The Beanstalk Murder

June 15, 2024
After a dead giant falls on their village, two human girls venture up a beanstalk and help solve his murder. Anwen Sedge is a Meadow Witch who's apprenticed to her grandma Eira, but she longs to do High Magic like her rival, Cerys, who's soon off to the Academy of High Magic and who taunts Anwen relentlessly, calling her "ditch witch." When a giant falls to earth, crushing their village of Old Stump, the girls attempt to send a note up a beanstalk to let the other giants know. But there's a mishap, and they end up in the Sky Kingdom palace, where they learn the dead body was that of King Thibault. Giants and humans (or tinies) have had no contact since the end of the Great Beanstalk War nearly a century ago, but the girls are treated as guests by Thibault's sister, the new Queen Flavia, and as ambassadors from the Land Below by Captain Cato. Anwen and Cerys don't instantly become friends, but they rely on each other out of necessity. Cerys' ability to use glamour magic and Anwen's ability to communicate with animals prove equally instrumental, and the girls ultimately recognize and value each other's strengths--and their own. Many characters are not what they seem, keeping the mystery an intriguing puzzle, and each chapter ends with a teaser that will make readers eager to learn what happens next. The minimally described characters largely read white. A wholly new twist on a classic tale. (Fantasy. 10-14)

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July 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 Life in Old Stump has been peaceful in the century since the Great Beanstalk War. In fact, the only source of conflict for Anwen, a gentle Meadow Witch apprentice, is with the conceited Cerys, a High Magic practitioner who looks down on her more practical abilities. But then a murdered giant falls from the clouds, and the girls are swept up into the Sky Kingdom on an enormous beanstalk. The "tinies" are taken into custody (put in a dollhouse, of course), as it's revealed that the dead giant was royalty. Anwen is determined to aid the inquiry, and the two girls become reluctant allies in their quest to bring a murderer to justice and find their way home. It's a genuinely intriguing murder-mystery with a fantastic fairy-tale feel, and frequent fun twists will keep readers on their toes. Detailed descriptions of the Sky Kingdom through tiny eyes are a particular delight, as are the unexpected friendships between giants, humans, and oversize Sky Kingdom animals. A sparkling story with a perfect blend of magic and mystery.

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