• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

In this charming middle grade graphic novel, orphan twins Elliot and Liza find themselves taking on a series of mysterious raven quests in order to make money and survive—only for Liza to be mortally injured during one of their adventures. Now, Elliot must team up with a mysterious dark mage in order to save her.

Twin siblings Elliot and Liza only have each other. Their parents are gone. Their home was taken, and to survive on their own, they’re forced to scrounge up plastic and metal to trade for coin within an abandoned garbage heap. Desperate to escape the vagabond cycle that they’re trapped in, the answer to their plight seemingly appears when they stumble upon a Raven Quest—magical tasks offered by mysterious message-carrying ravens that when successfully completed, promise the victors coin and untold riches.

In a gamble to change their fates, Elliot and Liza follow the trail of Raven Quests to the kingdom’s capital, where the greedy rulers of the Kawumiti Kingdom reign and young people are enlisted to train as royal mages for the kingdom's army. But the Ravens Quests aren’t as they seem, and the King is on a mission to hunt down vagrant participants like the twins.

When a quest goes terribly wrong, Liza is poisoned, and Elliot finds himself racing against the clock to find the cure. Now the only way to save his sister is to join forces with a royal apprentice and a dark mage with mysterious motives of her own—even if it means sacrificing everything.

Joanna Cacao is a Canadian-Filipino artist and illustrator who lives in Winnipeg with her Pomeranian, Danny. She loves working on magical and fantastical stories. Growing up in front of a TV, Joanna immediately became obsessed with any show or film that had a great story and set of characters. Her favorite shows consist of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Downton Abbey, and Gravity Falls. Her biggest influences come from various manga, as well as Ghibli and Disney films. She has a background in 3D Animation, and has self-published a queer webcomic: Toxic for You.

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“A thrilling, magical adventure from start to finish.” — Gale Galligan, New York Times bestselling author of Freestyle

“The popular middle grade–style illustrations and supportive characters infuse the tone with resilience and hope. For those who enjoy adventures such as The Nameless City or NewsPrints, this is another illuminating graphic novel that wraps its social issues around the lives of heart-capturing characters.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“A page-turning adventure, full of heart and charm.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The Secret of the Ravens explores a truly unique, adventurous world, in which these lovable siblings play to your heart, but confront just enough horror to mess with your head!” — Bowen McCurdy, author of the YALSA award-winning Specter Inspectors

“It's such a unique fantasy middle-grade graphic novel with sprinkles of Filipino wonder! Everything is in there, from magical action scenes, riveting quests, to secrets of the kingdom slowly being discovered, all centering two children, just trying to make it in the world!” — Richard Mercado, author of Coming Out Perfect

“A charming story with a sibling bond that tugs at the heart strings, an intriguing magic system and an ending that instantly leaves you wanting more.” — Angela De Vito, co-author and illustrator of Heartless Prince

“A magical world filled with mystery, intrigue, and charming characters you can't help but root for. The Secret of the Ravens opens up a daring adventure for any young reader.” — Jes & Cin Wibowo, authors of Lunar Boy

“Boldly outlined [and] detailed.” — Publishers Weekly