Wild Blues

Starred review from April 16, 2018
Lizzie’s mom has been diagnosed with cancer and needs treatment, and she asks her 13-year-old daughter where she wants to spend the summer. Lizzie chooses to be with her uncle Davy at his renovated schoolhouse cabin in the Adirondacks. Despite her worry over her mother, she is excited to spend time with Uncle Davy, a television star who specializes in antiques, and her friend Matias, an El Salvadoran boy who suffers from proportionate dwarfism and paints beautiful watercolors. Addressing a mysterious listener directly, Lizzie relates the unexpected events that unfold: the kidnapping of her friend and uncle by two convicts escaped from the nearby prison, the steps Lizzie takes to rescue them, and the terrible aftermath of the crime. Lizzie is an honest, heroic character who is fascinated by biology and the world around her. Kephart’s novel features passages told in stirring poetic language and with a sophisticated, descriptive tone: “The shadows between the trees beyond the lake are not always bears or wolves or rats or snakes. The end of the world isn’t always the end.” Lizzie’s story of friendship and family is also one of literary depth; readers will be entranced by this exceptional offering from National Book Award–finalist Kephart. Ages 10–14. Agent: Danielle Smith, Red Fox Literary.

May 15, 2018
Choices and their unpredictable aftermaths form the backbone of Kephart's (This Is the Story of You, 2016, etc.) latest.White, 13-year-old Lizzie's choice to spend the summer in the Adirondacks with Uncle Davy while her mother undergoes cancer treatment is simple. There, she can also visit her "all-year-round friend" Matias, a Salvadoran boy with proportionate dwarfism who's a talented watercolor painter. But when Matias is kidnapped by escapees from a nearby prison, Lizzie makes a harder choice: to rescue him, braving 6 million acres of wilderness alone. Lizzie's adventure unravels in an epic victim-impact statement, which she addresses to a faceless visitor: Caroline, the kidnappers' accomplice. Angry, frantic, insightful, and vividly lyrical, Lizzie's voice densely weaves together the disorienting landscape; memories of her absent, narcissistic father; and Matias' stories of the beauty and danger of the country he fled. Framed in Lizzie's elegies to his "myths" and "light," Matias himself seems more akin to a legendary figure than a person, which lessens the emotional impact of his disappearance despite Lizzie's distress. As Caroline's part in several characters' fates emerges, occasional sympathy for Caroline conflicts with the irreversible consequences of her choices. Readers, like Lizzie, will ponder the possibility of forgiveness; there are no easy answers, but the book ends on a hopeful note. Sulit's illustrations of Matias' postcards appear in full color throughout.Thought-provoking and intense--recommended for patient readers. (Fiction. 11-14)

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June 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-When told to choose her summer adventure, Lizzie chooses her favorite place in the world-her Uncle Davy's mountain cabin and time with her best friend Matias. She would rather stay home with her mother, but her mother's cancer diagnosis and treatments means she really needs to be away for the summer. Everything begins as usual-cooking with her uncle, who works as a celebrity antiques dealer, and enjoying picnics and long conversations with Matias, who has a rare condition that causes a form of dwarfism. Then the unexpected happens. Two prisoners escape from a nearby facility and kidnap Matias. When Lizzie finds her friend missing and only one of his canes, she sets out to find him. Her worried uncle goes in search of Lizzie and Matias and soon, he too disappears. Told as a victim's impact statement, Lizzie's conversational tone to an unknown listener whose identity we discover near the end of the book relates her actions, her emotions, and her anger about what happened. Lizzie is articulate and gutsy. Kephart is at her best in this fast-paced yet introspective novel for younger tweens and teens. VERDICT While the victim impact statement format may take a few chapters for readers to get used to, the superb writing and strong plot make this one a winner.-Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, Denton

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