âAn essential middle grade fantasy where all readers will find heroes to love and to cheer!â âAlex London, author of Battle Dragons and The Princess Protection Program
âEvery kid deserves to see themselves as princesses or knights or whatever role they wish to play, and Nijkamp carves out the space for them to do so. Thoughtful, inclusive, and an outright joy, Splinter & Ash shines; a new classic that belongs on the shelves of every fantasy reader.â âNicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season and coeditor of This Is Our Rainbow
âSplinter & Ash is a rare gem: a shining example of a fantasy novel that will engage readers of any age.â âA. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the Edge
New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's middle grade prose debut is an immersive medieval fantasy starring queer and disabled young heroes. For two young misfits, a dangerous quest to save their kingdom will also mean saving each other. For fans of B. B. Alstonâs Amari and the Night Brothers, Soman Chainaniâs School for Good and Evil, and Tamora Pierceâs Tortall books.
Ashâor Princess Adelisaâis the youngest child of the queen, recently returned to the city of Kestrelâs Haven after spending six years on the other side of the country. Ash was hoping for a joyous reunion, but the reality is far from it. Her mother is holding the kingdom together by a thread; her brother has only taunts and jibes for her; and court is full of nobles who openly mock and dismiss Ash, who uses a cane and needs braces to strengthen her joints.
Splinter is the youngest child of one of Havenâs most prominent families. Sheâs fierce, determined, and adventurous, and she has her sights set on becoming a knight just like her older brother. Even if everyone says she canât because sheâs not a boy. So what? Sheâs not a girl, either.
A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each otherâs orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history. The princess and her new squire will face bullies, snobs, gossips, and their own disapproving families. But when they uncover a shadowy group of nobles plotting to overthrow the queen, they will show everyone how legends are born. Together.
The first in a trilogy, bestselling author Marieke Nijkampâs medieval fantasy is an action-packed love letter to nonbinary, queer, and disabled kids. Splinter & Ash evokes the classic adventure and atmosphere of fantasies by Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce and the fresh, inclusive lens of writers such as Rick Riordan, Angie Thomas, and Soman Chainani. It invites everyoneâno matter who they are or what they look likeâto fight for what they believe in.