But after a call to action over an interdimensional television station and a visit with some all-seeing birds, Kiran decides that she has to once again return to her homeland, where society is fraying and her friends are in danger. After all, it’s been four months since she last heard from her friends in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternate dimension where she was born an Indian princess. The premise: From the back cover, “When the Demon Queen shows up in her bedroom, smelling of acid and surrounded by evil-looking bees, twelve-year-old Kiranmala is uninterested. The design of the cover is by Elizabeth B. A gorgeous cover by Vivienne To that teases much of what’s in this book. Several bees can be see flying about the bottom half of the title, almost swarming it. At the bottom third is the book’s title and the subtitle just under it. Sutherland, with the author of this book’s name below it.

To her left and right, barely visible, are several young girls flying through the sky on skateboards. The hero is spotlighted by a moon behind her, making her the focal point. The cover: At the top of a vividly colored violet sky, Kiranmala is on the tail of a snake that’s wrapped around itself, with the serpent’s mouth open in the bottom left corner, ready to devour the young protagonist. Note: I read an advanced copy so anything may have changed by publication. Published by Scholastic on February 26, 2019.

Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta