Freedom Fire: Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek

The award-winning author of the best-selling Tristan Strong trilogy has created a secret world where kids can wield magic by summoning the power of their ancestors What do you get when you combine Kwame Mbalia´s incredible imagination and world-building talent with trains, history, and ghosts? Nothing less than middle grade magic. On his twelfth birthday, Jackson "Jax" Freeman arrives at Chicago´s Union Station alone, carrying nothing but the baggage of a scandal back in Raleigh. He´s been sent away from home to live with relatives he barely knows. But even worse are the strangers who accost him at the train station, including a food vendor who throws dust in his face and a conductor who tries to steal his skin. At his new school, Jax is assigned to a special class for "summoners," even though he has no idea what those are . . . until he accidentally unleashes an angry spirit on school grounds. Soon Jax is embroiled in all kinds of trouble, from the disappearance of a new friend to full-out war between summoning families. When Jax learns that he isn´t the first Freeman to be blamed for a tragedy he didn´t create, he resolves to clear his own name and that of his great-grandfather, who was a porter back in the 1920´s. By following clues, Jax and his schoolmates unlock the secrets of a powerful Praise House, evade vengeful ghosts, and discover that Jax may just be the most talented summoner of all. A unique magic-school fantasy from the best-selling and award-winning author of the Tristan Strong trilogy has just pulled into the station.