A girl fights to free her sister from a curse while a beautiful mountain is at risk of being turned into a theme park in this “droll…delightful” ( Kirkus Reviews ) yet heartfelt middle grade adventure set in the world of The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria . Having grown up in Nefaria, a land where evil schemes abound, Candelabra is thrilled to take a school trip to Joviala, a land that’s prone to natural disasters but has virtually no evil in it. All her life, she’s dreamt of a place where everyone is caring and happy and without malicious intent, and now it’s coming true for her. But Jovialan Schmebecca isn’t so sure her country’s reputation is earned. A company has just been approved to move her beloved mountain to install a theme park, and that sounds pretty evil to her. She enlists the help of veteran evil-scheme-thwarters Candelabra and Bobert, and together, they work to uncover the possible evil scheme—but when a twist pits their goals against each other, the fight against evil becomes a lot more complicated. Born and raised in Mexico City, Adi Alsaid is the author of several young adult novels including Let’s Get Lost , We Didn’t Ask for This , and North of Happy , a Kirkus Reviews Best Book nominee. He also wrote the middle grade books The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria and The Greatest Heist in Joviala and edited Come on In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home . He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two cats, where he occasionally spills hot sauce on things (and cats). Chapter 1 1 THE PEOPLE IN THE KINGDOM of Joviala had very strong fingers. They knew how to hold on better than anyone else, they liked to say. Mostly to the things that brought them joy. They were experts at swinging from monkey bars, and at flying kites, and at holding hands. They never lost their grip on the reins of their horses, splinters were easily pulled out, and almost every person around gave great massages. The Jovialese could flick boogers from one edge of a field to another, which was enough to bring joy to all the kids in the kingdom—and some adults, too. They were expert rock climbers, and on any given weekend dozens of people could be spotted on the face of Mount Saint Helenhunt, scampering their way up to the dormant crater. Jovialese knights never lost their swords (not that they ever went to war), and their wizards never lost their wands, and these were some of the many reasons why Joviala was a happy kingdom, even if it often experienced disasters. Those strong, happy fingers also helped the people of Joviala hold on during times of high winds, and during earthquakes, and when flooding rivers threatened to carry them away. They were known throughout many kingdoms to hold on to all sorts of other things too: traditions, the past, grudges. At least that was what Candelabra was learning from her homeroom teacher in the adjacent Kingdom of Nefaria. Nefaria was a very different place: beautiful, and generally free from natural disasters, but prone to evil schemes. Candelabra and a few of her friends were among those who had been selected for a student-exchange program in Joviala. They were going to embark on a weeklong trip to their northern neighbor, and they had been learning a lot about the land. To Candelabra, though, there seemed to be a lot of her teacher’s opinions mixed into the lessons. “And, sure, maybe there are no evil schemes there,” Mr. Gigglebutt said, rubbing his hands together and creating a cloud of chalk dust. “But trust me, it’s not such a great place. I’ve been, and it smells kind of fishy to me.” “Didn’t you take the sixth graders last year to a fish market there?” Candelabra asked, not bothering to raise her hand. Mr. Gigglebutt waved away the chalk dust and pretended not to hear the question. “But since we are going and the school insists on it, remember that your essays on your favorite bit about Joviala that we’ve covered in class are due the morning before we leave.” Everyone in the classroom groaned, except for Candelabra’s friend Bobert, who’d probably already written his. “You can write about anything at all—don’t complain! It can be about their disasters, their history, or even about the fishy smell they have. Although I’m sure most of you will write about the Muffin of Glory,” he said derisively. Candelabra herself had chosen that topic. After all, Joviala being home to the most powerful known magical object was pretty cool. The bell rang, and most students gathered their belongings and roared out of the classroom. Bobert waited by Candelabra’s desk, like he usually did. Bobert seemed to always be happy to wait for Candelabra, even though he liked being on time to everything, and Candelabra didn’t like to rush. Even the year before, when they’d finally broken free of the spell of an evil wizard (it was a long story), Candelabra hadn’t run out of the castle with all the other kids. She’d taken her time leaving, running her fingers along