Something wonderful is coming from authors Kisha Gallagher and Victoria J. Sparks. One story follows a forgotten doll’s journey toward being found; the other invites readers into the dreams and discoveries of a girl learning to embrace herself. Manning the Gate Publishing is looking for Advance Reader Copy (ARC) readers who’d like to experience one or both books before publication.
Listen to publisher Bonnie Manning and author Kisha Gallagher introduce the books and share how you can be among the first to read them.
THE DOLL WHO LIVED IN THE SUITCASE
By Kisha Gallagher
Format: Illustrated Therapeutic Allegory for Adults with Reflection Questions
Themes: Inner-Child Healing | Identity | Belonging | Boundaries | Self-Discovery
Some things are hidden until they are ready to be seen.
Inside an old avocado-colored suitcase lives a forgotten doll. Worn, legless, and tucked away from the world, she carries a story that has long waited for someone to hear it. What happens when something once treasured begins to believe it has no value?
The Doll Who Lived in the Suitcase is a fully illustrated short story for adults about the inner child—the younger self shaped by early experiences and the stories we carry about whether we matter. Through unexpected humor, tender wisdom, and unforgettable characters, the story explores belonging, identity, healing, and the courage to reclaim one’s voice.
Thoughtful reflection questions invite readers to explore the story in their own lives and listen compassionately to parts of themselves that may have been hidden or silenced. And as a free gift, the book includes access to an audio meditation featuring the complete story read by the author. You’ll receive both the illustrated print book and its full audio version together—two books in one!
“A thing may wobble and still be a throne.”
AARALYN AND THE DREAM KEY
By Victoria J. Sparks
Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary Fiction | Coming-of-Age | Inspirational Fiction | Disability & Neurodiversity Representation
When your dreams speak, will you listen?
Thirteen-year-old Aaralyn Makowski has a secret she’s spent her entire life protecting. She was born with webbed feet, and no one outside her family has ever seen them. But when she finally trusts someone enough to reveal her secret, the gossip spreads through her school, turning her greatest insecurity into a source of cruel jokes and bullying.
As if navigating adolescence, friendships, and her first crush weren’t complicated enough, Aaralyn is struck by lightning one morning while waiting for the school bus. Afterward, she begins experiencing vivid, mysterious dreams. Armed with a handmade journal, she sets out to unravel their symbols and discover what they might mean. But while Aaralyn searches for answers in her dreams, she’s also facing a much more difficult question in her waking life:
What happens when the one thing you’ve spent your life hiding becomes the very thing you must learn to accept?
Aaralyn and the Dream Key is a contemporary middle-grade coming-of-age novel filled with mystery, humor, complicated friendships, and the sometimes painful, sometimes beautiful journey of growing up. Includes a special Dream Key that invites readers to explore the symbols in their own dreams.
Written for middle-grade readers, but with a message that reaches far beyond adolescence, Aaralyn and the Dream Key speaks to anyone who has ever felt different, misunderstood, or afraid to be seen.
How to Sign Up
ARC readers will receive an early digital copy of either The Doll Who Lived in the Suitcase, or Aaralyn and the Dream Key, or BOTH! Reader’s choice. After reading, we ask ARC readers to post an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or another bookseller or book-review site when the book is released. Your honest review can help other readers discover these books.
Would you like to join our Advance Reader Team? Choose the book you’d like to read in the linked Google Form. If you’d simply like to be notified when the books are released in late November or early December, there’s an option for that, too!
Scan the QR code on the flyer or click the flyer image to open the form. We’d love to have you with us!
