Instant New York Times BestsellerA stunning debut set in a world where reading is unheard-of, perfect for fans ofInkheart&Shadow & BoneSefiaknows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her auntNin, who teaches her to hunt, track, & steal. But whenNinis kidnapped, leavingSefiacompletely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover whereNin’sbeen taken, or if she’s even alive.The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance & her father’s murder isthe odd rectangular objecther father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, & the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own,Sefiasets out to rescue her aunt & find out what really happened the day her father was killed—& punish the people responsible.With overlapping stories of swashbuckling pirates & merciless assassins,The Readeris a brilliantly told adventure from an extraordinary new talent.°°°Traci Cheeis theNew York Timesbestselling author ofThe Readerseries. Her novelWe Are Not Freewas met with aPrintz Honor&Walter Honorin addition to theNBAnomination & received four starred reviews. Her latest title isA Thousand Steps into Night, aJapanese-influenced young adult fantasy, which was longlisted for the 2022National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, egg painting, gardening, & hosting game nights for family & friends.Traciisfourth-generationJapanese American& is a native ofNorthern California, where she lives with her fast-fast dog.Tracigrew up in a small town with more cows than people, & now feels most at home in the mountains...www.tracichee.comTwitter:@tracicheeFacebook & Instagram:@TraciCheeAuthor