New Book
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Graci Kim’s thrilling debut about an adopted Korean-American girl who discovers her heritage and her magic on a perilous journey to save her witch clan family. Riley Oh can’t wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister’s footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she’s a saram–a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she’s ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community. Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie’s magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family’s old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie’s initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It’s a perfect plan! Until it isn’t. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie’s life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it? As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.
About the Author:
Graci Kim is a bestselling author of magic-infused books. Her Korean mythology-inspired debut middle grade novel, The Last Fallen Star, became an instant US bestseller, was named by Indigo as a Best Book of 2021, and was selected by Publishers Lunch as a 2021 Buzz Book. Called a “sparkling yarn” by the Entertainment Weekly, the series has been optioned by the Disney Channel for a live-action television series. In a previous life, Graci was a diplomat for the New Zealand foreign service, a cooking show host, and once ran a business that turned children’s drawings into cuddly toys. She lives in New Zealand with her husband and daughter.
Rick RiordanTalks to Graci Kim About Her Book The Last Fallen Star
“Reading The Last Fallen Star is like taking a course in Korean mythology taught by your favorite teacher ever–while riding a gigantic roller coaster beneath a sky filled with shooting stars! I loved following Riley’s thrilling adventure, and pass the bulgogi tacos, please.” — Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist for A Single Shard
*”From a compelling and endearing supporting cast to the rich and tantalizing Korean cuisine explored in its pages, this pays homage to traditional Korean magic and mythos while infusing it with a contemporary story line and characters readers will fall in love with in an instant. Riley’s unmistakable voice and her relatable search for and exploration of her identity will connect with readers at their cores, offering a truly promising start to a fantastical series.” — Booklist (starred review)
