Out of the Blue

Eight months ago, angellike creatures known as “Beings” started plummeting to Earth and dying on impact. Nobody knows where the Beings are from or why they are crashing, but grieving widower Michael Mackenzie is determined to catch one mid-fall so that he can get some answers. Michael is convinced the next arrival will happen in Edinburgh, so he and his daughters, 16-year-old Jaya and 11-year-old Rani, move there for the summer. Jaya is out for a walk when a Being lands nearby—injured, but alive. Rather than tell her dad and risk the Being’s exploitation, Jaya and her new friends, Allie and Calum, decide to help it heal and send it home. Equal parts humorous fish-out-of-water story and poignant coming-of-age tale, this fantasy-tinged debut from Scottish author Cameron examines questions of faith, agency, morality, and mortality. Mourning her mother, neglected by her father, and rejected by her first-ever girlfriend, Jaya is a vividly sketched, relatable character whose brave decisions encourage readers to embrace life and be true to themselves. Ages 14–up. Agent: Hellie Ogden, Janklow & Nesbit. [em](May) [/em]