Hollow Chest

Eleven-year-old Charlie, a cued white English boy living in bombed-out 1945 London, helps his mother care for his grandfather Fritz, a wounded WWI veteran prone to trauma-induced trances, and desperately awaits his older sibling Theo’s return from war. But when the reunion day arrives, Charlie hardly recognizes the mirthless soldier who returns, wounded by a grenade and with PTSD-like symptoms. Fear subsequently creeps into Charlie’s shock and disappointment as he notices huge, wolflike beasts lurking in the shadows of his city. When “Mad Mellie,” a local woman whose son died in the Blitz, lets slip that war wolves are involved in taking the hearts of returning soldiers, Charlie gains both a name for the monsters he’s been seeing and a steadfast resolve, alongside his clever cat Biscuits, to bargain his brother’s heart back from those who took it. In this poetic debut, Sandstrom tells a story that is equally tender and terrifying, balancing a family’s emotional gravity with the chilling war wolves. With moody occasional illustrations by Shin, a relaxed pace, and tender prose, this historical fantasy expertly employs anxiety and empathy to demonstrate war’s devastating effect on individuals and families. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (June) [/em]