Fly by Night

Gr 7 Up–After her parents divorced six years earlier, Dee moved across the country with her dad, leaving behind her mom and Beth, her twin sister. Beth’s mysterious disappearance brings Dee and her dad back to New Jersey. Authorities turn up nothing, so Dee, distraught over the distance that had grown between her and her sister, searches for clues, starting with Beth’s boyfriend Lucas. Meanwhile, the Redline Central Gas Company plans to gut the pinelands surrounding the area. New owner Marshall Monroe is playing dirty, bribing local community leaders to approve the plans for his new pipeline, and Dee joins her friend Tobi in protesting the company’s actions. Dee believes that Redline may have something to do with her sister’s disappearance after Lucas gives her Beth’s old binder, which is full of information taken from the company’s headquarters. But when Dee and Lucas venture into the woods to trace Beth’s steps, Dee finds herself alone and Lucas gone. She realizes that these woods hold the secrets and answers to her sister’s true fate, as well as the key to protecting the town she has grown to love. In this blend of magical realism and environmental thriller, O’Connor weaves together an emotionally charged story of two sisters with urban legend. Her artwork uses thick brushstrokes, which evoke a sense of mystery yet convey Dee’s hope in dire circumstances. Though the narrative is intriguing and relevant, it introduces many themes that at times distract from the central plot. Dee and Beth’s last name implies that they and their family are Latinx.