WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 65Review_CHILDREN’S
(The Unbroken Hearts Club), spirited Runa
Unnursdóttir, 17, undertakes a rescue
mission to save her sibling and the lives
of her fellow villagers. Raised by her
older sister, Sýr, since their mother’s
death, Ru suffers from eye problems and
feels isolated from and excluded by her
peers. Though Sýr is a skilled runecaster,
and keeper of the magical moonstone that
brings prosperity to their village, bad
luck plagues Ru’s own attempts at rune
magic. Nor is the moonstone as useful as
it once was: its powers are weakening,
and Sýr must leave to refresh it in a mag-
ical ceremony. When Sýr is kidnapped
after a neighboring village attacks, Ru
enlists the assistance of a Valkyrie and a
half-elven enemy to win back the moon-
stone and save her sister. Though the novel’s
setting in a magical alternate Iceland
results in evocative atmospherics and
cultural references, expository prose
hampers pacing and character develop-
ment progresses abruptly: the protago-
nist transitions too quickly from
expressing deep-rooted insecurities to
aggressive confidence. Empathy is a
major theme, and a queer relationship
and a nonbinary character are inclusive
additions to the novel. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)
Don’t Call the Wolf
Aleksandra Ross. HarperTeen, $18.99 (512p)
ISBN 978-0-06-287797-0
Ross’s uneven Polish folklore-inspired
debut opens 17 years after a seemingly
invincible Golden Dragon kills Kamien ́a’s
royals and slaughters its military, facili-
tating invasion by assorted monsters. Lynx/
human shapeshifter Ren, 17, endeavors to
protect the forest animals who made her
their queen but believes the Golden
Dragon is causing evil to spread. Enter
Lukasz Smoków, 21, who hails from a
legendary clan of dragon slayers called the
Wolf-Lords. Having nearly died while
battling an Apofys dragon, Lukasz wants
to return home to the mountains, like his
brothers before him, but doesn’t know the
way, as he left when he was four. Ren dis-
trusts humans, who have been cruel to her
and her friends, but out of desperation, she
strikes a deal: if Lukasz will slay her dragon,
she will guide him home. Formulaic
plotting slows the narrative, and though
Lukasz and the beings who accompany
them lack complexity, robbing the tale of
emotional heft, Ross delivers a fierce, fully
fleshed heroine and a richly textured fan-
tasy with a kind heart. Includes a pronun-
ciation guide. Ages 13–up. Agent: Brent
Taylor, TriadaUS. (Apr.)Man Up
Kim Oclon. Trism, $12.95 paper (240p)
ISBN 978-0-9993886-3-1
David Lukas is a varsity baseball player
at Lincoln High School, and between his
construction worker father’s long-term
unemployment, his college prospects, and
the homophobic team bully outing him as
gay, he’s got a lot going on. Though his best
friend, Mike, doesn’t handle the outing
well, David finds compassion and kindness
directed his way from people he’d never
considered friends before, and with support
from his boyfriend, Tyler, he decides to take
ownership of his own story and be proud of
who he is and who he loves. Though not
everyone is in David’s corner, even some
adults who are otherwise uncomfortable
discussing sexuality stand against discrimi-
nation and hate. It’s not easy for him to
ignore the whispers and rumor-mongering,
especially in the locker room, but with his
coach’s support, David is able to focus on
the sport he loves. Interspersed with inter-
stitials by Tyler, David’s narrations is down-
to-earth and relatable, particularly for teens
who live in places without large LGBTQ
communities. Students preparing for the
leap from high school to college in partic-
ular will find plenty to identify with. Ages
14–17. Agent: Tina Schwartz, the Purcell
Agency. (Apr.)Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me
Gae Polisner. Wednesday, $18.99 (288p)
ISBN 978-1-250-31223-5
In this coming-of-age story set on Long
Island, the tropical butterflies Jean Louise
(JL) raises become a central metaphor for
the changes she undergoes during her
10th-grade year. JL wistfully remembers
the simple, happy days of her childhood,
when she visited the planetarium with her
“weirdo hippy parents” and trusted her best
friend, Aubrey, with secrets. Now things
are different. JL’s father has been gone for
18 months on an extended business trip to
California, and her mother’s fragile mental
state has steadily declined, signified by the
letters she writes and mails to dead author
Jack Kerouac, JL’s namesake. JL has alsogrown away from Aubrey; she disapproves
of Max, an older boy who calls JL “Jailbait”
and offers to take her with him when he
heads out to California on his motorcycle.
Juxtaposing childhood flashbacks against
present-day scenes en route to a too-tidy
ending, Polisner (In Sight of Stars) creates
a mosaic of visceral images and moods,
including emotional and physical longing,
as JL navigates the uncomfortable terrain
between adolescence and adulthood. Ages
14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel,
Goderich & Bourret. (Apr.)Little Universes
Heather Demetrios. Holt, $17.99 (480p)
ISBN 978-1-250-22279-4
Seventeen-year-old sisters Mae and
Hannah narrate the tumultuous year fol-
lowing their parents’ death by tsunami in
this overlong tale of sisterhood and survival
by Demetrios (Bad Romance). Both sisters
enter into the event with existing trauma:
Mae was adopted as a three-year old “after
my biological mother officially chose drugs
over me,” while Hannah struggles with an
opiate pill addiction and unresolved grief
over an abortion. Uprooted from California
to an aunt and uncle’s Boston home, they
resume familiar patterns, with poetic,
tarot-card-loving Hannah using and
contemplating
suicide, and
analytical,
aspiring astro-
naut Mae
willing to sacri-
fice her dreams
to help her
sister. Both
wrestle with
feelings of
worthlessness:
Hannah thinks she’s a “loser piece-of-shit
junkie,” while Mae’s fear of abandonment
(“Everyone I love leaves me”) leads her to
control rather than trust. While the sisters’
extensive self-analysis and parallel romantic
problems (each finds a doting potential
boyfriend whom they hold at arm’s length)
can feel repetitious, Demetrios skillfully
illustrates the pain of addiction and
challenge of recovery for a whole family, as
well as the emotional turmoil that follows
a sudden death. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jess
Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (Apr.)