Dirty Wings

Gr 10 Up—In this lyrical and romantic coming-of-age tale of friendship, rebellion, and identity, McCarry has penned a prequel to her debut, All Our Pretty Songs (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013). Teenage Maia, a gifted pianist, has lived a sheltered life under the eye of her watchful mother, while Cassie, a free-spirited runaway, exists without rules or boundaries. When the two meet, an all-consuming friendship sparks between them, as Cassie urges Maia to shed her constricted existence in favor of Cassie's more decadent lifestyle: punk rock concerts, goth outfits, and boys. The narrative leaps forward and backward in time, focusing on two periods: Maia and Cassie as they first meet ("Then") and after they've run off together ("Now"). Though the book is presented as a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Demeter, it's a very loose reshaping that readers who aren't paying close attention to the clues—or who aren't familiar with Greek mythology—may easily miss. While the trope of the innocent girl longing for escape and adventure isn't new, the characters are well developed, and Maia and Cassie have strong voices. McCarry's hauntingly beautiful, darkly poetic language is her strength, and a sense of magical realism pervades the narrative throughout, hinting at danger lurking on the periphery. Fans of Francesca Lia Block's works, such as I Was a Teenage Fairy (1998), the "Weetzie Bat" books, and The Rose and the Beast (2000, all HarperCollins) will devour McCarry's sensual prose.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal