Coming Soon: A Bond of Blood and Magick, a Richly Imagined Epic Fantasy for Middle Grade Readers
A hopeful new coming-of-age adventure brings dragons, sorcerers, and luchorpáin to the kingdom of Boondoggle — publishing October 7, 2026
d’Aulnoy Editions is proud to announce the October 2026 release of A Bond of Blood and Magick by Scott A. Lund, a vivid, hope-filled epic fantasy for middle grade and YA readers who love richly imagined worlds, found family, and heroes who don’t yet know their own power. Beneath its adventure and danger runs a steady thread of hope — the belief that even a fraying peace and old enmities can be mended. Fans of Narnia, Redwall, The Hobbit, and How to Train Your Dragon will find a lot to love in this warm, encouraging tale.
In the land of Boondoggle, three brother kings have kept a fragile peace for as long as their children can remember. But when twelve-year-old Trudy, her younger sister Judy, and their cousins befriend a mysterious figure known as the Watcher, the treaty with the North — secured years before by their grandfather, the Silverback King — has already begun to fray.
Whispers of ancient magick linger across the kingdom, amid legends of the last dragon and the young man who once earned her trust. Sorcerers, luchorpáin, and other creatures thrive in a mystical grove hidden deep within the heart of the realm. As Trudy and her cousins uncover the wonders of their own land, the threat of war draws closer.
With their home and countless creatures in danger, the kings must call on old alliances — never suspecting that some of their own children carry powers long thought lost. Can a bond of blood and magick overcome ancient enmities and a devastating war, or will Boondoggle falter?
At its core, A Bond of Blood and Magick is a story about hope — the hope that children can heal what their elders could not, that courage can outlast fear, and that even the most fragile peace is worth fighting for.
From Bedtime Stories to an Epic World
Long before A Bond of Blood and Magick became a novel, it was a bedtime ritual. Scott A. Lund began telling his daughters stories about the land of Boondoggle when they were young — inventing kings, creatures, and magick night after night, with the tales and the world becoming a little richer with every retelling.
It’s a fitting origin for a fantasy world: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth began the same way, as stories Tolkien told his children years before The Hobbit ever reached a page. Lund’s daughters, Kimberly and Aubrie, heard these stories first and know them best of all; over years of telling and retelling, their questions and imaginations helped shape Boondoggle into the fully realized world readers can now discover for themselves.
Advance Praise
David Wood, USA Today bestselling author of the Dane Maddock Adventures and more, says the book is “Richly imagined and brimming with warmth, wonder, and adventure. Once you’ve discovered the land of Boondoggle, you won’t want to leave!”
In her foreword to the book, author Shelly Brimley (Take Me to the Willow) describes author Scott A. Lund’s voice as warm, hopeful, and encouraging — coming through clearly on every page. She writes that the novel balances humor alongside conflict, and heartache alongside hope; but beneath its adventure lies a current of deeper meaning, morality, and connection. The characters are not simply placed into a story; they are given opportunities to grow, struggle, choose, love, and discover what truly matters. Brimley calls it the kind of story that lingers long after the last page.
A World Built for Fantasy Readers
A Bond of Blood and Magick is an epic fantasy and coming-of-age story built around the things young fantasy readers love most:
- A story rooted in hope — even as war looms and an old treaty frays, the book holds fast to the belief that things can be made right
- Vivid world-building — a fully realized kingdom, complete with maps, ancient lore, and a hidden magickal grove
- Dragons, sorcerers, and luchorpáin — including the last dragon of legend and a rhyme-loving, scene-stealing luchorpán named Max
- A brewing war and a broken treaty — real stakes, old alliances, and consequences that reach further than anyone expects
- Found family and sisterhood — Trudy, Judy, and their cousins face danger and discovery together
- Hidden powers, long thought lost — young heroes who must grow into strength they didn’t know they had
- Humor alongside heartache — a story that balances laughter and conflict, hope and hardship, in equal measure
- Courage, loyalty, and hope — real warmth and tension that build to a satisfying, hopeful finish
About Scott A. Lund
Scott A. Lund is a storyteller by nature who has been writing for more than forty years. What began as bedtime stories for his daughters grew, over years of telling and retelling, into the richly detailed world of Boondoggle readers can now discover in A Bond of Blood and Magick.
Publication Details
A Bond of Blood and Magick by Scott A. Lund
Published by d’Aulnoy Editions — October 7, 2026
6 x 9 in.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-945783-52-4
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-945783-53-1
Categories: YA Epic Fantasy, YA Coming of Age
Coming soon to the d’Aulnoy Editions website, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and most retailers. Distributed by Ingram Book Group.
Media Contact
d’Aulnoy Editions | team@daulnoy.com | www.daulnoy.com | @dAulnoyEditions
Emily Owens
As Managing Editor of White Deer Publishing, Emily is responsible for guiding our projects through each step of development and production. Once Michelle called her the “book baby midwife,” and she really couldn’t have picked a better compliment. Previously part of Mslexia, a UK-based women’s writing magazine, Emily has pretty much always been involved with creative writing and editing print publications. In her spare time, she wrangles her two crazy boys and enjoys a number of nerdy TV shows. Although originally from Atlanta, Emily called the UK home for nearly seven years, and is always a little bit homesick for the Toon. When she’s not geeking out over a good font or InDesign file, she argues with MadCap Flare.
