Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly every day, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
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ELLIE BOUGHT THE LIFE-SIZED plastic skull at a garage sale (the goth neighbours were moving to Salem, and they could not fit an entire Halloween warehouse into their black van). ONE
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(@LevineQuerido, 25 August 2020, 362 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I bought this because it was recommended on some website or another. The price was always too high on Amazon, about £11 which I won't pay for a Kindle book. I snapped it up when it was recently on offer and I'm glad I did. The book straddles middle-aged and young adult which I read a lot of anyway so had no issue with this. I thought this was a terrific read, a blend of reality, myth and fantasy. The book is quite dark at times but not overly-so. I'd recommend this.
