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Hither & Nigh (1) Hardcover – October 18, 2022
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Could lessons in magic make everything right again?
Nell Batista has been in trouble one too many times. Now she’s down to her last chance—literally. Join the Last Chance Club or be expelled from school. The kids in the club are an odd group, but when their teacher starts giving lessons in magic, things quickly go completely off the weird scale. Nell doesn’t believe in it at first; after all, she’s a smart city kid, and there has been nothing magical in her life since her brother, River, disappeared three years ago.
But this magic is real—and powerful. As their skills grow, Nell and her new friends discover a parallel New York City called the Nigh. It’s a place as delightful as it is scary, sizzling with magical energy, where statues can talk, magicians ride on giant dogs, and monsters roam Central Park. And it is all controlled by the terrifying Minister, who might hold the key to finding Nell’s missing brother. Just how far will Nell go to find him, and who can she trust in a world topsy turvy with enchantment?
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure700L
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherMargaret K. McElderry Books
- Publication dateOctober 18, 2022
- ISBN-101665910380
- ISBN-13978-1665910385
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
VERDICT A domestic fantasy that covers a lot of ground with solid character development, this novel will be enjoyed by many readers. -- School Library Journal ― 9/9/2022
"Readers hoping to become enmeshed in conspiracies with links to folklore, mythology, and literature will be in heaven....A thrilling page-turner." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Balancing the tweens’ everyday social pressures with a dangerous quest across the fantastical 19th-century version of New York City that is the Nigh, Potter (the Big Foot and Little Foot series) satisfyingly blends contemporary snark with physical adventures heightened by spell-casting misfires, anxious close calls, and just-scary-enough monsters." -- Publishers Weekly
"[Hither & Nigh is] one of my favorite books of 2022 - and ever. I LOVED it and highly recommend it to anyone who loves unique, surprising stories with strong character development and hopeful, magical stories."
-- Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The whole thing was totally humiliating, starting with the room. Room 101. The kindergarten classroom at Bright Future Academy.
There were three of us, each awkwardly squeezed into the tiny, nubbly plastic chairs. Up in the front, there was Annika, the girl who looked like she had been blessed by a dozen fairies at birth. You know the type. She had tipped her chair backward at an alarming angle so that the ends of her long hair, the color of polished mahogany, hovered inches above the floor. Crossing her long legs on the edge of the desk, she aggressively cracked pumpkin seeds between her teeth.
Behind her, hulking in the corner, dressed in a paint-splattered black shirt and black jeans, was Crud. He was a huge kid with wild dark hair and a jaw like two fists on either side of his face. There were all sorts of rumors about him. People said that he had been kicked out of his last school for trying to strangle his science teacher. And that he ate kittens. Each time he shifted his weight, his chair squealed in pain.
Then of course there was me. Nell.
I stole a glance at Annika, who noticed and returned the stare with her cat-green eyes. She slipped another pumpkin seed between her perfect teeth and cracked it in half.
Sighing, I looked away.
Of all people, why did Annika have to be in this club?
I checked the clock on the wall. Its hands were blue oars held by tiny sailors in a red boat that was painted at the clock’s center.
3:40.
This thing was supposed to have started ten minutes ago.
“This is the worst,” I whispered to the white ferret in a cage on a little table.
Someone had put purple doll-sized pants on the ferret. Probably one of the kids in the class. On the back of the pants was red-glitter script saying Sassy Pants.
“Your pants are also the worst,” I told the ferret. It stared at me with a peevish look on its face. Then it turned its back, giving me a full view of its sassy pants, before disappearing into a paper-towel roll.
The classroom door swung open, and we all turned to watch The Viking burst in. He was new at the school, newer even than me. An eighth grader, like Annika and Crud—a year older than I was. He had a name, of course, but I didn’t know it. In my head I’d always called him The Viking. Not because he was a big muscly kid or anything. I mean, he was tall, but on the thin side. I called him The Viking because he always wore a Viking hat to school. Not the kind with the horns. Real Vikings didn’t wear those, anyway. His was a green cap with brown fur around its rim. He had egg yolk–colored hair that hung down to his shoulders, and his eyes were a pale blue with pinched pupils that looked as though he had been staring out to sea too long.
A red Twizzler was sticking out of his mouth. He removed it and asked, “Is this detention?”
Annika had been watching him with undisguised interest. Now she replied in her raspy voice, “It’s called the Last Chance Club.” She rolled her eyes at the name. “You know… they make you do community service work instead of being expelled. So you’ll become a better human being. Supposably.”
“Supposedly,” I muttered.
The Viking popped the Twizzler back into his mouth and sat down at the chair nearest him. He looked around the classroom, his eyes lingering on Annika.
Shocker, I thought.
His gaze moved to Crud, his eyebrows lifting at the sight of such a monster, then to me. I glanced away, but the next moment I heard his chair scraping against the floor as he dragged it next to mine.
He sat there for a moment in silence while I pretended he didn’t exist.
“So what’s your story?” he asked.
I glanced at him. He was watching me—I mean, really studying me, which hardly anyone ever does, except my father. It was very annoying.
“I don’t have a story.”
“Yes, you do,” he said. “And you know what else?”
I hesitated, then said, “What else?” I tried to make my voice sound bored. But to be honest, I was very curious. Because the thing is, I do have a story. Annika knew my story—or part of it, anyway. Up until now, I had thought that she hadn’t told anyone at school, but maybe I was wrong.
“I bet your story is a doozy, that’s what,” The Viking said. “So let’s hear it.”
I felt a strange mix of relief that he didn’t actually know my story, but also irritation that he wasn’t wrong. It was a doozy.
He leaned in close to me, waiting. In my peripheral vision, I could see Annika watching us. I heard the hard crack of another pumpkin seed.
I forced myself to look at him directly, to focus on the tiny white spot of light reflected in his pupils. It’s what Kingsley taught me to do when an opponent accuses me of cheating.
“Go away,” I told him.
He started to say something else, but to my relief the door opened again, and a tall, square-faced man stormed in.
Product details
- Publisher : Margaret K. McElderry Books (October 18, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1665910380
- ISBN-13 : 978-1665910385
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Lexile measure : 700L
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,168 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)
- #19,769 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #27,051 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ellen Potter is the author of many award-winning middle-grade novels, including the BIG FOOT AND LITTLE FOOT series, the PIPER GREEN AND THE FAIRY TREE series, the OLIVIA KIDNEY series, PISH POSH, SLOB, THE HUMMING ROOM, OTIS DOODA, and THE KNEEBONE BOY.
Her novel OLIVIA KIDNEY was awarded Child magazine's "Best Children's Book Award" and was selected as one of the "Books of the Year" by Parenting magazine.
SLOB was selected for the Junior Library Guild Spring 2009 List and the 2010 Texas Lone Star Reading List.
Her nonfiction book SPILLING INK; A YOUNG WRITER'S HANDBOOK (co-authored by Anne Mazer) was a New York Public Library Top 100 Children's Book for 2010 and a Children's Literature Assembly 2011 Notable Book.
Web site: http://www.ellenpotter.com
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You will NOT be disappointed with this book! It has everything - intriguing characters, funny words, magic, mystery, familiar landmarks, school stuff…
The story has fabulous twists and turns and an ending we did NOT expect. It is a pleasant take on the magic school concept that is different than any out there.
The very first words out of my kiddo’s mouth when we finished reading it was “is there a sequel?” Good news… there is! Do yourself a favor and just get them both at the same time.
Ellen Potter’s use of language and her ability to draw images with her words, makes this story vibrant. I see Nell in her apartment, in the cafeteria, in the woods being chased by wondrous and sometimes awful creatures, and as she discovers her new world of magic and creates bonds with her classmates. Her observational skills are acute, poignant and witty: “At lunch the next day I sat at the Leftovers Table, it’s where all the kids who didn’t fit in at the other tables sat. The weirdos, the pathologically shy. We didn’t fit with each other, either, but at least we could eat our lunch in peace.”
Come join Nell and her band of weirdos on this marvelous journey. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!
Potter’s descriptive imagery will make you feel like can feel the energy of the spells casted as you are transported in between the Hither and Nigh.
With some Harry Potter and Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe vibes, this one has sparked our imaginations and will have us thinking for a long time.
We can’t wait for the sequel!