Desta and the Winds of Washaa Umera — Getty T. Ambau

In the second act of this unfolding epic, the shepherd boy Desta is catapulted from his remote and isolated valley into a wider world. He pursues his dream of a modern education and vows to fulfill the destiny of his family by reuniting the twin Coins of Magic and Fortune. To accomplish this parallel quest, Desta must hold firm to his own moral compass, following a path laden with mysterious notes, spectral voices, the Cloud Man's counsel, and the seductive urgings of the ethereal Eleni. Driven ever farther from his origins by his dreams, Desta must confront the meaning of family and physical privation. He must use his own powerful gifts if he is to see his deepest aspirations take flight. Conjuring the sun-splashed land and a rich cultural pageantry that readers have come to love, Desta and The Winds of Washaa Umera is one boy's endearing journey of discovery, and a wise parable on the power of faith and aspiration.