A remarkable middle-grade debut that takes readers on a thrillingly fast-paced race through the murky and magical underbelly of 19th-century Paris.

Zélie is often accused of being a witch, but she doesn't believe in magic. That is until Jules climbs up from the reeking Parisian sewer and hands her the gold locket he found there. Zélie recognizes it immediately--it belongs to her missing father, who is supposed to be back in India, and it once held the magical Snakestone. If Zélie can find the stone, she might also find her father.

But a sinister secret society is equally desperate to get their hands on the Snakestone and its terrible powers. Zélie and Jules must beat them to it, risking their lives in the dark tunnels twisting beneath the city streets. . .