In CALL DOWN THE HAWK, by Maggie Stiefvater, Ronan Lynch has “the most dangerous of secrets.” He’s a dreamer, who can “fall asleep, dream of feathers, and wake with a raven in [his] hands.” But Ronan is not the only dreamer. Each time Hennessy sleeps for more than twenty minutes, she brings back “a copy of herself.” Hennessy and her art-forging clones sneak into the Fairy Market, desperate to find a magical painting before she's literally killed by her own nightmare. Carmen Farooq-Lane goes to the Fairy Market because she's part of a group dedicated to killing all dreamers in order to stave off an apocalypse that one of them will bring about “with starving, unquenchable fire.” This is the same fantasy-infused world as Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle quartet, with her gorgeous, melodious prose, but this new stand-alone trilogy takes place in a dangerous, surreal underbelly in and around the nation’s capitol. It’s Raven Boys meets Six of Crows. (YA)
THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, by Stacey Lee, features Jo Kuan, a young Chinese woman living in Atlanta, GA, in 1890. After she’s fired from her job as a milliner’s assistant, the 17-year-old takes a job as lady’s maid to the supremely disagreeable daughter of a wealthy high society couple. Unbeknownst to all, Jo moonlights as the increasingly popular Miss Sweetie, the new advice columnist for one of Atlanta’s newspapers. Jo struggles to hide her identity-- a Chinese girl giving advice to white women would be scandalous!—even as she lives in secret below the print shop, But when a mysterious letter surfaces that gets her thinking about her unknown parentage, Jo’s troubles are only beginning. This charming novel, with its strong, resourceful heroine, takes on issues of race and gender by being thoroughly entertaining and hard-hitting all at once.(YA)
THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE, by A. S. King, tells the story of sixth-grader Liberty Johansen, whose parents are divorcing. Liberty has always used her handmade star maps to make sense of the world, but when her dad moves out and then refuses to see Liberty and her younger sister, Jilly, Liberty finds herself unable to read the constellations anymore. Life spins out of control, but a meteor falling into the woods near her house seems to help. Liberty is a complex kid, with troubles that seem real and relatable, and her solutions are, too. (MG)
DIG, also by A. S. King, is a surrealist novel about five teenagers who live on the fringes. The Shoveler, The Freak, Malcom, Loretta, and Can I Help You? are beautifully defined, compelling characters who all come from troubled families. There’s also Marla and her Easter dinners, and Marla's husband Gottfried, who made millions once he ditched the family potato farm. The whole lot of them are caught up in dysfunctions of all kinds, including "a toxic culture of polite, affluent white supremacy.” A. S. King books are always fascinating. (YA)
Picture Books:
In JUST BECAUSE, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, a child tucking into bed asks her father a barrage of fairly typical kid questions, such as “Why is the ocean blue?” and “What is the rain?” This child, however, receives some unexpectedly creative answers, which are stunningly illustrated by the always amazing Arsenault. Candlewick does a great job here production-wise, and don’t forget to check under the dust jacket.
HUM AND SWISH, by Matt Myers, shares the story of Jamie, who is digging and building on the beach. People ask her all kinds of questions about what she’s making and when she’ll be finished, but Jamie has no answers. Finally, someone comes along who understands. The spare text is perfectly paced and supported by Myers’s acrylic and oil paintings.
FIELD TRIP TO THE MOON, by John Hare, is the wordless tale of—yes, a field trip to the moon. One student separates from the group to draw, then falls asleep and gets left behind. But what an interesting time is had before the space bus comes back to pick up the young artist! FIELD TRIP TO THE MOON may be wordless, but there’s plenty of story, told with appealing acrylic art.
--Lynn
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