Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up: A Graphic Novel by Elizabeth Agyemang, which releases on September 22nd 2026.

Sixth grade. The game just got real.

For Lexie, this year was supposed to be all about joining clubs, claiming the perfect lunch spot, and gaming after school with her best friends. But shifting friendships and the grief of losing her beloved grandfather make middle school feel more like someone switched her life to hard mode.

Then Lexie discovers a mysterious journal tucked inside her grandfather’s things. It’s filled with cryptic notes and cheat codes from an unfinished video game he was creating: Warrior’s Quest. When Lexie and her older sister, Eunice, are suddenly transported into the game’s pixelated world, the line between reality and fantasy starts to blur.

Can Lexie and her sister level up and face the monsters in the game—and in real life—or is it game over for good?

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up: A Graphic Novel’ by Elizabeth Agyemang appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and the first three chapters from Greta Grimsdark and the Normal New Neighbor by Haley Neil, which is out now.

Greta Grimsdark lives in a haunted castle at the edge of a dreary forest. Her parents, Mumsy and Pops, are dragons. She has three brothers: Zombert (who is part zombie), Gothric (who is likely a vampire), and Hauntsley (who is definitely a ghost). Greta is not a dragon or zombie or a vampire or a ghost. She’s something even scarier. . . a human child.

Greta’s perfectly eerie life changes when a normal new neighbor, Agnes, moves in across the street. Suddenly Greta is faced with very human problems, like figuring out how to make friends. Friendship and normal, human things are kind of scary! So Greta comes up with the perfect plan: a friendship test! But when a mistake proves potentially disastrous, will Greta decide friendship is worth the risk?

This series aimed at 7 to 10 year olds is spooky, funny, and easy to read, with charming black-and-white illustrations throughout!

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Wish You Well by Jamie Sumner, which releases on September 1st 2026.

Violet Marino doesn’t want sympathy. And she definitely doesn’t want friends. She just wants to play soccer and deal with the whole slowly-going-blind thing on her own terms.

Then she witnesses a boy choke on a hot dog at a hospital picnic. Enter Wyatt: dangerously charming and full of terrible ideas, especially for a kid with a newly transplanted heart. Add sharp-as-a-blade Noor, who is always armed with excellent snacks she can’t eat, thanks to chemo. Other than their illnesses, the three don’t have much in common—except for the fact that a wish-granting foundation keeps calling.

Ever the optimist, Wyatt has a plan: team up to game the foundation, even if it means faking friendship. One wish is fine, but three sick kids on three epic adventures? That’s history-making. The scheme starts off as a distraction. But soon the stakes feel real. Because when you finally let someone in, there’s more to lose.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Kiki and the New Magic by Eiko Kadono, which releases on August 25th 2026.

It has been a year since Kiki started her new life as an honest-to-goodness witch, and the—not quite so—little courier has become a real celebrity.

But fame comes with its own set of challenges. As Kiki faces increasingly perilous tasks, her friendships with Jiji and Tombo are put to the test. Doubts creep in, leading her to question her purpose.

Determined to overcome her fears, Kiki must summon all her courage and perhaps even explore a new kind of magic. Will she find the strength to navigate her evolving world?

Kiki and the New Magic, beautifully illustrated by Yuta Onoda, is a captivating tale of bravery, friendship, and self-discovery. Perfect for fans of the Studio Ghibli film and anyone who loves a magical adventure.

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 22

Kiki Returns to Koriko

Fourteen years ago, in a little town sandwiched between a deep forest and gentle grassy hills, a girl named Kiki was born.

This girl had a little bit of a secret. Her father was an ordinary human, but her mother was a witch. So Kiki was half witch. When she turned ten, she decided to live as a witch like her mother. But the magic she could use wasn’t so extraordinary. All she could do was fly through the sky on a broom. Still, when it came to flying, she was no slouch. With her black cat Jiji riding on the back, she could pull off two and a half loop-­de-­loops easy-­peasy.

Jiji was raised alongside Kiki from the moment he was born, but he didn’t know any magic. Well, perhaps being able to talk to Kiki (and only Kiki) is magic if you think of it as such.

Kiki’s mother, Kokiri, can fly on a broom and make sneeze medicine. Kokiri’s mother—­Kiki’s grandmother—­knew other magic, like how to keep a packed lunch from going bad. It seems magic is steadily growing weaker, and fewer and fewer types remain. Some people say it’s because there’s no such thing as pitch-­dark nights or completely soundless silence anymore. They say that since there’s always a light or a noise somewhere, witches get distracted and can’t use their magic well. Though Kiki’s father, Okino, a folklorist who studies fairy tales and legends about witches, sprites, and the like, has said that magic once lost might return someday . . .

At any rate, when a witch turns thirteen, she chooses a night with a full moon and sets off on her own. She leaves the home where she was born and searches for a town or village with no witch. There she’ll build a life for herself using the powers she possesses. This is an important custom, ensuring that people know witches really exist in this world. The protagonist of this story, Kiki, set off on her own exactly one year ago. She found a large seaside town called Koriko, settled there, and started a delivery service. Over the past year, she’s had all kinds of experiences. There were sad times, surprising times, and exciting times. She also delivered all sorts of things, both visible and not. She managed to make it safely through the year and then went home for a visit.

Now Kiki and Jiji are making their return to Koriko. The broom is flying pleasantly.

“Hey, look, Jiji! It’s Koriko!” Kiki pointed up ahead. Koriko came into view, backed by the purple sky where the sun was just disappearing over the horizon. Was it the clock tower’s light that blinked on first? Kiki had only been gone a short while, but all her memories rushed back at once—­that road, that corner, the shape of that rooftop, the faces of all the people she’d met—­and her chest filled with no­stalgia.

“When I first got here last year, I was really such a baby witch!”

“You think so?” Jiji murmured with a snicker from where he sat perched on the broom’s brush.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing . . . I just wonder if you’ve really changed all that much.”

“You’re so mean.” Kiki straightened up in annoyance and flew faster.

The sun hid itself beyond the sea. A sliver of moon hung in the dark sky like the eyebrow of a stylish lady.

“Back then it was a full moon, but today we got this skinny little thing.”

“It’s kind of ghostly,” said Jiji.

Kiki pointed the tip of the broom’s handle down and gradually descended. In this area outside town, it was completely dark, and the leafy trees looked like pitch-­black monsters.

“Ow—­ouch! Ouch!” Kiki suddenly yelped. Something had hit her foot.

“Ack!” Jiji ducked. “Something just zipped past my cheek.”

“It stings! What could it be?”

Kiki hurriedly did an about-­face. Looking down, she saw a hazy white blob waving with large side-­to-­side motions at the top of one of the tallest trees. Just then, something else came whipping toward her.

“O-­ow!” Without thinking, Kiki covered her face with both hands, so—­oh no—­her broom began to plummet. The bell she had brought back as a souvenir for her good friend Tombo clanged.

“Mewww!” Jiji’s scream echoed.

Kiki frantically grabbed for the broomstick, but she couldn’t reach it. The broom was pointed straight down toward the ground.

“Here, over here! Grab a branch!” Jiji shouted, hanging from Kiki’s skirt.

Kiki flailed her arms and clung to the branch her hand touched. When she hung from the branch, it swung like a trapeze at the circus.

“Ooh, I did it! I did it!” A voice came from above.

When Kiki looked up, she saw a boy wearing white pa­jamas swaying atop a branch and peering down at her.

“It’s a successful hunt, Sis!” the boy called loudly again.

Below, a soft light came on, the door of the little house built leaning against the tree opened, and a girl came racing out.

“Not again! Cut it out!”

“I caught a big bat and a small bat! Look!”

Bats? When Kiki looked around in confusion, her eyes happened to meet the girl’s when she looked up. The girl’s whole body abruptly stiffened. She must have been about the same age as Kiki.

“Good evening,” Kiki said as she looked down, because someone had to say something. “I may be hanging from a tree, but I’m not a bat.”

The girl seemed to have grasped that and nodded.

“Lies! You’re a bat! You only transformed! Just look at you, all black!” the boy retorted, shaking the tree.

“Ah, please don’t move!” Just as Kiki screamed, the branch she’d been clutching broke with a loud crack, and in the next moment, she and Jiji were hurled to the ground. Kiki’s bottom throbbed. Jiji’s eyes were open, but he was stunned.

“Jiji, Jiji!” Kiki scooped him up in a panic and tugged on his whiskers. Jiji heaved a big sigh.

“Are you all right?” The girl peered at them nervously.

“Yes, somehow.” Kiki rubbed her sore lower back as she stood up. “I’m—­” she began.

“I know—­you’re the witch everyone in town is talking about, right?”

When Kiki nodded, the girl’s face brightened.

“A person from town told me. You make deliveries, right? They said you’re so cool when you fly.” Then she looked at Kiki, who was all dirty and dusty, and made a strange face. “But you fell?”

“It seems that way,” Kiki said, offended, as she patted her skirt to get the dirt off.

“Sis, I scored a direct hit! Isn’t that amazing?” The boy’s voice came from above again.

When the girl looked up, her whole body flinched. “Ah! Yaa, you know you’re not supposed to climb that high. D-­don’t move, you might fall!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He made a show of reaching for the next branch up. “I’ll get closer to the moon, closer to the moon.” Singing, he swayed back and forth on purpose with his hands in the air. Kiki caught a glimpse of the rubber slingshot in his hand. The branch started swinging in a wider arc baaack and forrrth.

“Agh! That branch seems like it’s going to break. He’s going to fall.”

“Wait just a moment. I’m a delivery girl, so I’ll deliver that naughty boy to you.” Kiki cracked a smile. “Not that I can fly in a very cool way here . . .” she said, straddling her broom and rising straight into the air. Then she zipped all at once up to the top of the tree and somehow managed to grab the swinging boy by his pajama pants to lift him up.

“Stop it! No!” The boy kicked his feet. “Sis, the bat’s gonna eat me!”

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Kiki and the New Magic’ by Eiko Kadono appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Magic Library of Waterfall Way by Julie Abe, which releases on August 25th 2026.

The Alterran Empire hasn’t seen an Unremarkable in centuries . . . until Lyra Hunt. All Lyra wants is a guild to call home–preferably one with a library full of storybooks–but because she is cursed with horrible luck, nearly everyone has rejected her.

Then Lyra stumbles upon the secretive Guild of Scholars in the cozy village of Waterfall Way. With their tight-knit community and magical Library, this might finally be the perfect place for her. However, to be accepted, she must recover the Scholars’ crystal, the source of their magic that was lost in a terrible fire. With the help of a mischievous furry friend, Lyra must brave the Library’s cursed halls.

Lyra may have an Extremely Unremarkable past, but she’ll do whatever it takes to find a home where she belongs.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Quetzal’s Labyrinth by Karla Arenas Valenti, which releases on September 1st 2026.

Diego never believed his abuelo’s stories of gods and monsters and the ancient magic woven through Mexican history. Not until he finds himself sprinting down a dark hallway, chased by a beast straight out of lore—its fur as coarse as iron and five human hands clawing furiously at his throat.

Turns out, the myths are real, and their magic is erupting into Diego’s world. As shadowy creatures besiege his apartment, abuelo’s dog Cholo fixes Diego with a human gaze and speaks. Cholo reveals they’ve been unwittingly ensnared in a centuries-old rivalry between the great God Quetzal and his ruthless brother Tezca. Tezca is rising, summoning an army of minions, while Quetzal, the only one strong enough to stop him, has vanished.

Humanity hangs by a thread, and Diego has no choice but to enter Quetzal’s labyrinth—accompanied by his friends Violeta and Cholo, a sassy rubber chicken, and a bloodthirsty kitten—to face a power older than civilization itself.

The stakes are legendary, but maybe, deep down, Diego is too.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Witchward Bound by Erin Bow, which releases on September 1st 2026.

Illustration by Kelly Murphy. Courtesy of Disney Hyperion

SYNOPSIS
Once upon a time there was a pair of witch’s helpers: a cat named Butter and a raven named Owl. The cat knows he is destined to be a great hero—just ask him. The raven wouldn’t recognize destiny if she flew into it beak-first. They do not get along.

But then their witch vanishes, and Butter and Owl must quest to find her. To reunite their family, they’ll have to outwit sirens and cyclops, gods and ghosts—and hardest of all, they’ll have to learn to work together. 

Humorous and heartfelt, the story of Butter and Owl’s first adventure shows what it means to be a great hero—and what it takes to be a good friend. With enchanting illustrations by New York Times best-seller Kelly Murphy and sparkling words written by beloved, Newbery Honor–winning author Erin Bow, this tale is a classic in the making—a whimsical, witty, and warm story worthy of reading again and again.

EXCERPT

“Oh, Owl,” moaned Butter.

“Yes, Butter?” said Owl.

“Oh, Owl. Owl.”

“That’s me,” said Owl.

The cat and the raven with the confusing name were back aboard the good ship Bright Idea. The sea was smooth but it wasn’t smooth sailing. This was the first time that the two familiars had tried to sail without the help of the heron-god’s perfectly pointed wind. They were not very good at it.

With zigs and zags and tacks and turns they floundered along. Sometimes the sail fell limp. Sometimes the boom swung around when they didn’t mean it to. But still, they were more or less following the bright ring of the magic bell that pointed the way to their missing witch. Sometimes they saw an island far off, like a purple smudge in the clear sky.

Owl was happy.

Butter was not.  Being nearly turned into a pig by a sorceress with magic fruit will do that to a cat. 

“Oh, Owl,” he said. “Owl, I am such a fool.”

“Only about some things,” said Owl. This maybe doesn’t sound like a kind thing to say, but Owl meant it kindly. Anyway, it was and is true, not just about Butter, but about everyone in the world.

Butter groaned. “Just think,” he said. “Just THINK, I was led astray by fruit!”

“You didn’t go astray,” said Owl. “You mostly stayed put.”

“But to think that I could be tempted, Owl . . . just think . . .”

“Or,” said Owl. “Just don’t think? For a bit?”

The wind shifted and the sail swung.

“Coming about!” Owl shouted, riding upside down from the boom. This was her favorite part of sailing and she was getting a lot of chances to do it. The wind was bending, and the currents were pushing them about.

“Owl,” said Butter. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll follow the bell, Butter. We’ll find our witch.”

“They were pigs, Owl. PIGS.”

“But I saved you, Butter,” said Owl. “I am a canny bird!”

Butter said nothing.

“Eat a sea slug,” said Owl. “You’ll feel better.”

“I’m not hungry,” muttered Butter.

“That’s probably because of all the fruit,” said Owl, flapping up to perch on the top of the mast.

Butter groaned and covered his head with his paws. “This is dire, Owl,” he said. “DIRE.” “Dire” was another word Butter liked. It just means “bad,” but it has a lot more gravitas.

“Cheer up, Butter,” Owl called. “Look, we’re almost there.”

Butter uncovered his face and looked where Owl’s thrusting black beak pointed.

Ahead of them was another of the purple smudges: an island. Or perhaps two islands: they were one lumpy humpy shape but there was a finger of light right down the middle. It looked as if someone had cut into the land like a loaf of bread, and had stolen the middle slice.

“That’s not the witch’s island,” said Butter. “We haven’t come nearly far enough.”

“Okay,” said Owl. “So maybe we are not almost there. But we are almost somewhere. And that’s good!”

“But what if those are bad islands, Owl?” asked Butter. “What if they are like the Isle of Ease?”

“See, that’s the problem right there,” said a new voice.

Butter’s back arched and his ears flattened, and he struck the pose generally known as Noble Cat, Fooled Once, Now Wiser and On His Guard. He saw nothing. It was Owl who spotted the big silver-shiny otter, swimming alongside the boat. She swooped down to the gunnel. The otter rolled onto its back and grinned up at her as it swished along.

“The clue’s in the isle part,” said the otter. “ ‘Island’ is a perfectly good word, and ‘isle’ means the exact same thing. So it’s of no use, except when some storyteller gets ahold of it and twists it sideways and turns it upside down. If you ever land at a spot called the Isle of Nice Things, you should get back in that boat and go.”

“We did,” said Owl.

Cautiously, Butter stretched his neck out and he peered over the edge of the boat. “Who are you?” he growled.  His ears were pinned back.

“Quicksilver,” said the otter. “God of storytelling.”

“Hi,” said Owl. “This is Butter and I am Owl and we’re on a heroic quest.”

“I heard. I’m also an all-purpose messenger for wandering heroes.” With a leap and a twist, Quicksilver poured himself aboard. He was a big otter, fat and sleek. His grin was like a flash on a wave.

“So these islands,” said the otter, flicking his broad tail at the pair of islands with the slice of light between them.

“Are they isles?” Butter gulped.

“No, no, no,” said Quicksilver. “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” said Butter. He looked up to where the twin islands were starting to loom in front of the Bright Idea.

“The trouble’s not with the islands,” said Quicksilver. “The trouble’s with the strait.”

“What strait—the straight what?” asked Butter.

“The strait straight ahead,” said Quicksilver.

Butter had been a land cat up until this adventure, and privately he was looking forward to being a land cat again. He was confused.

“Where the water goes between two islands, it’s called a strait. Straits can be dangerous. This one is. Something lives there.”

“A dire strait,” moaned Butter.

“What?” asked Owl. “What lives there?”

“Sirens,” said Quicksilver. “They are a kind of bird. Or a kind of fish. A birdy kind of fish. A fishy kind of bird. Something like that. They have a sweet song.”

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Well, I am happy to report, I had nothing to worry about. Arcanjo managed to create another world and a cast of characters that feel just as fascinating as his first series.

Let’s get into it.

In Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens, we follow four characters who are gifted with the power to transform into different animals—they just don’t know how they got them. Without their memories, this thrown-together group of street-smart teens is forced into a deadly fight for survival as dark secrets, betrayals, and a dangerous conspiracy threaten them at every turn, all while trying to piece together what they’ve lost.

There are so many plot strings in Beast Mode that manage to come together beautifully without overwhelming the reader.

The mystery surrounding this group of friends and their ability to shift into different animals was the perfect set-up for a magical page-turner of a book. You have friends scrambling for survival, enemies hunting them down, a big mystery surrounding their memory loss and their abilities plus unlikely allies that—might not seem like allies in the beginning.

I also really liked that not everyone was happy about their magical abilities, cool as they may be. While Blue unequivocally loves being able to shift, Ember is desperately seeking for a cure to their dilemma. It made for some delicious tension between the friends as some are trying to find the truth just to make the puzzle pieces fit together while others don’t want to understand so much as revert their magical abilities—and go to different lengths to get what they want.

The stakes couldn’t be higher as the group tries to figure out who they were before their memory loss as they are hunted down by people who definitely do not want to help them.

Stories where you are figuring out what happened together with the characters can sometimes be frustrating if not done right, but Arcanjo absolutely nailed it here when it comes to pacing and unraveling the mystery. While Beast Mode had me in its grips from the first chapter, the story really picks up nano-speed in the second half which makes you feel like one reveal is catalyzed by the next, no moment of rest or boredom to be found. It makes for that perfect “okay, just one more chapter” feeling and makes you feel even more connected to Caine, Blue and Ember as you yourself learn the truth about shifters and how they came to be alongside them.

The shifter aspect brought that extra level of intrigue to the story. I love how Ember, Blue and Caine were already thick as thieves but then slowly opened up to Sal when they were flung together as she unraveled her own shifter animal. Their friendship might have been based on being thrown together by invisible forces but the way they support and care for each other made me smile even when the going got tough. There’s also another animal that may just be my favorite of the whole story, but I won’t spoil that part. Let’s just say Arcanjo sure knows how to keep readers on their toes.

And speaking of, Arcanjo, as always, knows to pull at the heartstrings. Without spoiling too much, as the group of friends recover some of their memories and face betrayal in more than one instance, you can’t help but feel for them. Caine’s story, especially, makes you wonder if some memories are best left buried whereas others like Ember’s truly show how often we underestimate our own power and skills. Despite the bleak moments in Beast Mode, there’s always that thread of friendship and empowerment that reminds you how important it is to surround yourself with people who care about you.

Really, the only small nitpick I have is that there were quite a few moments in Beast Mode that were just dumping info on the reader, especially when it came to the origins of the shifters instead of gradually introducing it. The holders of knowledge, and in most cases, the villains often fall into monologues about their motivations and the history of it all that goes on for pages and younger readers might struggle a tad to stay invested.

Nevertheless, Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens has me in its talons and I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to reunite with Ember, Blue, Caine and Sal in the sequel!

Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens is the perfect read for anyone looking for a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure with unexpected twists, a quirky cast of unlikely friends and a mystery that keeps you on your toes!

Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens is available from Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 30th 2026.

Will you be picking up Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

A brand-new, action-packed series from the author of Crookhaven, following a group of street-smart kids who have the extraordinary ability to shapeshift into powerful animals. For fans of X-Men and A. F. Steadman.

A group of young, street-smart kids with a dark secret – the ability to transform into powerful animals – must navigate a dangerous world where their extraordinary abilities are both a blessing and a curse.

As they unravel the mysteries of their past and how they came to be shapeshifters, they’ll face life-threatening challenges, betrayals, and an organisation that seeks to harness their power for evil.

It’s time to unleash your inner animal…

The post Review: Beast Mode: The Animal Awakens by J.J. Arcanjo appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Haunting of Old Splinter by Jack Mackay, which is out now.

Peter and his half brother, Adrian, live in the shadow of Old Splinter—a formerly lavish estate now in ruins. Rumored to have once housed an eccentric magician, it’s now home to little more than spiderwebs and mold. Tasked with renovating the crumbling mansion on behalf of their wealthy uncle, Peter’s stepdad is at his wits’ end. And the cracks are beginning to show in their once-happy cottage.

A mysterious local legend may be their only hope. The wishing claw, a magical hand that grants your deepest desires, has spell-bound townsfolk for centuries. If it’s real—if he can find it—then Peter might just save his family! But wishes are tricky things and they always come with a price. What starts innocently enough soon unearths much more than Peter bargained for, including a dark secret lurking in the walls of the mansion…and a monstrous hunger that comes knocking at his door.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Riley Dare: Slightly Witchy Sleuth by M. K. England, which releases on September 15th 2026.

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