• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

This futuristic novel has all the elements YA fiction needs to draw critical attention from reviewers, and to elicit award-nominations. It is thematically interesting, culturally diverse, well-written, futuristic, and very funny.

Set in the year 2021, this fantastic YA novel explores the tension between a young woman's future building infrastructure for Augmented Reality, and the commitment she makes to her dying grandmother to honour ancient Chinese magic. The Geomancer's Compass imagines a world in the near future while exploring the Chinese immigrant experience and the expanding, elastic and shifting nature of reality.

Melissa Hardy has published five novels and two collections of short stories, including Broken Road, The Uncharted Heart and A Cry of Bees. She won the Journey Prize in 1994 and has been published in numerous journals, including The Atlantic, Exile and Descant. She lives in the village of Port Stanley, Ontario.

Melissa Hardy's profile page

“…The Geomancer's Compass will do well among middle grade aged readers, especially those interested in mystery and early Canadian history and Chinese culture themed novels…. Hardy has crafted a well-thought-out tale, one which is equally engaging as it is enlightening.”
— Recommended, CM Magazine
“Miranda Lu is a sixteen-year-old computer geek in 2021, when virtual reality is a completely immersive experience. It’s also a platform that can be accessed by the spirit of her dead great-great-grandfather, who sends Miranda and her cousin Brian on a mission to break the family curse. The curse’s origins in Chinese tradition make this a thoughtful as well as exciting read for the younger set.”
—The DC Spotlight Newspaper