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Young Adult Fiction General

Caster

by (author) Elsie Chapman

Publisher
Scholastic Inc
Initial publish date
Sep 2019
Category
General, Dystopian, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781338332629
    Publish Date
    Sep 2019
    List Price
    $25.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781338665130
    Publish Date
    Sep 2020
    List Price
    $13.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 12 to 18
  • Grade: 7 to 12

Description

Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Fight Club in this action-packed fantasy about a secret, underground magic fighting tournament.

 

If the magic doesn't kill her, the truth just might.Aza Wu knows that real magic is dangerous and illegal. After all, casting killed her sister, Shire. As with all magic, everything comes at a price. For Aza, it feels like everything in her life has some kind of cost attached to it. Her sister had been casting for money to pay off Saint Willow, the gang leader that oversees her sector of Lotusland. If you want to operate a business there, you have to pay your tribute. And now with Shire dead, Aza must step in to save the legacy of Wu Teas, the teahouse that has been in her family for centuries.When Aza comes across a secret invitation, she decides she doesn't have much else to lose. She quickly realizes that she's entered herself into an underground casting tournament, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Real magic, real consequences. As she competes, Aza fights for her life against some very strong and devious competitors.When the facts about Shire's death don't add up, the police start to investigate. When the tributes to Saint Willow aren't paid, the gang comes to collect. When Aza is caught sneaking around with fresh casting wounds, her parents are alarmed. As Aza's dangerous web of lies continues to grow, she is caught between trying to find a way out and trapping herself permanently.

About the author

Elsie Chapman grew up in Prince George, Canada, and has a degree in English literature from the University of British Columbia. She is the author of the YA novels Dualed, Divided, and Along the Indigo, the middle grade novel All the Ways Home, and the coeditor of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings and Hungry Hearts. She currently lives in Tokyo, Japan, with her family. You can visit her online at ElsieChapman.com.

Elsie Chapman's profile page

Awards

  • Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Starred Selection

Editorial Reviews

* "Chapman has created compelling young adult novels before, but this is a cut above; the fully realized and atmospheric dystopia is crafted at a level not seen often. This stunning fantasy will fly off the shelves." -- Booklist, starred review"A dark and, at times, vicious and violent story of will and questionable honor." -- Kirkus Reviews

Other titles by Elsie Chapman

The Scroll of Chaos

by (author) Elsie Chapman

Spell Starter (A Caster Novel)

by (author) Elsie Chapman

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

by (author) Ellen Oh, Elsie Chapman, Renée Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E.C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar & Alyssa Wong

Hungry Hearts

13 Tales of Food & Love

by (author) Elsie Chapman, Caroline Tung Richmond, Sandhya Menon, S.K. Ali, Rin Chupeco, Anna-Marie McLemore, Rebecca Roanhorse, Sara Farizan, Jay Coles, Adi Alsaid, Sangu Mandanna, Phoebe North & Karuna Riazi

All the Ways Home

by (author) Elsie Chapman

Shades Within Us

Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders

edited by Susan Forest & Lucas K. Law
by (author) Seanan McGuire, S.L. Huang, Vanessa Cardui, Elsie Chapman, Kate Heartfield, Tyler Keevil, Matthew Kressel, Rich Larson, Tonya Liburd, Karin Lowachee, Brent Nichols, Julie Nováková, Heather Osborne, Sarah Raughley, Alex Shvartsman, Amanda Sun, Jeremy Szal, Hayden Trenholm, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Christie Yant & Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
introduction by Gillian Clinton & Eric Choi

Along the Indigo

by (author) Elsie Chapman

Where the Stars Rise

Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy

edited by Lucas K. Law & Derwin Mak
by (author) Fonda Lee, Rati Mehrotra, Anne Carly Abad, Deepak Bharathan, S.B. Divya, Joyce Chng, Miki Dare, Pamela Q. Fernandes, Calvin D. Jim, Minsoo Kang, Gabriela Lee, Karin Lowachee, E.C. Myers, Tony Pi, Angela Yuriko Smith, Priya Sridhar, Amanda Sun, Naru Dames Sundar, Jeremy Szal, Regina Kanyu Wang, Diana Xin, Melissa Yuan-Innes & Ruhan Zhao
translated by Shaoyan Hu
introduction by Elsie Chapman