Janelle McCurdy is an author and fully-fledged gamer. Janelle began writing middle-grade fantasy in her teens, and signed a three-book deal in multiple territories for the Umbra Tales series in her early twenties. 

Her FAB Prize winning story, Mia and the Lightcasters, has gone on to be shortlisted and longlisted for major awards including the Week Junior Book Awards, Branford Boase Award, Diverse Book Awards and Jhalak Prize. In her free time, you can find her holed up in her room, gaming and watching anime or attending numerous comic cons and gaming events. 

Mia and The Lightcasters

Faber Children’s (4th August, 2022)

The biggest middle grade fantasy debut of 2022.

Beware of the shadows, the Reaper King is coming . . .
For fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, The Legend of Podkin One-Ear and Nevermoor, this is the first in the sensational Umbra Tales series, illustrated by Ana Latese.

Umbra Tales: The Lightcasters

Aladdin (September 20, 2022)

Keeper of the Lost Cities meets Pokémon in this riveting first book in a middle grade series about a girl who embarks on a treacherous journey with her little brother and her mystical animal companions to save her family—and the entire kingdom.

Mia and The Traitor of Nubis

Faber Children’s (3rd August, 2023)

You can’t escape the shadows…

The epic sequel to the acclaimed Mia and the Lightcasters!
The Elite are imprisoned, the Reaper King is once again banished from the world and the city of Nubis is trying to return to normal. So is Mia, but it’s not so easy. Coming to terms with new powers and being the tamer of two umbra, she’s also plagued by nightmares.

Umbra Tales: Traitor of Nubis

Aladdin (September 19, 2023)

The amazing US sequel to Umbra Tales: The Lightcasters

Mia grapples with the responsibility of her new powers and uncovers even more of Nubis’s secrets in this thrilling second book in the Umbra Tales middle grade series that’s Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Golden Compass.