Aurora Award-winning author Edward Willett’s latest is a modern-day humorous middle-grade/YA fantasy adventure featuring a narrator you’ll never forget

Shadowpaw Press in Regina, Saskatchewan, is thrilled to announce the release on June 24 of the newest novel by Aurora Award-winning author Edward Wilett, the middle-grade/YA modern-day fantasy adventure Fireboy.

Set in a fictional foothills town in Alberta, Fireboy tells the story of two thirteen-year-old girls, about to start Grade 8, who must work together to uncover the terrifying truth of what—and who—is responsible for the mysterious disappearance of everyone else in their Grade 7 science just a few months before.

“I can’t wait for readers to meet Sam, the narrator and main character in Fireboy,” says Willett. “She was so much fun to write; I hope readers enjoy getting to know her and accompanying her on her adventures as much as I did.”

More about Fireboy

“I knew things were getting weird when I saw my best friend’s face in the campfire. I didn’t realize how weird until the campfire followed me home . . .”

Thirteen-year-old Samantha “Sam” MacReady is nervous about the start of Grade 8, especially science class, which isn’t too surprising: last year, her Grade 7 science class mysteriously disappeared on the way to a field trip she missed out on.

But when her best friend, Lorenzo―whom no one has seen since he got on the bus with the rest of that class―suddenly appears in a campfire, she moves from nervous to freaked out. She teams up with Meg LeBlanc, the sole student survivor of what all adults refer to as “The Tragedy,” to uncover just what went on that day and why Lorenzo is now showing up in her back yard made entirely of flames.

What the two girls find out is far freakier and scarier than they ever imagined. Sam and Meg must use all their grit and intelligence to save the day and free their friends from magical enslavement . . . or fall victim to the very same fate.

Praise for Fireboy

“An exciting action-hero adventure centred on a compelling and competent narrator.”  – Kirkus Reviews

“Fireboy is a story jam-packed with mystery, action, humour, and surprises. You’ll never look at science class or elementals the same way again.” – Arthur Slade, Governor General’s Award-winning author of Dust

“A gripping read! . . . Sam’s engaging narrative voice in Fireboy is certain to draw readers into this mystery in which things are far from what they appear to be, and Sam herself is plunged deeper and deeper into mortal danger. Highly recommended!”―Alison Lohans, award-winning author of more than thirty books for young readers and adults

“Edward Willett’s Fireboy is a joy to read. His charming and clever main character faces an interesting and unusual situation that feels both like fantasy and like science fiction . . . the plot is quite exciting and kept me rapidly turning pages. An enjoyable book all around.” – L. Jagi Lamplighter, author of The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment

“A murderous tangle of kidnappings, treachery, weird alchemy, and an ancient evil that never dies.” – Matt Hughes, author of The Emir’s Falcon

More about the author

Edward Willett is the award-winning author (under his own name and as E.C. Blake and Lee Arthur Chane) of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction for readers of all ages, including twelve novels for DAW Books. He has been shortlisted multiple times for Saskatchewan Book Awards and won for his young adult fantasy  Spirit Singer  (Shadowpaw Press). He won Canada’s top science fiction and fantasy award, the Aurora, for his second novel for DAW, Marseguro, and has been shortlisted several times since, including for his most recent young adult science fiction novel, Star Song  (Shadowpaw Press). Ed has also won an Aurora Award for his podcast, The Worldshapers. In addition to being a writer and editor, Ed is a professional actor and singer. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife, Margaret Anne Hodges, a professional engineer.

About Shadowpaw Press

Shadowpaw Press, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, was founded in 2018 by award-winning author Edward Willett. Shadowpaw Press is a member of Literary Press Group (Canada) and the Association of Canadian Publishers and publishes an eclectic selection of books by both new and established authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’s books, nonfiction, and anthologies.