"Perfect for fans of The Great British Baking Show and Clue, this enchanting and rollicking follow-up to The Cookie Crumbles follows two best friends caught up in a twisty mystery when jewels go missing at a high-stakes baking competition.
Baker extraordinaire Laila Thomas and budding journalist Lucy Flores are living it up at the top of the junior high food chain as eighth graders. But between busy schedules and kinda-boyfriends, these two best friends haven’t gotten to hang out as much. So, when Jaden, an ex-competition rival, begs the duo to step back into the world of cooking competitions and crime—the answer is yes.
Jaden is desperate: His father is accused of stealing prized jewels on the set of an amateur kids’ holiday baking show. The plan is for Laila to smash the competition while Lucy investigates behind the scenes—but their half-baked plan gets turned totally upside down when Lucy ends up in front of the cameras instead.
As the investigation and competition heat up, Lucy and Laila’s bond is put to the ultimate test. Can they solve this bakeoff mystery, or will they—and their friendship—crack under pressure?"
"The Great British Bake Off meets Knives Out in this fun and propulsive middle grade novel following two best friends who must solve the mystery behind a baking competition gone awry.
Laila gave Lucy a cupcake on the second day of kindergarten, and they've been inseparable ever since. But the summer before eighth grade, they find out that since they live on opposite sides of town, they’ll go to different high schools. Yuck!
Then Laila’s invited to compete at the Golden Cookie competition, which awards its winner admission and a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, and it’s the perfect opportunity. Sunderland doesn’t just have an elite culinary program; it’s also home to an elite journalism track, if only newscaster-hopeful Lucy could build up a strong enough portfolio to impress the scholarship committee.
But when one of the celebrity judges collapses after sampling Laila’s showpiece, rumors of foul play swirl, with Laila rising to the top of the suspect list. Even worse, a major storm has effectively cut off all access to the outside world.
Can the girls find the real culprit and clear Laila’s name before it’s too late?"
"Wini's family of enchanters runs a little bakery, but with the prices of magical ingredients skyrocketing, they're going under. Desperate to save her family's business, Wini takes a risk by casting a (sort of illegal) spell that would allow them to gather their own supply of their most needed magical ingredient: love. But the spell doesn't work. And Wini soon discovers that it didn't just not work; it backfired. Badly. Now the whole town is in danger, and the Enchantment Agency is sniffing around for whoever cast the wayward spell. It's just been Kal and her dad for as long as she can remember. They've weathered everything together, including Kal's mental-health struggles. But just as they're about to move to a new town for a fresh start, Kal's grandfather?who mysteriously vanished years ago?has suddenly reentered their lives with a desire to make amends. He joins them in opening their bookstore in the new town, but Kal can't help but wonder if he has anything to do with the whispers around her new home about wicked magic. And it's not just the whispers of the magical books in their shop. When Wini and Kal cross paths?both hoping for the chance to finally make a friend without worrying about their family histories following them?the girls bond over being fellow outcasts. Together, they search for the solution to fixing the magic gone awry in their beloved town?and just maybe get their dads to go out on a date."
"Sixteen extraordinary authors subvert mental health stereotypes in this powerful and uplifting mix-genre collection of fiction.
A boxer whose strength is tested more outside the ring than in it. A hiker who develops magical powers when her serotonin is finally balanced. A teen activist wrestling with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A boy whose uncontrollable tears help enable another’s healing …
In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before.
Through powerful prose and verse, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes and remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean you are defined by it."
"From the author of The Sound of Stars and The Kindred comes a YA space opera about a reincarnated god and a grumpy pilot on a mission to save a beloved space DJ and stop an intergalactic war.
Zaira Citlali is supposed to die. After all, she's the god Indigo reborn. Indigo, whose song created the universe and unified people across galaxies to banish Ozvios, the god of destruction. Although Zaira has never been able to harness Indigo's powers, the Ilori Emperor wants to sacrifice her in Ozvios's honor. Unless she escapes and finds Wesley, the boy prophesized to help her defeat Ozvios and the Ilori, once and for all.
Wesley Daniels didn't ask for this. He just wants to work as a smuggler so he can save enough money to explore the stars. Once he completes his biggest job yet-bringing wanted celebrity Rubin Rima to a strange planet called Earth-he'll be set for life. But when his path crosses with Zaira, he soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war with more responsibility than he bargained for.
Together, Zaira, Wesley, and Rubin must find their way to Earth and unlock Zaira's powers if they're going to have any hope of saving the universe from total destruction.
Don't miss these reads from Alechia Dow:
The Sound of Stars
The Kindred"
""Utterly swoony…an endearing reminder that true love can change the world"
-J. Elle, New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Ebony
To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…
Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life-apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility's most infamous playboy brings.
Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.
Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he's dead, which means they'll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal-and a love-that may decide the future of a galaxy.
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""This debut has it all: music, books, aliens, adventure, resistance, queerness, and a bold heroine tying it all together. "-Ms. Magazine
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an Ilori who loves pop music work together to save humanity?
When a rebel librarian meets an Ilori commander…
Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the death of one-third of the world's population. Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library.
When young Ilori commander Morris finds Ellie's illegal library, he's duty-bound to deliver her for execution. But Morris isn't a typical Ilori…and Ellie and her books might be the key to a desperate rebellion of his own.
"The Sound of Stars is a marvelous genre-bending debut." -The Nerd Daily
"The Sound of Stars is a stunning exploration of the comforts that make us human and the horrors that challenge our humanity."-K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King
"This book has everything! Aliens set on conquering earth! A determined heroine with a hidden stash of books! And the power of music and stories to give those with every reason to hate the power to love. Who could want anything more?"-Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times bestselling author of The Testing and Verify
"An absolute must-read for everyone." -Book Riot
"Dow's debut is a testament to hope and the power of art." -Buzzfeed
Also by Alechia Dow:
The Kindred
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