A group of goblins steal a boy's ability to apologize in this lively middle-grade fantasy from Nebula Award-winning author Fran Wilde.
Abrams Books, June 1, 2021. Cover by Shan Jiang.
The Ship of Stolen Words
Coming June 1, 2021
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No matter how much trouble Sam gets in, he knows that he can always rely on his magic word, "sorry," to get him out of a pinch. Teasing his little sister too much? Sorry! Hurt someone's feelings in class? Sorry! Forgot to do his chores? So sorry! But when goblins come and steal his "sorry," he can't apologize for anything anymore. To get his "sorry" back and stop the goblins from stealing anyone else's words, Sam will have to enter the goblins' world and try and find the depository of stolen words.
There, he meets Tolver, a young goblin who's always dreamed of adventure. Tolver longs to use the goblin technology--which can turn words into fuel to power ships—to set off and explore, but his grandma warns him that the goblin prospectors will only bring trouble.
Together, Tolver and Sam will have to outsmart the cruel prospectors and save the day before Sam's parents ground him forever!
Riverland
2019 Nebula Award winner • 2020 Lodestar Award finalist
Once upon a time, there were two sisters who rescued each other.
When things go bad at home, sisters Eleanor and Mike hide in a secret place under Eleanor’s bed, telling monster stories. Often, it seems those stories and their mother’s house magic are all that keep them safe from both busybodies and their dad’s temper. But when their father breaks a family heirloom, a glass witch ball, a river suddenly appears beneath the bed, and Eleanor and Mike fall into a world where dreams are born, nightmares struggle to break into the real world, and secrets have big consequences. Full of both adventure and heart, Riverland is a story about the bond between two sisters and how they must make their own magic to protect each other and save the ones they love.
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“Wilde [uses] the fantastic to symbolize and illuminate the complex emotions her characters experience. About courage and truth overcoming denial and fear, Riverland is an important book.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“Beneath the surface of Wilde’s fantastical metaphors lies the far more chilling and profound portrayal of domestic abuse and the lengths to which people can go to deny the most painful of truths.” —Publishers Weekly
“The latest from award-winning Wilde is a must-read for upper-middle-graders looking not just for a magical quest but also for lyrical writing and a beautiful story, too.” —Booklist, starred review
Abrams Books, April 9, 2019. Cover by Robert Frank Hunter.
+ Reviews & More
Barnes & Noble: Explore the Secrets of Riverland, by Award-Winning Author Fran Wilde
The Book Smugglers: A Map of Inspirations and Influences for RIVERLAND by Fran Wilde
Booklist: Starred Review
Shelf Awareness: Starred Review
Publishers Weekly: Review
Kirkus Reviews: Review
Fantasy Literature: A sad but sweet tale of resilience