Raven, Rising

*A KIDS' INDIES NEXT LIST PICK*

Perfect for fans of Christine Day and Cynthia Leitich Smith, this debut novel follows a Cherokee girl who, after the tragic loss of her parents, tries to acclimate to difficult social dynamics in her new school and a curious magic that her mother may have passed down to her.

Raven Miller only just moved to Bear Creek Falls, but she already hates it. There's a clique that has it out for her, a vice principal who keeps targeting her for dress code violations, and a cruel rumor going around that Raven is a witch who killed her parents. If it weren't for her new friends Laurel and Hazel, she'd be lost.

The "witch" stuff would be easy to shrug off, but Raven does possess magical powers in the kitchen--the treats she makes can mysteriously change the lives of those who eat them. Though she doesn't bake anymore--not since the accident that took her parents' lives.

Then the clique's bullying and the vice principal's watchful eye intensifies. When the girls' attempts to retaliate fall flat, Raven wonders if the magical sweets she used to make could whip up a justice so powerful it would set everything right. In order to find out, she'll have to face the things she's been avoiding. Can Raven rise above the pain of her past to secure a better future?

Christine Hartman Derr is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She's a graduate from VCFA's Writing for Children MFA program, where she was selected as a DEI Fellow and a Center for Arts and Social Justice Fellow. Her work includes themes on identity, belonging, and sharing the Cherokee language. Originally from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Christine lives in Tennessee with her spouse, children, and a rambunctious crew of lovable pets.