Rosie’s mom has always been a little distant and disconnected from reality; Rosie has become an adept caretaker for both of them. What Rosie, who is white, doesn’t know is that her mother was a witch hunter whose memories were stolen by a witch just after Rosie was born. Now 12, Rosie relies a lot on her best friend, Germ, who accepts Rosie’s home life without judging it. But Germ’s world at school is starting to expand beyond Rosie just as Rosie’s life becomes even more complicated with the discovery of ghosts in and around her house. When Rosie’s ability to see the ghosts attracts the witch who stole her mother’s memories, Ebb, the ghost of a boy, shows Rosie her mother’s witch hunting diary. He also introduces Homer, an older ghost who explains more about Rosie’s family line and the danger Rosie is in. Homer, Ebb, and the other ghosts tell Rosie to flee, but Rosie won’t leave her mom, while Germ proves steadfast and won’t leave Rosie. But if Rosie won’t flee, then she has to learn to fight. The fantasy elements of this gratifying story dovetail beautifully with its wonderful exploration of the changing but still strong friendship between Rosie and Germ in book 1 of a welcome new series. (Ages 8-12)

Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this fantastical and heartfelt first book in a new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows a girl who must defeat thirteen evil witches.

Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this...and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen...but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother.

In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable.

At the core of this stunning novel—the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson—is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change...and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.