In this lively historical fantasy set in 1890 Fife, Scotland, 14-year-old Cat Douglas is training as a member of monster hunting society the Royal & Ancient to defend her home from the creatures that terrorize the land. As the first girl to serve in her town's R&A chapter, Cat feels as if she has a lot to prove, and as the smallest, she acts as bait, luring the monsters in for the kill. Things are going well until the R&A is dispatched to handle reports of a treacherous sea dragon, the likes of which hasn't been seen for many years. The monster hunters are shocked to learn, however, that where there's one sea dragon, there are likely more, sending Cat and her crew on a high-stakes mission to save the village. Cat's lilting first-person narration adds a potent sense of identity to this atmospheric action-adventure series starter by Yolen (The Scarlet Circus). Poppy saturated comics pages by Lowenthal appear throughout, evocatively rendering Cat's world and the fearsome creatures that inhabit it.
--Publishers Weekly

Lovers of historical fantasy will not want to miss Jane Yolen's newest book. Set in 1880s Scotland, Cat Douglas is a monster hunter. When a student comes racing into the school to say a monster is in the forest, Cat and her comrades spring into action. The countryside has been filled with monsters, which is why her school exists. The question is, is there really a sea monster there that has escaped? Cat is going to be the bait, and she's ready! This first installment of the series is a great, short read for students who enjoy complex text and writing. The author uses Scottish accents within the story, so readers can imagine characters speaking. The book also includes graphic inserts. The pictures are excellent and portray the story well, but need to be more consistent through the novel. The plot moves along at a quick pace. This book is best for upper elementary students.
--Children's Literature

★ A new work by the internationally renowned and award-winning author, Jane Yolen, who is known as "the Hans Christian Andersen of America" and "the Aesop of the 20th century", and has won the Caldecott Medal and the Nebula Award, among others!
★ This is a historical, fantasy, and action-adventure chapter book set in Scotland. With the help of wonderful comic scenes, children over 8 years old will travel to historical Scotland in the 1880s, a land in urgent need of monster hunters.
★ Join Kate and her friends on an adventure in the magical and historical Scotland! The comic panels are interspersed throughout the novel, making it captivating. All three books in the series come with collectible posters that can be pieced together to form a large poster.

This series consists of three books:
"Sea Dragons"
"Terrible Bird" (June 2026)
The third volume (to be determined, expected to be published in summer 2028)

Meet Cat Douglas—monster hunter. A historical fantasy middle-grade adventure, set in Scotland and first in a series by award-winning author Jane Yolen.
Perfect for 8-11-year-old fans of Nevermoor and Lockwood & Co., travel back in time to another part of the world in need of monster-hunting.
Set in 1880s Scotland, a team of classmates battles monsters in their local R&A (Royal and Ancient) chapter--a Scottish monster-hunting society.
Join Cat and her friends as they adventure through a fantastical and historical Scotland in this first installment of the Sea Monsters series.

Jane Yolen (Author)
Jane Yolen is an internationally renowned and award-winning author, often referred to as "America's Hans Christian Andersen" and "the 20th-century Aesop." She has served as the president of the Children's Book Artists Association and the Science Fiction Writers of America. She has written over 300 books for readers of all ages, with notable works including "Owl Moon," "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight," and "The Devil's Arithmetic." Her books have been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, and have a global readership of hundreds of millions. She has received numerous international book awards, including:
- The Caldecott Medal, the "Oscar" of children's picture books, in 1968 and 1988 for the silver and gold awards respectively.
- Two Nebula Awards, one of the most important awards in the fantasy fiction genre, on par with the Hugo Award.
- Additionally, she has received the Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, among others.
Jane currently resides in western Massachusetts and Scotland.


Celia Lowenthal (Illustrator)
Celia Lowenthal is a fantasy illustrator, comic book writer and artist from New York. She graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2017. Her clients have included HarperCollins, BOOM! Studios, IDW, Epic Games, Clip Studio Paint, and many others.
Many people first noticed this talented young illustrator because of the strong and bold red and green contrast in her works, as well as her simple yet vivid line drawing style. Her illustrations are exquisite and delicate, with rich composition language. She uses her unique style to create a series of imaginative worlds with intense and spicy emotional colors.