Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler meets Indiana Jones in this stand-alone middle grade debut from acclaimed author Heidi Heilig. A young adventurer races to break the family curse by repatriating the artifacts her famed ancestor “saved.” Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Kwame Mbalia, and Rena Barron.

Cincinnati Lee’s great-great-(great?)-grandfather is famous. His adventures discovering ancient artifacts have been made into movies, and his work is widely respected by museums across the world. The thing is, in that line of work, you’re bound to get cursed. And that leaves your great-great-(great?)-granddaughter to break the curse by returning the artifacts you “preserved.”Cincinnati’s own adventure begins in the Cosmopolitan Museum in New York City, where her single mom works and Cincinnati has grown up. Soon she learns about the ancient Spear of Destiny—and its potential to right all the wrongs in her family’s past. Or bring about the end of the world. It all depends on whose hands it falls into. As Cincinnati’s path crosses with two other relic hunters, she gets tantalizingly close to the map leading right to the lost spear. And Cincinnati isn’t one to let opportunity pass her by. Her quest will take her to the penthouse of the famed Dakota building, the upper reaches of a craft store warehouse, a rooftop apiary in Brooklyn, an abandoned subway stop, and even to London and Paris. Along the way, she’ll make a new friend (which is not the easiest thing to do), make some enemies (surprisingly easy to do), and ultimately learn what makes the world worth saving.Acclaimed author Heidi Heilig makes a dazzling middle grade debut with an irrepressible hero, a diverse and compelling cast of friends and enemies, nonstop action, and a thoughtful approach to viewing our responsibilities to each other and the world around us.

About the Author

Heidi Heilig is the author of The Girl from Everywhere, which was an Indie Next Pick and was also named a Best Book of the Year by NPR; its sequel, The Ship Beyond Time; and the Shadow Players trilogy: For a Muse of Fire, A Kingdom for a Stage, and On This Unworthy Scaffold. Heidi Heilig holds an MFA from New York University in musical theater writing, and she’s written the book and lyrics for several shows. She grew up in Hawaii, where she rode horses and raised peacocks. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko‘olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in South Africa. Heidi Heilig lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.