When Giants Burn

Vrabel (Lies I Tell Myself) spins a poignant love letter to friendship and a harrowing survival tale in this gripping read. Neither Gerty nor Hayes, both white-cued sixth graders in Rabbit, Utah, think that their participation in their school guidance counselor’s “safe space” lunches, meant to help them practice their social skills, is necessary. As their forced proximity blossoms into real friendship, however, Gerty shows Hayes her most prized and secret possession: an ultralight airplane she is building alone in her grandmother’s barn. Hayes—who is adapting to life with his mother, recently released from prison, while navigating anxious thoughts about ending up alone—welcomes Gerty’s friendship and is fascinated by her survivalist parents. When Gerty’s family announces sudden plans to move off the grid, she and Hayes endeavor to pilot the ultralight at least once before their imminent separation. But the short, spontaneous trip quickly becomes a fight for their lives against injury, illness, forest fires, and unexpected criminal activity. Via Hayes and Gerty’s riveting alternating narratives, Vrabel carefully unspools the history of each tween’s personal trauma and interrogates the necessity of community and forgiveness in working through internal conflicts and surviving external challenges. Ages 8–12. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (June)