Dhonielle Clayton

The Marvellers Dhonielle Clayton

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.

The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live in this world. --#1 New York Times bestselling-author Rick Riordan

A 'Marvellerous' middle-grade debut! Delightful, charming, exceptionally clever, and filled with suspense and humor. --Lisa McMann, New York Times-bestselling author of the Forgotten Five Series

An exquisite and star-filled world of wonder . . . through the lens of a Black girl learning to embrace the full potential of her magic. --Karen Strong, author of Just South of Home and Eden's Everdark

Eleven-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.

Despite 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.

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. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. 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.