Socks & Secret Quests by Triona Murphy, illustrations by James Firnhaber

Socks & Secret Quests by Triona Murphy, illustrations by James Firnhaber
Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publishing:  September 29th, 2026
Format Read:  Paperback  
Number of pages:   272 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Lines:  "On days when Peri was being truly honest with herself, she had to admit that being apprenticed to the fabled and mystical shopkeepers wasn't quite as she'd imagined."

Peri and master shopkeeper Hema live in a wandering shop that travels around the kingdom of Genta, outfitting adventurers so that they can succeed on their quests.  Peri is the first person in more than thirty years to be chosen as an apprentice shopkeeper after the Stone of Power indicates that her magic lies in that path.  What she truly wants, though, is to follow in her sibling's footsteps and develop magic for something extraordinary.  Unfortunately, she's still waiting for her abilities to appear.  So far, the only skill she's manifested is the uncanny ability to knit at a remarkable speed.  

Everything changes when a dark wizard appears in the shop, abducts Hema, and plans to use her magic to equip his army and the dark creatures under his control.  Terrified for Hema's safety, Peri rushes after a trio of adventures who were recently in the shop gathering supplies.  She hopes they'll agree to take on a new quest, one that will rescue Hema and stop the wizard before he can put his plans into action. 

Peri is deeply uncertain about what she can contribute to the adventurer's quest.  Does she have shop magic or is her rapid knitting ability a form of wizard's magic?  Her confidence wavers and she worries about what all of this means for her future.  Being outside of the comfort of the wandering shop also presents huge challenges for her. 

The trio of adventurers have their own struggles.  They don't work together harmoniously, and trust is in short supply.  The archer doesn't want to kill anything, the wizard can't fully control their magic, and the leader tries to manage the entire crew and quest without listening to anyone's advice or directions.  

Socks & Secret Quests is packed with action and carries a delightful blend of Howl's Moving Castle and Dungeons & Dragons style fantasy.   James Firnhaber's illustrations are superb and add to the story.  I especially loved that Peri's magic stems from her knitting and the authors inclusion of the pattern instructions for knitting Niam's hat was a very nice touch.  And really, who doesn't love a magic shop that roams around the kingdom, equipping adventures with exactly the enchanted items to suit their skills?  While this could be read as a standalone, I'm hoping there will be more books in the series.