The Collectors

September 17, 2018
With an opera singer mother who performs around the world, 11-year-old Van Markson is used to being a new kid, and his taste in books and movies, along with “a tiny blue hearing aid behind each ear,” sometimes set him apart at school. Van is also good at noticing things that other people overlook, and when he spots a girl, accompanied by an “almost silver, very bushy-tailed” squirrel, plunging face-first into a fountain, a series of events draw Van into a magical underground world where he is caught in the middle of a secret war. West (the Books of Elsewhere series) has created a captivating mythology around wishes, including cuddly-turned-dangerous Wish Eaters (not unlike gremlins) as well as thoughtful explorations of power and the unexpected, sometimes negative, consequences of good intentions. Van’s realization that his skill of noticing is a valuable strength, especially when hearing challenges feel to him like a shortcoming, is a gentle, triumphant reminder that being different doesn’t correspond to weakness. First in a planned duology, West’s magical adventure offers humor and warmhearted adventure. Ages 8–12. Agent: Danielle Chiotti, Upstart Crow Literary.

Narrator Ramon de Ocampo pulls listeners into this compelling story of an underground world where wishes come true. Eleven-year-old Van is hearing impaired and uses his other senses to pay close attention to his environment. So he is the only person who notices a girl and a squirrel stealing coins out of a fountain. His discovery that the duo belongs to a secret society that collects wishes to protect their magic propels him into the center of a secret war. As characterized by de Ocampo, the girl's quick, sharp voice contrasts with Van's polite, soft-spoken tones. High-pitched squeaks enhance the believability of the talking squirrel. Most interestingly, listeners hear and decode Van's misheard speech just as he does, increasing our understanding of his hearing challenges. S.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

August 15, 2018
Van, who is hard of hearing and uses hearing aids, discovers the true mission of the City Collection Agency: to collect wayward wishes. One summer in an unnamed North American city, Van spots a girl and a squirrel fishing for a coin that has just been tossed into a fountain by wisher. He soon learns that both girl and squirrel belong to a secret society of people and talking animals who collect and store wishes made as folks toss coins in fountains, extinguish birthday candles, break wishbones, and so forth. Turns out, when uncontained, wishes can come true, and their magic is often chaotic, unpredictable, and dangerous. Van is soon pulled into a power struggle when Mr. Falborg, a fan of Van's opera-singer mother who is also aware of wishing magic, asks Van to find out just what the City Collection Agency has stored away. West states in her acknowledgements that she consulted with several deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and the descriptions of Van's use of hearing aids, his struggles with background noise, and his ability to quickly rethink misheard speech based on context clues ring true. Although the plot gets a little bogged down in comings and goings and a few characters seem extraneous, West has constructed a fast-paced and engrossing tale of a boy wrestling with the consequences of power and responsibility. The book assumes a white default.Readers may not wish to leave this magical world.(Fantasy. 8-12)

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August 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 From the author of The Books of Elsewhere series comes a story about the power of wishes. While waiting for his mom, Van finds a discarded toy and witnesses a girl talk to a squirrel and take coins from a fountain. When he spots the girl again, he follows her into the hidden world of the Collectors, who gather people's wishes. Then he meets Mr. Falborg, who reveals that an entire species is at risk and that the Collectors may be responsible. West captures Van's curiosity and wonder for life, giving his personality an air of innocence. While Van struggles with his hearing, his ability to truly listen takes on magical qualities as he's able to hear the wish-collecting creatures. He finds himself torn between two sides, so he has to learn how to trust himself, discover his bravery, and follow his heart. Aside from magical problems, he also deals with frequent moves, thanks to his opera-singing mom. A brilliant fantasy adventure exploring the consequences of getting what you wish for.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)