Age range 6 to 9

For generations, Sybaline’s family has lived in a magical valley in the Appalachian mountains, helping the magic grow the land. But now the government has ordered them to relocate; their valley is needed to create a dam for electricity. In one week, their home will be flooded.

Sybaline can’t imagine life without her home and without magic, so she stays. Using her magic she builds a wall, and as water floods the valley, it ends up covering her house anyway, leaving her living beneath the lake itself.

But there is a consequence to using magic in such a way, one that will transform both herself and the friends who end up trapped beneath the water with her.

‘A highly readable look at family, home, and the importance of being true to oneself.’ - School Library Journal