Standalone Novels
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| A Wolf for a Spell | 2020 | Buy |
| The Song of the Swan | 2023 | Buy |
Karah Sutton is a New Zealand-based American author of middle grade fantasy novels. Born in Kentucky, she worked at Joseph-Beth Booksellers while studying in college, then moved to New Zealand after graduating. Her fiction draws on folklore and fairy tales, brought to life with illustrations by Pauliina Hannuniemi and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Her debut, A Wolf for a Spell (2020), is rooted in Russian folklore and inspired by Sutton’s own Russian heritage. The story follows a young wolf named Zima who seeks help from the witch Baba Yaga when her family is threatened, only to find herself trapped in Baba Yaga’s body by a switching spell. The novel was an Indie Next List Top 10 selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Middle Grade.
Her second book, The Song of the Swan (2023), retells Swan Lake through the eyes of Olga, an orphan thief who infiltrates a castle ruled by an enchanter who turns his ball guests into swans each morning. Sutton drew on her years as a ballet dancer for the story, centering it on the character of Odile, the black swan.