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In the Shadow of Blackbirds

ebook
A teenager navigates a world of disease and war in a novel that “deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance . . . atmospheric and eerie” (School Library Journal).
 
Finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award
 
In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.
 
“[An] unconventional and unflinching look at one of the darkest patches of American history. More than anything, this is a story of the breaking point between sanity and madness, delivered in a straightforward and welcoming teen voice.” —Booklist (starred review)
 
“Masterful. . . . an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A rare kind of wartime story, a rare kind of love story, and a rare kind of story altogether.” —The Guardian

Expand title description text
Publisher: ABRAMS, Inc.
Awards:

Kindle Book

  • Release date: May 23, 2023

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781613124598
  • Release date: May 23, 2023

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781613124598
  • File size: 4497 KB
  • Release date: May 23, 2023

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Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

Languages

English

Levels

ATOS Level:5.3
Lexile® Measure:800
Interest Level:9-12(UG)
Text Difficulty:3-4

A teenager navigates a world of disease and war in a novel that “deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance . . . atmospheric and eerie” (School Library Journal).
 
Finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award
 
In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.
 
“[An] unconventional and unflinching look at one of the darkest patches of American history. More than anything, this is a story of the breaking point between sanity and madness, delivered in a straightforward and welcoming teen voice.” —Booklist (starred review)
 
“Masterful. . . . an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A rare kind of wartime story, a rare kind of love story, and a rare kind of story altogether.” —The Guardian

Expand title description text
  • Details

    Publisher:
    ABRAMS, Inc.

    Awards:

    Kindle Book
    Release date: May 23, 2023

    OverDrive Read
    ISBN: 9781613124598
    Release date: May 23, 2023

    EPUB ebook
    ISBN: 9781613124598
    File size: 4497 KB
    Release date: May 23, 2023

  • Creators
  • Formats
    Kindle Book
    OverDrive Read
    EPUB ebook
  • Languages
    English
  • Levels
    ATOS Level: 5.3
    Lexile® Measure: 800
    Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
    Text Difficulty: 3-4
  • Reviews
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