Thurs. July 9th, 4:30-5:30pm
For kids and teens entering Grades 4th-7th in Fall 2026
Location: 2nd Floor Board Room
Registration required.
Sign up to attend this program, pick up your book from the 2nd Floor Kids Desk *when the book is published & arrives at the Avon Library*, read the book, and come on the day of the program and you will get to keep the book.*
*if you do not pickup the book within 5 days of being contacted the books are in: your spot could go to a waitlisted child
*if you do not come to the day of the program, you will need to return the book to the 2nd Floor Kids Desk.
We will meet in person to discuss the book, the author will join us join via zoom!
This book is being published Tues. 6/16!
The library will send an email out on Tues. 6/16 or Wed. 6/17 to all who have signed up when the books are ready for pickup from the 2nd Floor Kids Desk.
What is this book about?
A heartwarming fantasy inspired by the Icelandic sagas about a girl and her friends who must save their found family when a swarm of terrifying undead invade their village, perfect for fans of Kelly Barnhill and Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase.
The undead are up to no good.
Helga doesn’t know where she comes from. All she knows is life with Goat-Thigh, who found her as a baby in the highlands and gave her a home. Goat-Thigh used to be plagued with fits of berserk fury–a battle rage that made him dangerous to everyone around–until he took in Helga. Now, Helga won’t ever leave his side, even if their neighbors shun him.
But their lives are disrupted when a nearby haunted mountain cracks open and a mob of vengeful undead invades the land. In the chaos, Goat-Thigh’s berserk fits are triggered…and he’s unable to break free.
To save her adoptive father, Helga will need the help of some unlikely friends to banish the undead–from mischievous ox tails to rowdy house crashers and frightening monsters with family secrets. Can Helga and her allies outsmart these specters and confront the deep wounds from their tangled pasts?
About the author:Â
S. J. Taylor writes stories steeped in folklore and magic, where young protagonists tackle big adventures and bigger questions. Although she grew up in Arizona’s desert, her heart yearns for the Nordic lands. When she’s not writing, she can often be found knitting yet another sweater (sweater weather is the best weather). She lives in Connecticut with her family.