After her mother’s suspicious death, thirteen-year-old Ember Rusten needs a fresh start, leaving her Pennsylvania-farm-life for a Block Island boarding school. But things take a turn she never expected when Ember and her favorite cousin Zoey, meet Noah and Tristan, two fearless boys who drive them around on The Salty Dog, their ”borrowed” golf cart. In between classes, autumn bonfires, and prank-war shenanigans they tell stories of how the island used to be a magical place and that someday the magic is fated to return. Ember believes the stories are all part of the New England lore, until the teens are thrust into a quest to find the spherule, an artifact that could contain Block Island’s vanished magic…and the truth of what really happened to Ember’s mother.
But as the twisted secrets from the island’s past begin to come to light, and Ember closes in on finding answers about her mother, the teens begin to fear that unleashing the magic could bring dangerous consequences, and could also tear them apart. To save their friendship and their lives, Ember must decide who and what to trust—including her own mind—before it’s too late.
GRAY JULANDER & THE CHARRED CHICKEN HEIST is the first installment in the chapter books series THE ORDER OF AWESOMENESS written by Erin King, and illustrated by Cameron King. Loosely based on their experiences raising their three native New Yorkers on the Upper West Side, the series follows a diverse group of elementary school kids whose challenges and differences are what make them even more special than their hidden “super powers.”
Gray Julander is sick and tired of being told no by his parents. Especially when delicious food is involved, like the charred chicken kebabs being sold at a street fair stand right outside his apartment window. It’s true that he has a peanut allergy, but come on, it’s just chicken! When his parents say no anyway, it’s the last straw. Gray summons The Order of Awesome: his group of friends that seem like ordinary kids. But what no one else knows is that each one of them has a secret power that can help them accomplish the seemingly impossible. The friends band together to make a plan to help Gray get the chicken he’s been dreaming about…it’s time for Operation: Charred Chicken Heist.
Coming Soon.
