The Gilded Girl - Paperback

by Alyssa Colman (Author)

Heartfelt, fast-paced, and utterly absorbing, The Gilded Girl is Alyssa Colman's sparkling debut novel about determination, spirit, and the magic of friendship.

Any child can spark magic, but only the elite are allowed to kindle it. Those denied access to the secrets of the kindling ritual will see their magic snuffed out before their thirteenth birthday.

Miss Posterity's Academy for Practical Magic is the best kindling school in New York City--and wealthy twelve-year-old Emma Harris is accustomed to the best. But when her father dies, leaving her penniless, Emma is reduced to working off her debts to Miss Posterity alongside Izzy, a daring servant girl who refuses to let her magic be snuffed out, even if society dictates she must. Emma and Izzy reluctantly form a pact: If Izzy teaches Emma how to survive as a servant, Emma will reveal to Izzy what she knows about magic.

Along the way, they encounter quizzes that literally pop, shy libraries, and talking cats (that is, house dragons). But when another student's kindling goes horribly wrong, revealing the fiery dangers of magic, Emma and Izzy must set aside their differences or risk their magic being snuffed out forever.

Author Biography

Alyssa Colman is an award-winning author who writes heartwarming stories for kids. Her novel, Where Only Storms Grow, won the 2026 American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award, the 2026 Josette Frank Award, and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her other books include The Tarnished Garden and The Gilded Girl, both historical tales with a magical twist. Alyssa is a graduate of Wake Forest University and resides in Virginia.