Book Description
From three-time Newbery honor recipient Christina Soontornvat comes a thrilling fantasy series about kids who can transform into amazing animals!
 
Young Plum is shocked to discover that she's been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians, magical creatures who are sworn to protect the natural world. The Guardian masters teach Plum and her friends how to communicate with animals and how to use meditation to strengthen their minds and bodies. All the kids also learn to fight, so they can protect the defenseless if needed.
 
To her dismay, Plum struggles at school. While her classmates begin to transform into amazing creatures, Plum can't even seem to magic up a single feather! If she can't embrace her inner animal form soon, she'll have to leave school ― and lose the first group of real friends she's ever known.
 
Perfect for reluctant readers:
Under 200 pages
Interior illustrations
Magic and adventure
 
About the Author and Illustrator
Christina Soontornvat is a three-time Newbery Honoree, a Sibert Honoree, and a Kirkus Prize winner. Her highly acclaimed backlist includes the middle grade books The Tryout, The Last Mapmaker, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen; the picture book To Change a Planet; and the chapter book series Diary of an Ice Princess and Legends of Lotus Island. Christina lives in Tennessee with her family. You can learn more about her work at soontornvat.com.
 
Kevin Hong is a New York based Korean-American illustrator working in publishing, comics, games and animation. His illustrations have appeared in Wired, Entertainment Weekly, and on Tor.com. In animation, he has worked as a background design artist for Titmouse and Cartoon Network, and as a supervisor at Sun Creature Studios. Currently he is collaborating on a graphic novel, The Inventor’s Eye (IDW 2026).