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PW #212: Middle Grade Contemporary with Magical Elements: WHERE WILD MAGIC GROWS

Wednesday, 1 November 2017  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor Names: Juliana Brandt & Allison Ziegler

Mentee Name: Bronwyn Deaver

Title: WHERE WILD MAGIC GROWS

Category: Middle Grade

Genre: Contemporary with Magical Elements

Word Count: 46,000 words

PITCH:

To 13-year-old Ivy Jade, her secret ability to see feelings glow isn’t a gift, it’s a curse – especially when her best friend’s father runs for mayor on an anti-magic platform. Her ability could help defeat his plan to harm magic, but choosing to use it might mean the end of her friendship. A SNICKER OF MAGIC meets SAVVY.

EXCERPT:

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Ivy Jade Washington noticed the first, brief glow at the edge of the forest. A second later, more emerald lights flickered above the tall grass at the base of the trees. The beauty of the fireflies’ secret language held her spellbound.

“Ivy Girl!” Granddaddy called from the house. “You out there?”

“I’m here,” she whispered, rolling to her side and tucking her hands under her cheek. The ropes of the braided hammock in their backyard pressed into her arm and leg. She held still. This was the safest spot in the world, and she didn’t want to leave it. Ever.

An August breeze carried the scent of sun-warmed roses, but the cool night air made her wish she’d remembered her hoodie. Indiana weather was as unpredictable as wild magic. As if speaking them to life, sparks of blue and purple danced among the fireflies and dashed up into the trees, fearless and free. That would never be her; her own magic made her anything but fearless.

The fireflies brushed the tips of briars where raspberries grew. She tried to find a pattern in the green flashes. If they were people, she’d know exactly what they felt – emerald meant loyalty. The fireflies belonged together. Ivy Jade would never belong. She didn’t know anyone else who could see emotions glow, and she definitely wasn’t going to advertise her ability now. Not after what happened in May.

Filed: PW Entries

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