The Geomancer's Compass

This futuristic novel has all the elements YA fiction needs to draw critical attention from reviewers, and to elicit award-nominations. It is thematically interesting, culturally diverse, well-written, futuristic, and very funny.
 
Set in the year 2021, this fantastic YA novel explores the tension between a young woman's future building infrastructure for Augmented Reality, and the commitment she makes to her dying grandmother to honour ancient Chinese magic. The Geomancer's Compass imagines a world in the near future while exploring the Chinese immigrant experience and the expanding, elastic and shifting nature of reality.

“…The Geomancer's Compass will do well among middle grade aged readers, especially those interested in mystery and early Canadian history and Chinese culture themed novels…. Hardy has crafted a well-thought-out tale, one which is equally engaging as it is enlightening.”
— Recommended, CM Magazine
 
“Miranda Lu is a sixteen-year-old computer geek in 2021, when virtual reality is a completely immersive experience. It’s also a platform that can be accessed by the spirit of her dead great-great-grandfather, who sends Miranda and her cousin Brian on a mission to break the family curse. The curse’s origins in Chinese tradition make this a thoughtful as well as exciting read for the younger set.”
—The DC Spotlight Newspaper

Melissa Hardy's first novel was A Cry of Bees, which was published in 1970 when she was just seventeen years old. Since then she has won the Journey Prize for an excerpt from her short story collection Constant Fire and the Canadian Authors Association Jubilee Award for The Uncharted Heart (Knopf Canada). Her writing has appeared in many literary journals and has been twice anthologized in Best American Short Stories and the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. The Geomancer's Compass marks her debut as an exciting new YA author. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Melissa Hardy makes her home in Port Stanley, Ontario.