Thea and the Mischief Makers

by Tracy Badua

Overview

In this magical adventure that's perfect for fans of Lisa Yee and Erin Entrada Kelly, star athlete Thea must face her worst fears when two mischievous duwendes, Filipino goblins, threaten to wreak havoc on her life—and destroy her town.

Thea gets a chance to begin anew at Coastview Academy. There, she’s a star athlete, someone with friends and popularity. 

But disaster strikes at Junior Stunt Warrior summer camp with her new friends: Her extremely uncool former best friend, Evan, shows up too, and she discovers that stunt class is the one activity she’s not good at. Actually, it’s something she’s terrified of. It all reminds Thea of the shy, invisible version of herself she’s determined to leave behind. 

Then, in the midst of building a practice obstacle course, Thea wrecks a tree that a pair of grumpy duwendes—Filipino goblins—call home. She’s shocked that not only are duwendes real, but the two in her backyard want revenge. 

Now Thea must team up with friends new and old to fend off the duwendes before they destroy her entire neighborhood. But can she pull it off while saving her cool-girl image, too? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063347021
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tracy Badua is an award-winning Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California.

Editorial Reviews

08/19/2024

With her friends Brooklyn, who is Black, and white-cued Rex, Filipino American Thea Torres is attending Junior Stunt Warrior Camp, which is sponsored by the athletic competition show Stunt Warrior. When her former friend, Mexican American Evan, arrives, Thea is embarrassed by his lack of awareness surrounding social cues. At camp, she’s one of the popular kids, and being around Evan is affecting her reputation. Yet his presence might be the least of her worries; unfortunately for Thea—and her street cred—she isn’t very good at the Stunt Warrior challenges. At home, her father warns her about creatures called duwendes that live in trees. But Thea ignores his warning and cuts down the calamansi tree in their backyard to build a Stunt Warrior practice course. Soon, she’s approached by duwendes Dante and Dora, who give Thea one week to come up with a genuine apology or they will destroy her neighborhood. Desperate, Thea enlists Evan to help her stop the creatures. Both Thea and Evan’s personal insecurities surrounding their respective eagerness to fit in or be themselves are palpable throughout Thea’s sensitively wrought first-person narration. Badua (The Cookie Crumbles) elevates an otherwise staid tale by infusing it with Filipino myth, making for an uplifting fantasy adventure. Ages 8–12. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Looking Glass Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"An uplifting fantasy adventure." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher