The main characters are middle grade kids who are Weirns (a special kind of witch born with demon guardian spirits bound to them), and they have to go to their magic school every weeknight through a Creepy Silent Forest with a Secret. Svetlana Chmakova: It’s a fun supernatural/urban fantasy adventure! It’s set on the misty coast of New England, land of storms, mosquitoes and irate mermaids who throw trash back at the tourists. Nancy Powell: So you have a new middle grade series out! Can you talk briefly about the The Weirn Books ? The Beat talks to Chmakova about manga, Berrybrook and why Ailis and her irascible Grandma were so much fun to create. Chmakova’s plucky new heroine has an innate charm and social cluelessness that appeals to the geek in us. With the unpopular Ailis Thornton, Chmakova proves once again why she has such a natural gift for middle school gab and tweenage gossip. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods, Chmakova is back in middle school again, combining the magical realism of a Harry Potter novel with hair-raising, daemon hijinks. And now with its continuation, The Weirn Books, Vol. In Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Chmakova introduced a class of mystery-solving, supernatural tweenage witches. In her the Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning Berrybrook Middle School series, Chmakova tackled the politics of adolescent belonging with humor and gut-wrenching honesty. In the Dramacon series, Chmakova captured the awe of attending a first comic convention.

Svetlana Chmakova is a veritable master of tweenage drama.

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