Hurricane Child

Title:

Hurricane Child

Author:

Kacen Callender

Subject:

Girls & Women

Juvenile Fiction

Date:

2018-03-27

Summary

Lambda Literary Award Winner: "Lush descriptions bring the Caribbean environment to vivid life . . . An excellent and nuanced coming-of-age tale." -- School Library Journal A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and Winner of the Stonewall Book Award Being born during a hurricane is considered unlucky where twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy lives, and she has had her share of bad luck lately. She's hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. A spirit only she can see won't stop following her. And--worst of all--Caroline's mother left home one day and never came back.But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline's luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline's first and only friend--and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush. Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother--before Caroline loses her forever."Absorbing descriptions of the island . . . a folkloric tale about overcoming old narratives and creating new ones." -- Publishers Weekly "Callender draws readers in and makes them identify with Caroline's angst and sorrow and joy and pain [and] has readers rooting for Caroline the whole way." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Author Notes

Kacen Callender is a bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels for children, teens, and adults, including King and the Dragonflies , winner of the National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Honor and Lambda Literary Award and Hurricane Child , winner of the Lambda Literary Award and Stonewall Honor Award, and the bestselling novel Felix Ever After. They live in US Virgin Islands.

Reviews (2)

Horn Book Review

Twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy, who lives on tiny Water Island near St. Thomas, is certain that she is cursed, and she may be right. Born inauspiciously during a hurricanea portent of bad luckCaroline was left behind with her father when her mother left without explanation. With the darkest skin and the thickest hair in the whole Catholic school, Caroline is bullied by classmates and teachers alike. She is also haunted by a spirita woman in black that only Caroline can see. Things finally begin to change for the better when new student Kalinda arrives from Barbados and instantly charms everyone, including Caroline. The immediacy of Carolines present-tense narration thoroughly immerses readers in an emotional tempest. Desperation to mend her broken family meets the rising tide of her crush on Kalinda as Caroline struggles to confront her feelings and the truth about her mothers departure. Callenders debut masterfully deploys the rich landscape of Caribbean life and is trenchant in its portrayal of the cruel reality of prejudice alongside the fragility and resilience of inner strength. Fans of Tracey Baptistes The Jumbies will find similar thoughtful exploration of island identities and nuanced themes of difference, belonging, and family. anastasia m. Collins (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* One year and three months have passed since Caroline's mother left her behind on Water Island, adjacent to Saint Thomas. Did she desert her because she doesn't love her, or is it possible that the strange spirit Caroline keeps seeing, the woman in black, is involved in her disappearance? Caroline finds a true friend in Kalinda, a rare new girl who arrives on the island from Barbados, though for Caroline, their connection runs deeper than mere friendship. But it's not only that Kalinda can see the spirits, too it's everything about Kalinda, and soon Caroline harbors an all-consuming crush . . . or could it be love? Caroline and Kalinda's quest leads to stunning revelations that shatter Caroline's conception of her mother. Set against the richly evoked backdrop of the Caribbean, Callender's novel captures the exquisite agony and pain that accompany rejection and abandonment. Caroline's search for answers provides a steady through line for the story, but it's the deeper questioning and reflection that set this book apart. Whether Caroline is contemplating the way religion is invoked to address same-sex attraction or the possibility of multiple realities existing alongside one another, the inner workings of her mind pay homage to the complexity of being 12. Callender's debut enriches the growing body of LGBTQ fiction for upper-elementary- and middle-school students. Visceral, pensive, and memorable.--Barnes, Jennifer Copyright 2018 Booklist

Excerpts

My ma's voice is rough and low. When she speaks to strangers on the telephone, they call her "sir." I guess it must be surprising to some people, the way her voice sounds, because she's so beautiful--just about the prettiest woman you've ever seen--but I think it suits her just fine. I love the way her rough voice vibrates through the air like a beat on a drum. She sings around the house. Under her breath, since people say her voice is so ugly all the time. Why you wanna fly, Blackbird? That's the song that's stuck in my head now. You ain't never gonna fly. ***Kalinda walks into the room, head as high as ever, taking her time smiling and greeting everyone in the room. She leaves me for last, but I know it's only because she has the most to say to me. She takes someone else's seat beside me and takes my hand and tells me that I would never believe what has happened. Excerpted from Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.