Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 01/27/2025 This savvy mystery set in Sassafras Springs, Mo., stars 12-year-old Raven Gallows, for whom death is the family business. Ever since her mother’s death six years ago, Raven has helped Grams and Aunt Lenore run Gallows Gardens, the family funeral home. While Raven is preoccupied with the more practical aspects of grief and mourning, her best friend Cosmina Wilde is obsessed with all things ghostly and supernatural. As such, Cosmina coerces newcomer Miles Farnsworth into helping her-and a reluctant Raven-meet ghosts in his family’s apparently haunted hotel, Moonrise Manor. Exploring the premises while Cosmina attempts to communicate with spirits, Raven discovers a mummified body hidden behind drywall-as well as a mysterious vase and her late mother’s locket. Along with Cosmina, Miles, and Chinese American-cued friend Eric Wong, Raven endeavors to uncover the truth about her findings, and determine the cause of her mother’s death once and for all. In her fiction debut, Bearce (Mary Anning and Paleontology for Kids) imbues Sassafras Springs with eerie ambiance. The town’s history feels lived-in, and the high stakes are never too scary, striking a balance between frightening adventure and youthful, levying humor. Major characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Heather Cashman, Storm Literary. (Feb.) - Copyright 2025