Speculation

With an affectionate nod to the works of Edward Eager, Shawl (Everfair, for adults) writes about "magic happening to regular, ordinary kids" in this immersive 1962-set novel that combines the historical and the magical. When their mother is hospitalized with a respiratory malady, 10-year-old Winna Cole and little sister Tupelo stay with their grandparents in Vandalia, a town that once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. After Tupelo inadvertently breaks Winna's glasses, Grampa Carl gives her a pair of silver-framed spectacles that once belonged to her great-aunt Estelle. The glasses contribute a rainbow shimmer to her view of the everyday--and, combined with a speculative phrase and a bit of mist, allow Winna to communicate with Estelle's ghost. The specter quickly asks for help finding Winna's great-uncle Key, whose disappearance as an infant led to a curse that's affecting the ability of the family--including Winna's mother--to "breathe easy." Starring an inquisitive, perceptive protagonist and a supportive cast of adult characters, this intergenerational story underlines themes of family history and inheritance alongside a meditation on ordinary wonders. Protagonists cue as Black. Ages 8--12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Feb.)

Ten-year-old Winna Cole can see ghosts--and they've got a mystery for her to solve. When Winna hears the crunch of her glasses breaking underneath her sister Tupelo's butt, she literally cannot see how she's going to enjoy her time in Vandalia. Fortunately, Grampa Carl held on to a pair of spectacles that belonged to her Great-Aunt Estelle, and they help her communicate with her ancestors on a magical journey to save her mom and herself. You see, as she escaped slavery, Winna's Great-Great Grandmother Winona's firstborn son, Key, was stolen. Her grief was so great that she unwittingly cursed her family to the Burden of the Coles: They will have ill health and no rest in death until Key is returned to her. Now Winna's mother's health is failing, and when Estelle's ghost reveals that Key is still alive, it's up to Winna to find him and bring him home. Shawl imaginatively winds suspense, humor, and loss in this story that shows how the past isn't so far behind us. They also spotlight the troubled blood connections that chattel slavery created across different races and across the country. Through Winna's family, readers see the importance of oral storytelling: The book celebrates it as a shining beacon for those of us who still have elders who can tell stories while offering space to mourn traditions and loved ones we've lost. Provides a new lens to explore histories that can haunt and help us. (author's note, family trees) (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

From Chapter One: Winna walked down the steps and crouched at the bottom. The round pebbles looked pretty, sparkling and polished by the rain. Some she could almost see through, like watery milk. Others had tiny flecks of gold mixed with pink and black. She'd never noticed before how beautiful a regular old driveway could be. It must be the glasses, she decided. "What if they're magic?" she wondered out loud. "What if these are magic spectacles I'm wearing?" There was a sort of shimmer in the corner of her eye. It spread so quickly she didn't have time to be afraid. It was all colors, rainbows flying off the edges of everything, as if diamonds had broken apart. As if the whole world was split into a hundred images of itself, each shining brighter than the last. Then the shimmer was gone. Looking back, Winna realized that this was when the adventure began: that afternoon, in that very moment, when she squatted examining the cool, smooth stones, asking herself what made such ordinary things so great. Wondering out loud if magic had come at last into her life. That was when she was caught up in Speculation. Excerpted from Speculation by Nisi Shawl 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.