The Secrets of Solace

Lina Winterbock is an apprentice archivist in the mountain strongholds of Solace.  The archivists collect items from the debris storms and bring them back to the strongholds to study.  These items somehow fall through from other worlds into Solace and are collected in scrap towns.

Lina's parents died when she was young, so she only has her teacher and mentor for supervision.  That leaves her with a lot of free time to explore and eavesdrop on conversations she probably shouldn't hear.  It's also how she discovered her "workshop" and the ship buried there.  Only someone as small as Lina could make it through the tunnels, and Lina spends much of her free time trying to dig out the ship in her secret workshop.

Outside the mountains, the Iron War rages as the Merrow Kingdom and the Dragonfly Territories battle for control of resources and power.  The archivists are neutral in the war, but they are taking in refugees from both sides. 

One night Lina meets one of these refugees and discovers he has a powerful secret that could put everyone at risk.  Despite this, Lina and Ozben quickly become friends.  They are bound by secrets, and their own feelings of unimportance, but they will both be vital players in events that could change the outcome of the war.

Jaleigh Johnson's new book set in the world of Solace is a companion to The Mark of Dragonfly.  Read that one to find out more about the scrap towns.  The first book was very popular in my library, and I'm sure this one will be, too.  This is a solid fantasy adventure for middle school readers.