City of Light, City of Dark: A Comic Book Novel

One of the most versatile YA novelists of the day teams up with first-time illustrator Floca to produce first-rate science fiction in comic-book form. After outlining an altered version of New York City's history, the elaborately plotted saga shows how, through courage and cunning, two preteens, Carlos and Estella, and Estella's clairvoyant mother thwart a power-hungry villain and thereby prevent Manhattan from turning to ice. Against backdrops of neon lights, circling pigeons, abandoned subway stations and storefronts, Avi and Floca dynamically convey a timeless tale of good versus evil. Brilliantly parodying the superhero cartoons of old, this myth conceived in the same spirit as Who Was That Masked Man Anyway? is sure to be a hit with reluctant and advanced readers alike. Ages 9-up. (Oct.)