The Unicorn Quest

by Kamilla Benko

  Many thanks are owed to the story Forgers at Glasstown Entertainment: Laura Parker, Lexa Hillyer, Alexa Wejko, Adam Silvera, Emily Berge, and Lynley Bird. Their relentless enthusiasm, compassionate criticism, and limitless belief helped forge me into the writer I am today. Special thanks to Lexa, who hammered my ideas into shape and polished my words into focus, and to Alexa, for following me up the chimney time and again with boundless creativity. Thank you to Stephen Barbara, not only for his help with this book, but for taking a chance on me years ago. An author doesn’t need a Kompass with him around to guide. Thank you to the rest of the Inkwell Management Literary Agency team, in particular Lyndsey Blessing and Claire Draper, for helping with the navigation.

  For the Tillers at Bloomsbury, I have only endless amounts of gratitude and awe for the incredible people who have dedicated their lives to growing authors and nurturing books. To Cat Onder, thank you from the bottom of my heart for journeying into Arden with me, and to Sarah Shumway for eagerly joining and carrying on the charge. Thank you to Cindy Loh, Erica Barmash, Amanda Bartlett, Anna Bernard, Bethany Buck, Alexis Castellanos, Beth Eller, Alona Fryman, Emily Gerbner, Cristina Gilbert, Betts Greene, Courtney Griffin, Noella James, Melissa Kavonic, Emily Klopfer, Donna Mark, Elizabeth Mason, Shaelyn McDaniel, Linda Minton, Brittany Mitchell, Oona Patrick, Emily Ritter, Claire Stetzer, Ellen Whitaker, and Chandra Wohleber. I feel incredibly lucky to have Arden so beautifully depicted by Vivienne To on the American cover and Matt Saunders on the UK cover. I want to live inside your magical illustrations. And across the Atlantic, thank you to my wonderful UK team: Elise Burns, Nicholas Church, Jenny Collins, Anna de Lacey, Laura Main Ellen, Maia Fjord, Adele Lee, Fabia Ma, Lucy Mackay-Sim, and Emily Monckton-Milnes.

  The first step to writing a book inevitably takes place in a classroom, and I had A+ scholars throughout my life whose lessons have remained with me even as I’ve graduated and moved away by miles and years. They are Maggie Cassidy, Tracy Luke, and Missy Ellis at Bishop Chatard High School, and Professor Shannon Martin and Thomas French at Indiana University.

  I am grateful to be surrounded by many Spinners of tales. Thanks to the indomitable Rhoda Belleza for sharing her wisdom; Tiffany Liao for her unwavering support; Kristina Pérez for her keen eye and sharp observations; Tara Sonin for her immeasurable encouragement and ebullient spirit; Annie Stone for her generosity and expertise in fantastical worlds; Angela Velez for her empathy and ingenuity; and to the ladies of TQB for their ongoing support, particularly Melissa Albert, as we journey into the next phase together.

  To my fierce and loyal Gemmers, who have given their guidance and friendship throughout the years, special thanks goes to Medea Asatiani, Catherine Bates, Kati Gyulassy, and Matt Richman. And enormous thanks to Liz Silva, D.J. Silva, Molly Silva, Katie Blacquier, Charlotte Blacquier, and Eliza Blacquier—your insights were invaluable and your reactions were exactly what every author dreams of one day hearing.

  And last, but not least, my utmost gratitude to my unicorns. To Marguerite Benko who read to me every day and whose strength I one day hope to have. To Zoltán Benko, who encouraged my wild flights of fancy and pored over each draft of this novel with love and laughter. To Gabriella Benko and Matthias Benko, my sister and my brother, whose tenacity, talent, and imagination inspired me then and today. And to Andrej Ficnar—there are not enough scrolls in this world or Arden to contain my appreciation. This book would not exist without you.

  Text copyright © 2018 by Kamilla Benko

  Map copyright © 2018 by Diana Sousa

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  First published in the United States of America in February 2018

  by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

  www.bloomsbury.com

  Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Benko, Kamilla, author.

  Title: The unicorn quest / by Kamilla Benko.

  Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2018.

  Summary: In an antique-filled mansion, sisters Claire and Sophie find a ladder to the magical land of Arden, where wraiths roam freely, unicorns have disappeared, and the guilds of magic no longer trust each other.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017022320 (print) • LCCN 2017038074 (e-book)

  ISBN 978-1-68119-245-1 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-68119-246-8 (e-book)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Sisters—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers— Fiction. | Unicorns—Fiction. | Fantasy.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B4537 Un 2018 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B4537 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017022320