Serpent on the Mountain
Coming June 16, 2026
Pre-order now!
From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a poignant coming-of-age middle grade story that captures the wild beauty of 1970s Appalachia and the tender, fragile ties that bind us to family, faith, and magic.
Delilah knows a rattlesnake when she hears one.
After all, she was born and raised in Blackberry Holler, so when she hears that telltale rattle, she doesn’t panic. She knows her pet racoon, Freddy, will come catch the snake for his breakfast. But Freddy doesn’t come, and disaster almost strikes—until Delilah is rescued by a traveling preacher. Turns out, Brother Jones is setting up a revival church on their rural Appalachian mountain.
At first this seems like a godsend to Delilah. Her older sister, Eve, used to be her best friend, but now Eve is acting all grown up. Church might bring them back together. Their wild little sister, Jezzie, sure could use some religion too. But when the churchgoers start to speak strange words and handle venomous snakes, Delilah isn’t so certain—especially after Brother Jones condemns her hill magic as witchcraft. Worse yet, an old, frightening folktale seems to be coming true. Now worried for herself and her sisters, Delilah must figure out what she believes—and fast.
Praise for Serpent on the Mountain
* “Kramer’s Appalachia feels sweet and true, with plenty of nuance and also a pet raccoon. Delilah’s relationships with her parents and sisters, her first crush, and her first period are drawn with detailed grace. A fascinating author’s note offers cultural and historical context for the story as well as insights into Kramer’s personal experiences and research. An intricate, emotional story unfolding in a beautifully rendered setting.”
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
* “Complex questions of faith and tolerance are handled delicately, as Delilah learns that while it is important to respect different beliefs, it is unacceptable to put others in danger. . . . Vivid descriptions evoke a strong sense of the 1970s rural Tennessee setting. . . . A thoughtful and unique story of faith and growing up.”
School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Delilah’s perceptive first-person narration and imagery-rich language conjures a chilling Appalachian backdrop populated by strong, memorably rendered . . . characters. It’s an ominous tale that thoughtfully explores cultural tensions and competing beliefs.”
Publishers Weekly
“Ruminative yet plot-driven, this invites readers to experience a story that feels rooted in the 1970s but is also relevant today. The writing’s strong sense of place adds some much- needed Appalachian flair to the shelves and shows how stereotypes can break us and be broken.”
Booklist
Awards
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Also by J. Kasper Kramer
Eyes on the Sky
Published October 8, 2024
From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a historical middle grade novel about a budding young scientist in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, who fears her weather balloon experiment has been mistaken for a flying saucer!
Nothing ever happens in Roswell, New Mexico. Dorothy should know. She’s lived her whole life on a rural ranch nearby, surrounded by the difficult memories from her family’s struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression years ago. At least her older brother Dwight is home safe from the war. Unfortunately he’s no better to talk to than her ancient pet sheep, Geraldine.
Thankfully Dorothy has her experiments, like launching rockets off the top of her windmill. But one stormy night, she sends a gigantic weather balloon into the stratosphere—and an incredible blast lights up the sky. Suddenly, all the newspapers feature a flying saucer crash in their headlines and the sleepy town of Roswell is alight with gossip and speculation. But what if the so-called extraterrestrial vessel is actually Dorothy’s weather balloon?
Praise for Eyes on the Sky
“Part gritty historical fiction, part The War of the Worlds, the novel uses adventure and science fiction to make some pointed observations about the effects of war. . . . Dorothy, Hugo, and the place they call home are vividly rendered. . . . A courageous hero and some unexpected twists make for a compelling read.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Takes off with the incorporation of science fiction elements, and the meticulous, expertly rendered 1947 desert setting enhances its thrilling conclusion.”
Publishers Weekly
Awards
- Eleanor Cameron Golden Duck Award
- Junior Library Guild Selection
The List of Unspeakable Fears
Published September 14, 2021
The War That Saved My Life meets Coraline in this “deliciously creepy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade historical novel following an anxious young girl learning to face her fears—and her ghosts—against the backdrop of the typhoid epidemic.
Essie O’Neill is afraid of everything. She’s afraid of cats and electric lights. She’s afraid of the silver sick bell, a family heirloom that brings up frightening memories. Most of all, she’s afraid of the red door in her nightmares.
But soon Essie discovers so much more to fear. Her mother has remarried, and they must move from their dilapidated tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island, a dreary place in the East River. That’s where Essie’s new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. Essie knows the island is plagued with tragedy. Years ago, she watched in horror as the ship General Slocum caught fire and sank near its shores, plummeting one thousand women and children to their deaths.
Now, something on the island is haunting Essie. And the red door from her dreams has become a reality, just down the hall from her bedroom in her terrifying new house. Convinced her stepfather is up to no good, Essie investigates. Yet to uncover the truth, she will have to face her own painful history—and what lies behind the red door.
Praise for The List of Unspeakable Fears
* “Kramer has chosen an innately creepy setting. . . [and] delivers a thrilling read with poignant commentary on the value of immigrants’ lives and one’s capacity to become a stronger, better person.”
Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
* “Intricately and elegantly plotted, and full of vividly rendered details, Kramer’s novel is a deliciously creepy ghost story with a mystery at its core and, given discussions about vaccines and contagion, special resonance for the current historical moment.”
Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] suspenseful take on conquering fears, with a lesson on how first impressions can be very wrong. . . this is the perfect Halloween read.”
School Library Journal
“Readers who like ghost stories and mysteries will enjoy reading this book. . . Recommended.”
School Library Connection
Awards
- Georgia Children’s Book Award
- Iowa Teen Award Nominee
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Junior Title
- NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts
- Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)
- Junior Library Guild Selection
The Story That Cannot Be Told
Published October 8, 2019
A powerful middle grade debut with three starred reviews that weaves together folklore and history to tell the story of a girl finding her voice and the strength to use it during the final months of the Communist regime in Romania in 1989.
Ileana has always collected stories. Some are about the past, before the leader of her country tore down her home to make room for his golden palace; back when families had enough food, and the hot water worked on more than just Saturday nights. Others are folktales like the one she was named for, which her father used to tell her at bedtime. But some stories can get you in trouble, like the dangerous one criticizing Romania’s Communist government that Uncle Andrei published—right before he went missing.
Fearing for her safety, Ileana’s parents send her to live with the grandparents she’s never met, far from the prying eyes and ears of the secret police and their spies, who could be any of the neighbors. But danger is never far away. Now, to save her family and the village she’s come to love, Ileana will have to tell the most important story of her life.
Praise for The Story that Cannot be Told
“By turns surprising, poetic, and stark, The Story That Cannot Be Told is one that should most certainly be read.”
Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee
“Stories have immense power to change lives. J. Kasper Kramer’s beautiful novel is proof of that. A compelling story of a history that should never be forgotten.”
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen
* “Mesmerizing.”
Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
* “Kramer’s debut novel is rich with connections to today’s world while easily sidestepping the pitfall of heavy-handedness. Ileana is a charming, complex character who stumbles and makes mistakes as she builds up confidence, bravery, and wisdom against a wonderfully imagined backdrop populated with fascinating secondary characters. . . . A thrilling, emotional tale of one girl’s experience of the fall of Communism in Romania.”
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
* An engrossing read that will raise questions about how to determine the truth of past events.
School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Romanian fairy tales and folktales are intertwined with historical fiction to create a tale rich in imagery, emotion, and strength when it’s most needed.”
School Library Connection
“Kramer captures the tense, frightening atmosphere in the months preceding the Romanian Revolution, as well as the different forms of bravery that went into toppling an oppressive government. . . . An affecting account of a historic event characterized by monsters, hope, and the power of words.”
Booklist
Awards
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Junior Title
- Vermont Middle-Grade Children’s Book Award
- Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year Title
- Junior Library Guild Selection
J. Kasper Kramer 