By Lija Fisher (Thtr'97)
(Macmillan, 337 pages; 2018)
Lija Fisher鈥檚 debut novel, The Cryptid Catcher, is about a boy who inherits a job hunting legendary creatures in Colorado.听After Clivo Wren's archaeologist father dies mysteriously, the newly orphaned thirteen-year-old finds out the truth: his dad was no archaeologist. He was actually a cryptid catcher, known for finding elusive beasts like the bloodsucking chupacabra. His goal: discover the one extraordinary cryptid whose blood grants immortality鈥攂efore the knowledge falls into the wrong hands. The mission remains unfinished, and now there's only one person who can take the renowned cryptid catcher's place: Clivo. He may not know the first thing about monster hunting, but he's willing to give it a try鈥攂ecause anything beats staying home with his salsa-crazy aunt and her neurotic cats. Kirkus Reviews calls it "...a multicultural melting pot of monster-loving nerds." The book has received a starred review in Booklist, and has been chosen as an official Junior Library Guild selection. The book will be published in Aug. 2018.