The Hole in the Sky
Barbara A. Mahler, Katherine Navarrette, Joan Swan
Hardcover
(Sea Turtle Publishing, Oct. 20, 2009)
The Hole in the Sky is a fantasy novel about the journey through loss and the choice we make to harden our hearts or open again to greater kindness and compassion. It targets ages 8-12 with strong crossover appeal for adults. Still struggling with anger and grief two years after her mother's death, thirteen-year-old Kaela Neuleaf wishes for some magic in her life. That very evening the answer to her heart's longing arrives in the form of a tiny being who whisks Kaela and her cousin Shawn through the hole in the sky to Muratenland, a beautiful land ensnared in a terrible curse. Kaela and Shawn are brought before the King and Queen and hear of an ancient prophecy foretelling of KaelaÃs arrival. Kaela is the one that can break the curse, but she has only two days to rescue the King and QueenÃs kidnapped baby from an evil warlord who is bent on revenge against the people of Muratenland. On her journey Kaela finds beauty and adventure, a bevy of strange and magical friends ... and deadly enemies. Kaela must face her deepest fears and embrace her hidden strengths, but to finally break the curse she will have to choose between hardening to life or opening to greater kindness and compassion for all beings.
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