On Instagram, Clayton calls the book 'my love letter to kids who thought there might be nothing magical about them because they didn’t show up in those big worlds everyone is always talking about.'Ĭlayton's got at least one very big champion in her book's corner: Rick Riordan, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. That mission is reflected in 'The Marvellers,' whose global school celebrates a wide range of cultures and different forms of magic. When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison and her mentor disappears, Ella quickly becomes a suspect and must work fast to clear her family's name and save her teacher before it's too late.Ĭlayton is COO of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit organization that advocates for greater diversity in the publishing industry and children's literature. Arcanum Training Institute draws Marvellers from around the world to practice their arts – say, for instance, bartering with Irish pixies or brewing elixirs. Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the school's first Conjuror, and she discovers many at the school don't trust her 'unnatural' magic. That's the setting for her upcoming fantastical middle-grade YA book 'The Marvellers' (Henry Holt and Co., 336 pp., on sale May 3). Author Dhonielle Clayton ('The Belles,' 'Tiny Pretty Things') has just the remedy for escaping reality: a magic school in the sky. If real life won't deliver, a book always will. We could all use a little more magic in our lives, especially now. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.Watch Video: Cynthia Erivo’s moment: new album, new children’s book Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip.

When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. New York Times -bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton makes her middle-grade debut with a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Soman Chainani, and Philip Pullman.Įleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies.ĭespite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy-some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.

The marvellers dhonielle clayton