Books

THE UNDERWILD: RIVER OF SPIRITS (Spring 2025, Aladdin)

Twelve-year-old Senka lives between the realm of the Living and the realm of the Dead. As ward to Charon, the Ferryer of the Underworld, Senka assists Charon in ferrying recently departed souls across the river and into their afterlife... But when a Living girl, Poppy, enters the Underworld begging for Senka’s help to find the soul of her brother, they’re both swept downriver, far from everything Senka has ever known. Lost in the Underwild, Senka and Poppy encounter malevolent spirits of lore and eccentric ghosts—and not all are willing to let souls slip through their grasp. Senka knows the Living can’t stay in the realm of the Dead for long, and if Poppy isn't returned home soon she'll risk becoming lost to the Underwild forever. But there is so much Charon never taught her, and as Senka travels deeper into the Underwild she slowly discovers how many secrets her guardian has kept from her. As Senka and Poppy dodge angry demigods, hungry wraiths, tricksy shape-shifters, and terrifying dragon chimera, Senka gets closer and closer to learning the truth of her own past. Soon, she won’t just need to save Poppy’s life—she’ll also need to save her own.

Spirited Away meets Hades in this MG contemporary fantasy. Set in the Underworld, this story explores themes of grief, found family, memory, and what it means to be mortal.