The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare

A beautiful friendship and coming-of-age story for middle-grade readers, The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare by Zillah Bethell is lightly futuristic, and deeply compelling.

Auden Dare is colorblind and lives in a world where water is scarce and families must live on a weekly, allocated supply.

When Auden’s uncle, the scientist Dr. Bloom, suddenly dies, he leaves a note to Auden and to his classmate Vivi Rookmini. Together, the notes lead them to Paragon—a robot.

As Auden, Vivi, and Paragon try to uncover Paragon’s purpose and put together the clues Dr. Bloom left behind, they find out that Dr. Bloom's death was anything but innocent, that powerful people are searching for Paragon—and that it's up to Auden and Vivi to stop them.

"Be prepared for some tears. . .as Auden learns the hard way what sacrifice for the greater good truly means." — Booklist magazine

A Whisper of Horses:

"In this densely plotted dystopian novel, newly orphaned twelve-year-old Serendipity sets out in search of supposedly extinct horses. . . . Bethell’s inventive heroine propels an action-packed adventure." —Publishers Weekly

"Bethell turns all the old formulas on their head. . . . As with all good fantasy, there is a strong requisite of reality . . . the narrative is driven by the skillfully articulated sentiments of a horse-obsessed girl." —The Telegraph (U.K.), five stars

“This debut offers up a solid dose of middle-grade adventure.” —Booklist