Cover Reveal for THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN!!

It’s finally here!! Today I’m revealing the cover and official blurb for THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN!!

This gorgeousness was illustrated by the incredibly talented Maxine Vee. The cover design (and beautiful interior design, which I can’t wait for you to see) is done by Meg Sayres.

Click here to see a hi-res image of the cover and view it in all its glory!

Introducing my three most important characters: Humans Lyriana and her little brother Zave and a Giant boy named Brob. (The Giants in my book are about double the size of a Human – not the towering giants you think of from myth, but still a formidable force in this world!) I love how Maxine Vee captured the personalities of each of my characters in their expressions here. Brob is a goofy, fun-loving guy (at least when he’s not throwing Humans out of his garden), Zave is (rightfully) scared of the dangers of Winter, and Lyriana is all no-nonsense, don’t-mess-with-me-or-my-brother energy.

Lyriana and Zave are orphans whose village has been destroyed. The temperatures in their arctic world are dropping each day, and they are desperate to find the mythical Orphan’s Garden that Lyriana hopes she feels calling to her. Meanwhile, Brob’s family has been banished to a certain death out in the Winter Blight, Winter Spirits are even more dangerous for Giants than they are for Humans! But he thinks he has the key to saving his family—a hidden garden he created when he was only six from Fermata (the ancient musical magic of their world that only Humans can call, but only Giants can transform into Spring, Summer and Autumn Spirits to defeat Winter). Neither Brob nor Lyriana are even sure their garden exists—but they know they need it to survive! And sharing it is not a part of the plan.

This story is a (very loose) reimagining of “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde. I have a post going up next week all about how I was inspired to write the book because of a key scene in the original story that stuck in my mind throughout my entire life, so watch for that!

Check out the cover and official blurb below and also links so you can preorder the book!! Today only, Barnes & Noble has its 25% off preorders sale if you use the code PREORDER25 (you’ll have to sign up for Rewards, but it’s free – if you have the paid membership, you’ll get 35% off!). So, if you’re planning to preorder today’s a great day to do it!!

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The Song of Orphan's Garden by Nicole M. Hewitt
Published by Feiwel and Friends on January 21, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Verse
Cover Artist: Maxine Vee
My rating:

Combining the gentleness of Miyazaki, the wintry wonderland of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the whimsicality of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nicole M. Hewitt's debut middle-grade novel, The Song of Orphan's Garden, is an enchanting fantasy tale with all the makings of a new classic.

In an arctic world that's getting colder every day, Lyriana's only hope of survival is to get her little brother Zave and herself to the fabled Orphan's Garden. It’s rumored to be the one place in the world not controlled by deadly Winter Spirits or ruled by the tyrant Giant king. In Orphan’s Garden, healing trees will melt away Winter’s pains, and Lyriana and Zave can live safely in the warmth of Spring. If the garden exists, they must find it. They won’t live much longer without it.

Brob, a Giant boy, also needs sanctuary. When the Giant king banishes his family to the Winter Blight, it’s a death sentence. Orphan’s Garden is his family’s only hope, and as far as Brob’s concerned, it belongs to him. After all, he was the one who accidentally used an ancient magic to grow the garden years ago. He has no intention of sharing his haven with pesky humans, who will just use up its magic and ruin it.
When it becomes clear that Orphan’s Garden is in danger of being destroyed, Lyriana and Brob are the only ones who can save it—but only if they can put the ages-old battle between Humans and Giants aside and find a way to work together.

Buy from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Books-a-Million, Powells, Target

 

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