The Wonder of All Things

September 1, 2014
In this follow-up to his bestselling novel The Returned, about the miraculous reappearance of the dead that became a television series (ABC’s Resurrection), Mott returns to miracles—this time with the story of young Ava Campbell, who saves the life of her best friend, Wash, in the aftermath of tragic air show accident. Thanks to a cell phone camera on the scene, millions witness the spectacular feat of Wash’s near-fatal wounds disappearing. Mott again transforms a small, peaceful town into a media maelstrom center as thousands descend on Stone Temple, N.C., for the chance to view or, more urgently, be healed by the astonishing Ava. A televangelist, Reverend Isaiah Brown, arrives to take advantage of the situation and forms an uneasy alliance with Ava’s father, Macon, the town sheriff. In an unfortunate touch of melodrama, Ava is increasingly debilitated every time she heals someone, and the book turns into a Jodi Picoult–type discourse on the rights of a healer threatened by her own powers versus the rights of those who wish, and perhaps deserve, to be healed. An overabundance of side stories—Isaiah’s complicated relationship with his damaged brother; Macon’s second wife Carmen’s difficult pregnancy; Wash’s troubled relationship with his newly returned father—tarnish the novel. But Mott shines in telling of the sweet, developing love between Ava and Wash.

September 1, 2014
When a small-town tragedy sets the stage for a miracle healing that goes viral, nothing will ever be the same for the community, the young healer or the people who love her. Stone Temple, North Carolina, is a typical small Southern town until the day a plane falls out of the sky. The aftermath of the horrific event finds a mortally injured boy, Wash, and his best friend, Ava, trapped in a pile of debris. As the townspeople try to rescue the young teens, many of them witness Ava lay her hands on Wash and heal him. By the time they've cleared the rubble, he's injury-free and a video of the miracle has hit the Internet. Wash and Ava are taken to a nearby hospital to undergo a battery of tests in an attempt to explain the phenomenon, but the only conclusion anyone can draw is that helping others takes an immense physical toll on Ava. A sea of people has descended on Stone Temple, meanwhile, expecting Miracle Girl to heal them. "She could not count how many reporters there were, how many cameras, how many people holding up signs that read 'AVA'S REAL' and 'IT'S A MIRACLE.' " As religious leaders, miracle seekers and a media circus make demands and threaten Ava's health and safety, the girl and her father, Macon, must deal with the public and private reality of Ava's gift, plus navigate health issues among their own friends and loved ones, including Macon's new wife, Carmen-who's suffering a problematic pregnancy and whom Ava doesn't like. Mott's follow-up to his stunning debut, The Returned (2013), is another creative yet haunting rendering of the mixed blessings of so-called miracles. Lyrically written, thought-provoking and emotionally searing, the book asks some unsettling questions about love, death, responsibility and sacrifice. Another fascinating and powerful reflection from Mott on how the real world reacts when the impossible happens.

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October 15, 2014

Ava Campbell, 13, and her best friend, Wash, watch as a plane at a local air show plummets from the sky. It crashes into the crowd and traps the two in the rubble of the observation tower. As crews race to reach them, a traumatized Ava reaches out and heals a severely injured Wash. The miraculous feat is captured on video and goes viral, turning the small town of Stone Temple, NC, into a frenzied mess of media, desperate people, and religious leaders. Suddenly, Ava is a "miracle child," and her future is being debated by doctors who want to study her, preachers who want to use her, and her father, the local sheriff, who doesn't know how to handle the sudden fame. Each time Ava heals, she gets weaker, and no one around her seems to see or care except Wash, and her pregnant stepmother, who is terrified of losing another baby. With time running out, Ava's choices will decide the future of her loved ones and how far she's willing to go to save them. VERDICT Mott delivers a poignant tale of love, loss, and miracles with crossover appeal for teen and Christian fiction readers even though religion is not shown in a favorable light through the lens of television ministry. The author's debut, The Returned (2013), was made into the ABC show Resurrection, and this novel has been optioned by Lionsgate for a feature film. Expect high demand where Mott's first book was popular. [See "ALA 2014 Galley Guide Discoveries," Prepub Alert, 6/30/14.]--Melanie C. Duncan, Shurling Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2014
Mott follows up his red-hot debut, The Returned (2013), which has been made into a TV series, with another intriguing novel with a mystical bent. In prose that is elegant in its simplicity and with two winsome 13-year-olds as major characters, Mott's story of a miraculous healing in small-town North Carolina unfolds at a measured pace. Ava and her best friend, Wash, are spectators at an air show when a plane crashes into the crowd. Wash is grievously injured, but when Ava places her hands on him, his wounds close up. Word of the miracle quickly spreads, and the small town is soon inundated with hordes of people hoping for a similar cure. But Ava is unwell, her altruistic act having drained her of energy. Her father, Macon, the town sheriff, is overwhelmed by the hoopla and his daughter's extraordinary gift. Wash proves to be Ava's greatest comfort, singing to her and reading aloud to pass the time. Although Mott doesn't provide many answers about Ava's mysterious abilities, he does a remarkable job of invoking a sense of reverence for the natural world and the wonder of all things. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)