Basil & Dahlia: A Tragical Tale of Sinister Sweetness

Intrepid siblings are forced to survive on their own in this winking, raucous adventure by McCullough (Code Red). When Dahlia and Basil Bloom’s parents are killed in a bizarre botanical explosion, 11-year-old Dahlia is terrified of losing her only remaining family to an impersonal foster system, and impulsively flees her assigned social worker by jumping from a moving train with older brother Basil reluctantly in tow. Injured and lacking money, the duo wander through New York City seeking food and shelter. After some minor misadventures—which are conveyed nonlinearly by an arch narrator—the siblings encounter Laurel Fox, the wealthy head of a pastry empire with a cultlike following (and a history of workplace misconduct). When Fox takes the children in, Basil is ready to accept this kindness at face value, but Dahlia remains suspicious, taking it upon herself to snoop around her new home. Dahlia’s instincts prove correct as Fox’s nefarious and ghastly motives are revealed, miring the two children in a familiar if bitingly humorous and appealingly weird action-adventure narrative studded with surreal illustrations by Cluskey (The Sackville Street Caper). Principal characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (May)