Cover Reveal: The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

Happy Friday everyone! As someone who loves middle grade literature, historical fiction and books about books, I’m very excited to welcome author Mindy Thompson to Pop! Goes The Reader as we share the exclusive reveal for Mindy’s debut novel, The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, which is scheduled to be published October 26th 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers. Please read on to learn about the novel’s origins and what the author hopes readers will take from Poppy’s story, as well as an exclusive glimpse of the novel’s beautiful cover, illustrated by Quang & Lien!

About Mindy Thompson

Mindy Thompson writes fantastical stories for middle grade readers. A graduate of Boise State University with a B.A. in creative writing, Mindy spent ten years working in public and middle school libraries. She began writing upper middle grade with her past students in mind and hopes to give them a place to find themselves in the books they read. Mindy lives with her sister-turned-roommate in Southern Idaho and spends too much time watching historical beauty tutorials online. The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams is Mindy’s debut novel.

Author Links: Twitter ● Instagram ● Goodreads

The idea for The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams came at a time when I felt like I was on the verge of giving up. I had written other books, heard no’s, and this is not for me’s, and there was a big part of me that didn’t think I could keep going. But then I started to dream about a magic bookshop and a girl named Poppy who lived there with her family at the end of World War II.

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams is about discovering the strength to keep going when you’re scared and defeated and alone. It’s about uncovering the magic we carry inside of ourselves in times when it doesn’t seem to be there at all.

As they read this book, I hope readers learn that it’s okay to be a reluctant hero of their own story. That not everyone charges off to fight the dragon right away. Some of us take a little bit longer to unearth our bravery. And more than anything, I hope they see that even amidst the hardest things life throws at us, we can always find strength and light within us if only we have the courage to look.

Cover art by Quang & Lien

Title The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams
Author Mindy Thompson
Intended Target Audience Middle Grade
Publication Date October 26th 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● The Book Depository ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound

What does all the magic in the world matter if it can’t save the ones you love? For self-proclaimed bookstore lovers and fans of Pages & Co. comes an exploration of the way war can shape a family, in the tradition of Pax and Wolf Hollow.

It’s 1943 Sutton, NY, and Poppy’s family owns and runs, Rhyme and Reason, a magical bookshop that caters to people from all different places and time periods. Though her family’s world is ravaged by World War II, their customers hail from their past and their future, infusing the shop with a delightful mix of ideas and experiences. The shop runs on a set of rules handed down from one generation of bookseller to the next, with their cardinal rule their most strict: shopkeepers must never use the magic for themselves.

But then Poppy’s brother’s best friend is killed in the war and her brother wants to use magic to save him. Young Poppy is caught between her love for her brother and loyalty to her family, all the while knowing that her brother’s actions could have devastating consequences that reach far beyond the bookshop, feeding an insidious, growing darkness.