Overview

"Magic and mystery abound when a young girl discovers a secret, parallel New York City that may help her find her missing brother in this middle grade fantasy adventure that's a ""thrilling page-turner"" (Kirkus Reviews) for fans of Thirteen Witches and James Riley. Could lessons in magic make everything right again? Nell Batista has been in trouble one too many times. Now she's down to her last chance--literally. Join the Last Chance Club or be expelled from school. The kids in the club are an odd group, but when their teacher starts giving lessons in magic, things quickly go completely off the weird scale. Nell doesn't believe in it at first; after all, she's a smart city kid, and there has been nothing magical in her life since her brother, River, disappeared three years ago. But this magic is real--and powerful. As their skills grow, Nell and her new friends discover a parallel New York City called the Nigh. It's a place as delightful as it is scary, sizzling with magical energy, where statues can talk, magicians ride on giant dogs, and monsters roam Central Park. And it is all controlled by the terrifying Minister, who might hold the key to finding Nell's missing brother. Just how far will Nell go to find him, and who can she trust in a world topsy turvy with enchantment?"

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9781665910385

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Reviews

Three years after Nell Batista's brother, River, vanished from Washington Square Park, skipping class to hustle chess players lands seventh grader Nell in the Last Chance Club, an after-school program. She's there alongside three eighth graders: beautiful bully Annika Rapp, once friend to River; cute new boy Tom Gunnerson, a rich kid in for stealing; and hulking Crud, who is rumored to be violent. Instead of doing community service, they're supposed to perform miracles, help avert disasters, et cetera by learning magic from mysterious Mr. Boot, who bears strangely detailed files on each child. As her magic skills develop and Nell glimpses River, she soon stumbles upon the Nigh--an alternate realm in which centuries' worth of children, kidnapped for their powerful imaginations, are trained by Magicians to build towering cities with their minds. Balancing the tweens' everyday social pressures with a dangerous quest across the fantastical 19th-century version of New York City that is the Nigh, Potter (the Big Foot and Little Foot series) satisfyingly blends contemporary snark with physical adventures heightened by spell-casting misfires, anxious close calls, and just-scary-enough monsters. Nell cues as Latinx; other characters default to white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (Sept.)--Publishers Weekly 8/1/22 Readers hoping to become enmeshed in conspiracies with links to folklore, mythology, and literature will be in heaven....A thrilling page-turner. --Kirkus Reviews

[Hither & Nigh is] one of my favorite books of 2022 - and ever. I LOVED it and highly recommend it to anyone who loves unique, surprising stories with strong character development and hopeful, magical stories. --Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup Balancing the tweens' everyday social pressures with a dangerous quest across the fantastical 19th-century version of New York City that is the Nigh, Potter (the Big Foot and Little Foot series) satisfyingly blends contemporary snark with physical adventures heightened by spell-casting misfires, anxious close calls, and just-scary-enough monsters. --Publishers Weekly Readers hoping to become enmeshed in conspiracies with links to folklore, mythology, and literature will be in heaven....A thrilling page-turner. --Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Ellen Potter is the author of more than twenty award-winning novels for children and young adults, including theSquirlish series, the Hither & Nigh series, Olivia Kidney, Slob, the Big Foot and Little Foot series, the Piper Green and the Fairy Tree series, The Humming Room, Pish Posh, and The Kneebone Boy. Several of her books have been chosen by the New York Public Library for their Best 100 Books for Children list and have appeared on numerous state reading lists. Her nonfiction writing book, Spilling Ink, A Young Writer's Handbook, coauthored with Anne Mazer, was also chosen by the New York Public Library as a Best 100 Books for Children. Ellen lives in upstate New York with her family. For more information about Ellen and her books, visit EllenPotter.com.

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