Before Ma became the most powerful witch in Brooklyn...before Ma met a boy named Jaxon who helped her deliver three baby dragons to the realm of magic...long before Ma ended the war and vanquished the Scourge by choosing exile...she was just a curious, determined girl living on the South Side of Chicago. Lavinia Robinson, or "Vinny" as she's called by her best friend L. Roy Jenkins, is always ready for adventure-even if it means breaking the rules. So when a faraway voice dares her to open a rainbow-edged door in the sky, Vinny doesn't hesitate and discovers a world filled with dragons and other amazing creatures! But when her own world threatens to burn during the Red Summer of 1919, can Vinny summon enough magic to save the ones she loves? Told in alternating viewpoints-Ma as a centenarian and a ten-year-old novice witch-THE ORACLE'S DOOR reveals the parallels in Vinny's and Jaxon's lives while introducing young readers to tumultuous early twentieth-century Chicago. With her distinct blend of fantasy and history, Zetta Elliott weaves one last story with her beloved characters that is sure to enthrall young readers.

Born in Canada, Zetta Elliott moved to the US in 1994 to pursue her PhD in American Studies at NYU. She is the author of over forty books for young readers. Dragons in a Bag, a middle grade fantasy novel, was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book and was selected for the 2021 Global Read Aloud. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies for children and adults; her young adult poetry collection, Say Her Name, was named a 2020 "Best of the Best" title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was nominated for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. Her picture book, A Place Inside of Me, was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English. Elliott is an advocate for greater diversity and equity in children's literature; her essays have appeared in Blavity, The Huffington Post, and Publishers Weekly. She currently lives in Chicago, IL.