Wishbone

Thirteen-year-old Ollie Di Costa wishes he had more friends. He also wishes he and his older sister Mia had a less tumultuous home life, and that he could find books starring “demiboys” like him. When he’s sent home early from school following an altercation with a bully, an initially idyllic afternoon beach picnic with Mia becomes a real-life horror movie—thin, black vines appear from the sand and drag Ollie into an alternate world where birds and bugs fly backward. There, he encounters an injured cat with two tails that he determines to save. Boy and cat are approached by a terrifying man, but before the stranger can make good on his threats, Mia drags Ollie (and the feline) back through the sand portal. Upon returning home with their charge, which they name Wishbone, Ollie and Mia soon learn that their new pet can grant wishes. But there’s a price—one that steadily increases—and paying it may be more trouble than their desires are worth. Winans (The Otherwoods) delivers a magical, high-octane adventure and a perceptive examination of queerness and fear in this empathetic novel. Through Ollie’s confronting demons both mortal and paranormal, Winans highlights how queer kids move through the world and how tight-knit found family dynamics—and the support they bring—are integral to their growth. Characters are intersectionality diverse. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Sept.)