Majestica

Impossible Creatures meets Jurassic Park in this page-turning middle grade fantasy adventure set at a nature preserve for magical beasts, where two girls find themselves on a wilderness expedition gone disastrously wrong.

Hattie Swift grew up at Majestica, a resort and nature preserve where visitors come face-to-face with unicorns, three-headed tigers, and even the park's famous dragon, Agatha. But Hattie's never gotten the chance to go on the hotel's famous wilderness train excursion and see the animals up close, until now. The only catch: She has to chaperone Evelyn Ridgewell, the hotel owner's haughty niece, who doesn't want to be escorted by anyone, least of all a lowly maid-in-training like Hattie.

Soon after they set out, things get complicated: Evelyn overhears some men on the train who aim to hunt the park's creatures for sport, and Hattie stumbles into Jacob Threadborne, an apprentice magician sent by a foreign government on a top-secret investigation. Then the train breaks down in the most treacherous part of the jungle, and the magical fences keeping guests safe from the animals--including fearsome Agatha--stop working. Faced with poachers, man-eating trees, and a dragon on the loose, Hattie, Evelyn, and Jacob must stick together to figure out what's gone wrong at Majestica . . . that is, if they want to make it out alive.

Features a richly illustrated map of the expansive nature preserve, as well as a bestiary with all the magical--and dangerous--creatures at Majestica.

Author: Sarah Tolcser
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: 07/02/2024
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.92lbs
Size: 8.35h x 5.91w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780593696545
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/15/2024
Booklist 05/15/2024 pg. 48
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2024
School Library Journal 09/27/2024 pg. 1

About the Author
Sarah Tolcser is the author of two fantasy novels for teens, Song of the Current and Whisper of the Tide. She lives and writes in a 100-year-old house in New Orleans, and enjoys video games, NBA basketball, and books about girls who blow stuff up. Visit her online at sarahtolcser.com and follow her on Twitter @SarahTolcser.