hand, giv- ing Kelcie an unwanted sympathetic smile. “Sorry. Um . . .” she hummed. “Want to be in our buddy group? We have room for one more. Has to be three.”
“No, thanks.”
“Why not?” Susan asked. “Someone already ask you?” Her expression was one of extreme disbelief.
“No.” Kelcie looked out the window at the piles of dirty snow. “Then why not?” Jenna sounded insulted.
Kelcie looked back at her. The truth was that for Kelcie,
friends never stuck. They found out she was in foster care and lived in a group home, or worse, their parents did, and then they blew her off. Said crappy things behind her back. That hurt way worse than not having friends.
So she lied. “I like being alone.”
Erika Lewis grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, spent summers with her grandparents in Worcester, Massachusetts, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. With a passion for storytelling set in magical places, she spends as much time as she can traveling. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found scribbling notes in a blank book while wandering through abandoned buildings, all kinds of museums, and graveyards.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, her list of credits straddles the comics and novel space, including Game of Shadows from Macmillan’s Tor Books, Firebrand and Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment, and The 49th Key from Heavy Metal Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA, coming from HarperTeen October 19th, 2021, and Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape/Macmillan March 1st, 2022.
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