Kacen Callender

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GZLA

HURRICANE CHILD

March 2018, Scholastic, 224 pp

A lyrical, debut middle grade novel with a touch of magical realism and LGBTQ+ themes, about first friendship, first love, and finding self-acceptance from National Book Award winning author Kacen Callender.

12-year-old Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child, having been born during a hurricane in the US Virgin Islands which is said to be a sign of bad luck. Caroline has certainly had her share: she’s hated by her classmates and was abandoned by her mother years before. She can also see things others can’t—at least until the new girl Kalinda crosses her path, who can see the same ghostly figures as Caroline. In the midst of a building hurricane and while discovering a crush on her new classmate despite the local homophobia, Caroline sets out to find her mother—and answers—once and for all.

STARRED REVIEWS

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY – “Callender’s debut enriches the growing body of LGBTQ fiction for upper-elementary- and middle-school students. Visceral, pensive, and memorable.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “An excellent and nuanced coming-of-age tale with a dash of magical realism for readers who enjoy character-driven novels, especially those with middle grade LGBTQ+ characterizations.”

KIRKUS – “Embedding [their] appealing protagonist in a fully realized Caribbean setting, Callender has readers rooting for Caroline the whole way.”

ACCOLADES

  • 2019 Stonewall Book Award
  • 2019 Lambda Literary Award
  • An American Booksellers Association “Indies Introduce” Pick of Winter/Spring 2018
  • ALA Rainbow List
  • Kirkus Best Children’s Books of 2018
  • SLJ’s Best Books of 2018
  • ALA Top 10 First Novels for Youth of 2018

INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS

SpanishKakao Books
UKScholastic UK

DRAMATIC RIGHTS

Please contact Addison Duffy at UTA.

NOTE: Sold at auction.