Socks & Secret Quests (The Wandering Shop)

Howl’s Moving Castle meets Dungeons & Dragons in this debut cozy illustrated middle grade fantasy adventure that follows an unlikely heroine who rallies a ragtag team to face a dark wizard, uncovering her own magic along the way.

Peri has been waiting for her magic to show up, but there’s been no sign of it since she was chosen as an Apprentice Shopkeeper a year ago. Now she travels with a magical shop that equips adventurers for their quests, unsure if she’ll ever do more than stock shelves, mend mittens, and knit non-magical hats that don’t do anything but keep heads warm.

Then a dark wizard kidnaps the Master Shopkeeper, intent on using her power to create an unstoppable army.

To save her master, Peri must leave the cozy shop and seek help from the closest adventuring party, who is really good at arguing and really bad at working together. As Peri’s magic unexpectedly begins to show itself in the items she’s knitting, it’s up to her and her team to stop the dark wizard before war breaks out—or it won’t be just her shop at stake but the entire kingdom.

Triona Murphy designs (unfortunately nonmagical) knitting patterns, which provided the inspiration for Peri’s unique magic in The Wandering Shop series. She lives near Portland, Oregon, with her husband and three kids in a house overflowing with board games and books. Visit her online at TrionaMurphy.com.

James Firnhaber is an illustrator based in Philadelphia. His work draws on his love of mythology, magical realism, graphic novels, and traditional animation. When they’re not illustrating, James designs board games and helps run the Game Makers Guild of Philadelphia. Besides drawing and designing games, James loves discovering new music, baking bread, and spending time with their partner cooking, watching monster of the week shows, and exploring the city. Visit him online at JamesFirnhaber.com.