“The Scapegracers wallops you with all the raw, thrilling vertigo of young love and new friendship, alongside a deeply-plotted mythology that will delight any magic fan. It’s a jewel-studded book, with an unearthly glow. You will definitely want to join this coven.”
“Teenage girl magic is palpable, urgent, and simply marvelous in this must-have debut.”
Available Now / $17.95 / 416 pages
#12 Indie Bestseller of Release Week
Skulking near the bottom of West High’s social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for bottles of Coke. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she’s had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her forty dollars to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now—unbelievably—Sideways’ best friends.
Together, the four bond to form a ferocious and powerful coven. They plan parties, cast curses on dudebros, try to find Sideways a girlfriend, and elude the fundamentalist witchfinders hell-bent on stealing their magic. But for Sideways, the hardest part is the whole “having friends” thing. Who knew that balancing human interaction with supernatural peril could be so complicated?
Rich with the urgency of feral youth, The Scapegracers is an atmospheric, voice-driven novel of the occult that explores magic, growing up, and complex female friendship with all the rage of a teenage girl.
August Clarke is here and queer, etc. They have been published in PRISM international, Portland Review, and Eidolon. They were a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction and a Pushcart nominee. They researched queerness, labor, and monstrosity at the University of Chicago. The Scratch Daughters is the second book in their indie-bestselling series, The Scapegracers, where they write as H. A. Clarke.
Praise for The Scapegracers
“In this fierce debut, a trilogy opener, Clarke conjures up a powerful, passionate tale of female friendship and found family.” —Publishers Weekly ★
"Loner, lesbian teenage witch Sideways bubbles with nerves, insecurities, and longing in this action packed debut from a young queer writer. Jam packed with intensity of feeling ALL the feelings, Clarke takes us on a roller coaster ride, oscillating between headiness of recognizing one’s own power, first date nerves, trying to smash the patriarchy while looking great at a party, and the dizzying joy of finding your clan. Bonus points for super sweet gay dads and all around great representation of diverse characters." —Chana Porter, author of The Seep
"Sapphic teenage witches and slippery vengeance magic? Yes, please! Clarke’s entertaining debut captures all the pleasure and pathos of viciously loyal high school cliques.” —Katharine Duckett, author of Miranda in Milan
"This is the dark, twisty, witchy book I've always wanted. Hannah's writing is brilliant and gorgeous and firework bright." —Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
"The magic especially intrigued me—so spooky and weird and dangerous but addictive." —Shveta Thakrar, author of Star Daughter
“Readers won’t despise, but will root for, this cunning, crass, and fiercely caring coven. Bitingly honest, fast-paced dialogue is a solid strength, as is the lyrical language, which is so intimate that readers will viscerally know how magic and emotions feel in Sideways’ body . . . teenage girl magic is palpable, urgent, and simply marvelous in this must-have debut.” —Kirkus ★