The Kid

Following his parents’ deaths in 1881, 14-year-old Henry is ready to do whatever it takes to keep him and his younger brothers together on the family farm. Henry strikes a deal with local sheriff Quigley: if Henry can use his writing talents to get rid of outlaws, the sheriff won’t report his parents’ deaths to the state. And so begin the tales of the Kid, whose stories Henry sells to editor Herbert at Gunslinger magazine to keep him and his siblings afloat and evildoers away from his Destiny, Colo., hometown. Soon, the Kid becomes the most legendary gunslinger to ever drink sarsaparilla. His visage graces the cover of every magazine because stories of his adventures make the big bucks. Everything is going according to plan until outlaw Snake-Eye Sam escapes from Arkansas State Penitentiary and vows to kill the Kid to prove that he’s the “fastest gun in the West.” Debut author Schill employs the high-octane setting of the Wild West to levy harsh depictions of the realities of Henry’s everyday caring for his brothers. The Kid’s adventures are woven throughout alongside Henry, Herbert, and Snake-Eye Sam’s atmospheric third-person perspectives. Major characters cue as white. Ages 10–up. (May)

Correction: This review has been updated to reflect that this work is the creator's debut.