Esther is a middle child, in her own mind a pale reflection of siblings who are bright, shining stars. Her mother doesnât show the slightest bit of interest, no matter what Esther does. Still, sheâs content to go back to school, do her best,
hang out with her friends, and let others take care of things.
But her best friends arenât AT school when she gets there. Why didnât they tell her they wouldnât be coming back? Why were they silent all summer? But stuff like that happens. And itâs bad luck that her new teacher makes Esther the butt of
all kinds of jokes. Mrs. Pollock is rumored to be an ogreâand maybe she IS one. Could be.
Then things go from unfortunate to outright dangerous. The mountains surrounding the schoolâusually sparkling with glaciers and lakes, alive with Faeries, and sheltering a quaint town with really great bakeriesâare now
crowded with Shadow Mages, casting a noticeable pall, and clearlyâto Estherâ signifying something very dark and threatening. As the people she might have depended on to help are either strangely absent or in hiding, itâs left to ordinary,
middle-child Esther (âjust Estherâ) to act. But sheâll have to burst out of the box of mediocrity sheâs been put in, and do something absolutely extraordinary.