After Hello

July 16, 2012
Seventeen-year-old Sara’s first trip to New York City, accompanying her father on a business trip, turns into 24 hours she will never forget. An amateur photographer, Sara walks around the city taking pictures; when a boy named Sam wanders into her lens, she is intrigued by him and follows him on his missions to find and trade things for people. They deliver a book to a demanding movie star, who threatens to fire Sam’s brother (who works for her) unless Sara brings her a one-of-a-kind piece of art by the end of the day. As Sam and Sara travel from St. John the Divine Cathedral to Central Park and Times Square, they meet a string of artists and musicians and reluctantly discuss their turbulent pasts. Moving smoothly from fantasy into realistic
fiction, Mangum (the Hourglass Door trilogy) alternates between the two teenagers’ perspectives, creating a tense and believable romance. Sam and Sara’s searching, thoughtful conversations form the heart of this story about letting go of the past and gaining the
freedom to become an artist. Ages 13–up.

October 1, 2012
Grades 7-10 Alone for one day in New York City while her dad is in meetings, Sara feels dejected and abandoned. Then she chances upon Sam, whose knack for trading up to get what he needs enchants her and pulls her into a quest for a piece of art to satisfy the tempestuous starlet who employs Sam's brother. Sam exchanges item for item and in doing so makes people happy, along the way introducing Sara to people unlike anyone she knows back home in Arizona. Naturally, while all of this is going on, Sara and Sam trade bits of their stories, too. The New York backdrop for Sam and Sara's 24-hour adventure is one full of art and energy and promise. But even in a city where anything can happen, Sam and Sara can't escape the reality of their pasts, leaving their futuresand the book's finishopen-ended. This emotional realism grounds the fantastical day and gives heft to the story. Fans of Maureen Johnson and the Cohn-Levithan collaborations will find this vibrant story satisfying.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)