First published 2014
Clay thinks magic is fake and cheesy. He has watched too many bad magic shows to believe otherwise. Then words from his private journal start appearing as graffiti on his school wall. Clay cannot explain how this happened, but he never considers magic as the cause. The mysterious graffiti gets him sent to Earth Ranch, a camp for troubled kids on a remote volcanic island. Clay expects punishment and boredom. Instead, he finds one bizarre surprise after another. A llama seems to talk to him. He glimpses what might be a ghost. An abandoned library holds frightening secrets. Volcanic smog clouds everything, making it hard to see clearly. Clay realizes nothing at Earth Ranch matches what it appears to be. He must solve the mystery of the camp before real trouble erupts around him.
Genres: adventure, mystery, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Earth Ranch, Volcanic Island
112 pages · Kindle Edition · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers