ocal middle schoolers Rachel Feldman and Sylvie Merryman-Lotze present their new middle-grade fantasy novel, The Ember Stone.

Elodie Eeriewood has always been different. She can see magical waves called auras, which no one she knows can detect. Maybe there's nobody else like her out there.

Flynn Renwood has always been able to figure things out, but she has an ability of her own, and it makes absolutely no sense. It's not something that can be explained or reasoned around, and definitely not anything normal.

Best friends from birth, twelve-year-olds Elodie and Flynn have worked hard to disguise their differences, even from one another. But when they fall through a portal to an enchanting, terrifying planet called Twilight Spectrum, their tightly guarded secrets begin to unravel.

Disoriented and desperate to return home, the two embark on a journey through kingdoms of ice, sand, mountains, and monsters with the help of new friends and a loyal, cat-like companion. Soon they find themselves racing against a malevolent sorceress to gain possession of the Ember Stone - a magical jewel that could determine both their fate and the fate of the planet. The deeper they venture into the heart of Twilight Spectrum, the stronger and more trusting they discover they can be, but will that be enough to save themselves, the world, and their only chance of getting home?

Rachel and Sylvie are 7th graders, best friends, and avid readers and writers. Together, they began writing The Ember Stone when their Philadelphia area school went into lockdown in March 2020. Their middle-grade novel was published with the support of the Society of Young Inklings, and features cover art by James Firnhaber.