Silva and her family visit her grandfather, only to find his health has taken a bad turn. As they struggle with this news, Silva seeks escape in books – at the local library.

But she gets more than she bargained for when a magpie guides her to a secret, magical room containing books that she can not only read, but that she can live. Silva finds herself in the worlds of the characters … who all turn out to be real people. People she knows.

There’s a catch, though: she soon discovers that the magpie has lured her to these books for selfish and dark reasons. Going back to the books could mean losing her soul …

Kate Blair is a native of Hayling Island, UK, and is now a Canadian citizen living in Toronto. She is the author of Transferral and Tangled Planet. Transferral, her debut novel, was a finalist for the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award and the Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Snow Willow Award, and was a Starred Selection of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens. It is currently being adapted for television. Tangled Planet was longlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic.

Kate Blair's profile page

• Nominated, MYRCA Northern Lights
• Commended, OLA Best Bets

A rich emotional landscape is presented to show how grief and pain at times necessitate the need to explore other worlds. The novel reinforced the notion that stories can heal, but it also asks how far we can escape before we lose ourselves in the process?

Quill & Quire

"This intricate and compelling fantasy will pull readers in."

Kirkus Reviews