The Torchbearer's Quest by Christine Callahan-Oke

Cate McConnell's life is a mess. All she wants is to belong. But when her best friend betrays and bullies her, she becomes the laughingstock of her middle school.

To make matters worse, she discovers a mysterious crystal that catapults her from science class into an enchanted rainforest—and back—without warning.

Desperate to figure out what’s going on, Cate asks Davis, a grade-eight geology geek, for help. He delivers shocking news: the crystal is a sign she’s a torchbearer, someone with a mission to change the world.

Cate refuses to believe it, but the crystal has other plans and plunges her into a magical quest affecting the future of the planet.

Through one wild adventure after another, as she faces peril and stumbles upon new friends, will Cate step up and fulfill her quest, or risk a horrible, unthinkable fate?

A story about courage, friendship, and the power of self-belief. The Torchbearer’s Quest is a magical adventure story for tweens, teens, and young-at-heart adults of all ages.

Paperback, 316 pages

Christine Callahan-Oke is a kid at heart.
She’s a little quirky, loves nature, and has been spotted talking to trees. (Don’t worry, not often.)
She looks for beauty and magic in the small moments of life and knows a secret: people are far more amazing than they realize. Christine lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two sons, and attempts to balance the household’s testosterone with her adorable cat, Bella.
The Torchbearer’s Quest is her first novel.