The Lost Rainforest #1: Mez's Magic: A Middle Grade Adventure About a Panther and Friends Protecting Their Home for Kids (Ages 8-12)

An action-packed and hilarious animal fantasy adventure from New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer, “this new series stunner” (Kirkus starred review) will thrill fans of Warriors and Spirit Animals.

Caldera has forever been divided into the animals who walk by night and those who walk by day. Nightwalker panthers, like young Mez and her sister, have always feared daywalkers as creatures of myth and legend.

Then Mez discovers that she can enter the daylight world, and she rushes to discover what it means to cross the Veil—and the extent of her newly uncovered magical powers—before a reawakened evil threatens everything she’s ever known.

Now, with an unlikely group of animal friends—including a courageous bat, a scholarly tree frog, and an anxious monkey—Mez must unravel an ancient mystery and face her greatest fears, if they are to have any hope of saving their endangered rainforest home.

But can a panther cub with a dangerous secret and a band of misfits truly stand against an ancient evil?

• A World Divided: In the rainforest of Caldera, a magical Veil separates the creatures of the day from the creatures of the night. To cross it is forbidden.
• A Panther with a Secret: Young panther Mez is a nightwalker, but she discovers she can enter the world of daylight—a magical ability that could get her exiled from her family forever.
• Unlikely Heroes: To save her home from a rising darkness, Mez must team up with a courageous bat, a scholarly tree frog, and an anxious monkey.
• An Epic Quest Adventure: Perfect for young readers who love talking animals, magic, and a perilous journey to save the world, this is a thrilling start to a new fantasy series.

Eliot Schrefer is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for kids and teens, including The Darkness Outside Us and its sequel, The Brightness Between Us, as well as Charming Young Man, Endangered, Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality, and the picture book Lulu and the Others. His books have twice been named finalists for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and have garnered a Printz Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and the Green Earth Book Award. He is on the faculty of the creative writing MFA program at Hamline University and lives with his husband in New York City. Visit him online at eliotschrefer.com.