“Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story.”

File under: most life-changing first lines from books. One of our most anticipated reads of fall 2016, The Reader, is almost here! September 13th might feel like far away, but you can read the first few chapters of The Reader below!

About The Reader: Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible.
 

Can’t wait for more? Preorder your copy of The Reader!