After Hello

Seventeen-year-old Sara’s first trip to New York City, accompanying her father on a business trip, turns into 24 hours she will never forget. An amateur photographer, Sara walks around the city taking pictures; when a boy named Sam wanders into her lens, she is intrigued by him and follows him on his missions to find and trade things for people. They deliver a book to a demanding movie star, who threatens to fire Sam’s brother (who works for her) unless Sara brings her a one-of-a-kind piece of art by the end of the day. As Sam and Sara travel from St. John the Divine Cathedral to Central Park and Times Square, they meet a string of artists and musicians and reluctantly discuss their turbulent pasts. Moving smoothly from fantasy into realistic fiction, Mangum (the Hourglass Door trilogy) alternates between the two teenagers’ perspectives, creating a tense and believable romance. Sam and Sara’s searching, thoughtful conversations form the heart of this story about letting go of the past and gaining the freedom to become an artist. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)