WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 77Review_CHILDREN’S
the FBI’s primary suspect. The letters
written by Aulus while captive, addressed
to real-life kidnapping victim Elizabeth
Smart, allow the reader to experience the
boy’s fears and courage. A surprising culprit
is revealed at the heartbreaking, though
hopeful, ending. Stevens takes a good swing
at resolving lost faith and trust while trying
to rebuild the strengths and bonds of family
and friends. Ages 13–up. (Mar.)
Mermaid Moon
Susann Cokal. Candlewick, $22.99 (496p)
ISBN 978-1-5362-0959-4
This immersive retelling of “The Little
Mermaid” follows Sanna, a half-landish
mermaid who leaves her flok to seek her
human mother. Advised by the ancient,
riddle-tongued sea witch Sjældent, Sanna is
bound for the castle ruled by ageless and
unkind Baroness Thyrla, a witch who steals
youth and power from others, even her
infant children. When an accidental display
of magic convinces the local priest and
townsfolk that
Sanna is a mir-
acle worker, she
finds herself
betrothed to
Thyrla’s attrac-
tive but useless
son, but she’s no
closer to finding
her mother or
securing the
undefined trea-
sure that Sjældent requires as payment.
Juxtaposed against the patriarchal culture
wherein Thyrla has amassed and main-
tained power (one in which rape and
infanticide are common), Cokal (The
Kingdom of Little Wounds) creates a well-
developed matriarchal mermaid mythology
in which women couple, bonded by love
and respect, and men are largely unneces-
sary. Through several voices and richly
detailed prose, these markedly different
worlds overlap and diverge to impart a
nuanced exploration of power, family,
faith, and love. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen
Barbara, Inkwell Management. (Mar.)
We Are the Wildcats
Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster, $18.99
(352p) ISBN 978-1-5344-3990-0
Uncontested champions until suffering
a humiliating loss at state finals, the West
Essex High School girls’ field hockey team
faces a new season, and the anger of its once-
revered coach, who seems determined to
punish them for their failure. In the 24
hours leading up to the team’s first scrim-
mage, the desperate coach tries to control
the trajectory of events as six Wildcats share
their love of field hockey, their hopes for
their team and themselves, and their fears
that they don’t belong on the lauded team.
As their first team-bonding sleepover
unfolds, the girls grow increasingly
desperate to prove their dedication while
hiding secrets that could ruin more than
just their season. Using alternating third-
person perspectives and meticulously
unfolding the night’s events hour by hour,
Siobhan (Stay Sweet) conveys both the eve-
ning’s significance to the team’s culture and
the importance of protecting their secrets
while staying loyal to team and coach.
While the girls’ stories culminate in a
satisfactory climax, indistinct voices result
in lengthy chapters that blend together,
slowing what should be a gripping story
of how this team’s integrity, loyalty, and
honor challenge a toxic coach’s controlling
tactics. Ages 14–up. Agent: Emily van Beek,
Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Mar.)The Winter Duke
Claire Eliza Bartlett. Little, Brown, $17.99
(432p) ISBN 978-0-316-41734-1
In this queer fairy tale reminiscent of
Sleeping Beauty, Ekaterina Avenko, 16,
would rather move south and study
medicine than remain in her family’s ice
palace and compete with her 12 murderous
siblings for Kylma Above’s throne. After
much begging, she persuades her father,
the Grand Duke, to let her leave; his only
stipulation is that she wait until after her
oldest brother, heir-elect Lyosha, chooses a
consort. Eligible royals assemble, but before
Lyosha can select one, every Avenko
excepting Ekata falls into an unawakenable
sleep. To maintain stability and forestall
unwanted advances from her power-hungry
foster brother, Ekata ascends as Grand
Duke and picks a bride—fierce, outspoken
Inkar Erlyfsson—from those assembled.
She hopes to help create a cure for her fami-
ly’s illness, then discovers that they’ve been
cursed using magic. Bartlett (We Rule the
Night) delivers a feminist fantasy fraught
with tension and political intrigue. Sketchy
worldbuilding occasionally confuses, andnot every plot twist rings true, but esca-
lating stakes and an adrenaline-fueled
pace keep the pages turning, while sharply
drawn characters illustrate that there’s more
than one way to lead. Ages 14–up. Agent:
Kurestin Armada, P.S. Literary. (Mar.)Nonfiction
A Sporting Chance:
How Ludwig Guttmann
Created the Paralympic Games
Lori Alexander, illus. by Allan Drummond.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99 (128p)
ISBN 978-1-328-58079-5
Alexander (All in a Drop) brings her
accessible storytelling to this well-
researched account of the man behind
today’s Paralympic Games. Jewish neurol-
ogist Ludwig Guttmann escaped Hitler’s
Germany to Britain and later founded a
spinal injuries treatment center for
wounded soldiers. Fourteen short chapters
seamlessly flesh out Guttmann’s life and
detail how his radical-for-the-time treat-
ment plans—which included occupa-
tional therapy and sports such as archery
and wheelchair basketball—helped
patients formerly known as “incurables” to
live and thrive. Competitions he organized
for patients who had paraplegia later
evolved into the Paralympics. Illustrated
vignettes by Drummond (Pedal Power), as
well as numerous archival photos and
simple medical diagrams, keep the narra-
tive moving apace, though some, including
a cartoon-style soldier struck by shrapnel,
appear lighthearted for the subject matter;
sidebars detail paraplegia, the nervous
system, and the historical treatment of
people with disabilities. Brief portraits of
six Paralympic medalists conclude this
inspirational biography, which high-
lights the power of sport to motivate and
heal while demonstrating how the dedi-
cation of one pioneering doctor continues
to mean a life-changing difference for
many. A timeline, extensive bibliography,
and index are included. Final art not seen
by PW. Ages 7–10. Author’s agent: Kathleen
Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)Love Your Body
Jessica Sanders, illus. by Carol Rossetti. Frances
Lincoln, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7112-5242-4
Originally published in Australia with