Plus One

February 17, 2014
In a world divided into Day and Night—less designations of time than of social class—Sol and her older brother, Ciel, are the surviving children of “equal-opportunity terrorists” who sought to overthrow this schism. Born as Smudges, or denizens of Night, they are separated when Ciel is arrested and, shockingly, offered reassignment to Day for his computer skills. Sol’s story begins when she hears that Ciel has fathered a child. Their dying grandfather longs to hold the baby, but Ciel has turned his back on the family. In Sol, Fama (Monstrous Beauty) creates not a revolutionary, but a sullen rebel without a cause except the love of her grandfather; her wild scheme to kidnap her brother’s child has repercussions far beyond one family’s estrangement. Abetted unwillingly by a Day boy, D’Arcy, Sol staggers and dashes through the checkpoints and barriers of a corrupt social order, mayhem ballooning around her. Fama smoothly unspools the details of her alternate Earth’s history in conversational flashbacks that never impede the brisk pacing, yet enhance the sense of connection with her very human characters. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

April 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-In the alternative reality of Fama's plot-driven latest, American society has been divided into "Smudges," people who are awake at night, and "Rays," privileged individuals who get to live during the day. Sixteen-year-old Sol le Coeur is a factory-working Smudge who is willing to risk everything to make sure her ill grandfather holds his great granddaughter before he dies. Her plan lands her in the care of a young Ray medical apprentice, handsome D'Arcy Benoit. Sol's mission goes awry when she accidentally kidnaps the son of the Night Minister. She and D'Arcy are thrown together on a romance-laced adventure that takes them from the caves of a nature preserve to the steam tunnels of Chicago University. As they run from the authorities, the teens uncover government and family secrets. At times, the language can be awkward or clumsy (e.g., "Thousands of years of this running water must have carved the cave, with a serene patience that only nature and cancer victims had."), and Sol and D'Arcy are not particularly memorable heroes-dystopian fans have seen their likes before. With this title, it's the breakneck-paced story, which takes place over the course of a few days, and characters such as the Noma (F-bomb-dropping, heavy-makeup wearing rebels) that will keep readers invested until the cliff-hanger ending.-Chelsey Philpot, formerly at School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 In an alternate present, an epidemic has divided the world into Night and Day. America has segregated into Smudges (those who live and work at night) and Rays (daytime dwellers). Sol Le Coeur is a Smudge who wants to give her dying grandfather something special: a chance to meet his great-granddaughter. Sol's brother was reassigned to Day years ago, so Sol devises a scheme to kidnap her Ray niece just before curfew. But when the plan goes awry, she is thrown together with Ray medical apprentice D'Arcy Benoit, and together they uncover a dangerous government plot concerning the Smudge population. From the start, the story sends the reader right into the action and slowly unveils backstory as to why the U.S. moved to such segregation. Told over the course of just a few days, the plot's twists and surprises make for an eventful read. Bonus: a backstory to the romance, adds more depth than in the typical love-at-first-sight tale. A vividly imagined adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)