86 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ JULY 29, 2019
Review_CHILDREN’S
moments of social awkwardness and tri-
umph throughout the novel, which
delivers a worthy, if overstated, message
about teamwork, friendship, finding a
way to use one’s voice effectively, and
learning from mistakes. Final art not seen
by PW. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)★ Roll with It
Jamie Sumner. Atheneum, $17.99 (256p)
ISBN 978-1-5344-4255-9
Headstrong 12-year-old Lily “Ellie”
Cowan loves to bake. Diagnosed with
cerebral palsy at birth, Ellie heads to the
kitchen when she gets frustrated with her
overprotective mom, her hovering full-
time aide, and her absent father. After
Ellie’s grandfather, who has dementia,
drives his car into the local supermarket,
Ellie and her mom pack up their Nashville
home and move into her grandparents’ tiny
trailer in Eufaula, Okla. Soon, Ellie meets
free-spirited neighbor Coralee and eccentric
schoolmate Bert; their acceptance helps
her to cope with her new school, which is
far from wheelchair-friendly. Drawing on
her own experiences with her son, who has
cerebral palsy, debut author Sumner doesn’t
sugarcoat Ellie’s daily challenges—social,
emotional, and physical—including
navigating showers and crowded classrooms.
Sumner also makes it clear that Ellie is a
regular kid who dreams of becoming a
chef, which is conveyed partly through
letters that Ellie writes to various culinary
experts throughout the book. In addition,
Sumner deftly explores universal difficul-
ties of fitting in and following one’s pas-
sions. Ellie is easy to champion, and her
story reminds readers that life’s burdens
are always lighter with friends and
family—and a good piece of pie—at the
ready. Ages 10–up. Agent: Keely Boeving,
WordServe Literary. (Oct.)★ The Fountains of Silence
Ruta Sepetys. Philomel, $18.99 (512p)
ISBN 978-0-399-16031-8
Sepetys (Salt to the Sea) again deftly
explores a painful chapter in history, this
time Franco’s Madrid. In 1957, 18-year-
old Daniel, an aspiring photojournalist
from Texas, visits Spain with his Spanish
mother and American oil tycoon father.
After arriving, he hones his lens on the
culture, in some cases capturing forbidden
images that earn the wrath of the men-acing Guardia
Civil, and he
forms a relation-
ship with his
enigmatic hotel
attendant, Ana,
and her family,
who are barely
surviving, in
stark contrast
to Daniel’s fam-
ily’s affluence.
The tension heightens as a mystery
involving orphans unfolds and Daniel and
Ana’s magnetic romance progresses. The
novel revolves around Ana’s brother, Rafa,
a bullfighting promoter; her cousin Puri,
who works at an orphanage; a lecherous
American ambassador; and an experienced
newspaper bureau chief, who mentors
Daniel. Sepetys skillfully conveys Spain’s
atmosphere under Franco—who limited
women’s rights and squelched rebellion—
with a pervasive feeling of fear and eco-
nomic oppression. Compelling primary
source materials, such as memos from U.S.
presidents, oral history excerpts, and even
hotel brochures, precede some chapters
and contextualize the narrative. This
gripping, often haunting historical novel
offers a memorable portrait of fascist
Spain. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)The End and Other Beginnings:
Stories from the Future
Veronica Roth. HarperCollins/Tegen, $18.99
(272p) ISBN 978-0-06-279652-3
In this combination of reprints and
original stories, Roth (The Fates Divide)
explores, as she expresses in a letter to
reviewers, “that pivotal moment when
something ends—often painfully...
creat[ing] space for new beginnings.” To
that end, the six pieces collected represent
a mix of settings, themes, and tones. In
“Inertia,” a young woman uses technology
in the wake of a car accident to share in
her former best friend’s last memories.
“The Spinners” focuses on a teenage
bounty hunter driven by a death to hunt
parasitic aliens. In “Hearken,” Darya
must choose between hearing music that
defines someone’s life or their death.
“Vim and Vigor” examines the impact on
a group of friends after they lose one of
their own. And both “Armored Ones” and
“The Transformationist” tie into Roth’sCarve the Mark universe, showcasing
characters at critical moments, including
Teka, who plans to kill the dreaded Cyra
Noavek. In these stories, Roth invokes
romance, action, family, revenge, and loss.
Mostly standalone save for the last two, they
serve as an introduction to Roth’s work
and a showcase of her versatility, though
existing fans will get the most out of these
offerings. Ages 13–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe,
New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)Full Disclosure
Camryn Garrett. Knopf, $18.99 (320p)
ISBN 978-1-9848-2995-5
New school, new friends, new crush,
same old secret. Simone Garcia-Hampton,
a black 17-year-old, is HIV-positive. And
though she’s healthy, she knows how people
react when they find out; bullying and
other negative reactions are why she left
her old school. But just as she’s settling
in, directing the school play—the appo-
site Rent—and maybe starting a relation-
ship, she starts getting notes threatening
to reveal her HIV status. College-age
author Garrett portrays an authentic
sense of young adult sexuality in Simone,
who is both knowledgeable about sex
(masturbation and vibrators are both
frankly discussed) and unsure about it.
She also creates strong characters in
Simone’s nontraditional family: her sup-
portive, loving fathers (Pops is black; Dad
is Latino) adopted her at birth. The plot
mechanics grow a bit heavy-handed toward
the book’s conclusion, and love interest
Miles, always willing to listen to musical
theater trivia and unafraid to show his
feelings, can seem a bit too perfect. But
the idea that even purportedly open-
minded Bay Area parents freak out about
the presence of an HIV-positive student
feels all too believable, and readers will
root for sympathetic Simone in this
frankly sex-positive debut. Ages 14–up.
Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Oct.)★ The Last True Poets of the Sea
Julia Drake. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99 (400p)
ISBN 978-1-368-04808-8
In a strong debut loosely based on
Twelfth Night, 16-year-old Violet’s family
splinters after her brother Sam’s suicide
attempt. Their parents enter counseling
at home in New York City, Sam heads to
Vermont for treatment, and party girl