There are technically TWO books in this discussion series: The Fall of the House of Tatterly and The Rise of Issa Igwe. The Fall of the House of Tatterly isn’t required to get into The Rise of Issa Igwe but it sure was good fun.

THE RISE OF ISSA IGWE by SHANNA MILES

Delightfully creepy. Ghostly good fun. A school for magic like no other.

This spooky and delightfully magical middle grade companion novel to The Fall of the House of Tatterly introduces an indomitable heroine and an unforgettable school of magic based in hoodoo and Gullah Geechee culture.

Despite a lifetime of breaking the rules, twelve-year-old Issa Igwe never expected to land in witch prison. At least that’s what she calls The Siren School outside of its hallowed halls. It’s actually the country’s most prestigious boarding school for magically gifted girls, and Issa’s parents insist that she attend . . . even though the school’s creepy history is the stuff of legend.

When a devastating loss overturns Issa’s world, Issa decides to break one of her new school’s biggest rules of all: she’s going to use bitter magic to turn back time. To succeed, she must snatch sleep-inducing feathers from the backs of magical creatures, sneak out while avoiding the Night Children–whoever they are–and even raise the dead. Her nighttime explorations bring the school’s darkest secrets to light, and reveal a new power within Issa herself. It turns out that a rule-breaker might be just what The Siren School needs to undo an ancient evil . . .