Magic Street

Things are not what they appear; this African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles has a gateway to fairyland. When Mack Street makes the scene as an abandoned baby, peculiar things are set to happen as he learns to pass between worlds. Mirron E.Willis takes charge of this urban fantasy from the first word to the last. With a cast of characters ranging from an uptight professor and a young street preacher to a modern-day Puck and a fairy queen, Willis has a grand time with street talk, straight talk, and sweet jive talk. He makes strong use of cadence, tone, and timing to bring this neighborhood to life. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 30, 2005
The residents of Baldwin Hills, a middle-class African-American L.A. neighborhood, get caught up in a battle between the king and the queen of the fairies in this wonderful urban fantasy from Card (Seventh Son
). Mack Street, who was abandoned as an infant, grows up to be a sweet but strange but sweet boy. No one could imagine how he is connected to "Bag Man," who lives in an invisible house at the opening to Fairyland and can temporarily force anyone to happily do his bidding, or to a darkly mysterious "motorcycle riding hoochie mama," who seduces men with a touch and has big plans for Baldwin Hills. Not even Cecil "Ceese" Tucker, who found Mack in a shopping bag, can believe that the neighbors' most secret desires are flowing into Mack's dreams, occasionally dripping out and becoming true in a horrifically twisted fashion. When a young swimmer who wishes she were a fish is found drowning in her father's waterbed, magic is never suspected. But once everyone knows the truth, what will they do about it? The ways that the mundane and fantastic intersect are completely believable, and the characters crackle with personality and attitude. Crisp, clean writing creates a vivid sense of place and plugs readers into a story they won't want to see end. Agent, Barbara Bova. 8-city author tour
.