cover image Glitter Gets Everywhere

Glitter Gets Everywhere

Yvette Clark. HarperCollins, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-303448-8

With a deeply introspective bent that delves into the darkness of grief and the light found on the other side, Clark’s tender debut will strike a chord with readers who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Brown-haired, brown-eyed, implied-white Londoner Kitty Wentworth, 10, has just lost her mother to lung cancer as the book begins—her honey-haired, blue-eyed sister Imogen, 13; their father; and their maternal grandmother share the grief. Shortly after Kitty’s 11th birthday, however, their father uproots the two girls for a three-month stay in New York City as he pursues a career opportunity. While she’s not thrilled by this trip Kitty finds herself enthralled by all her new city has to offer—less pleased by her father’s friend, Jen, and Jen’s “junior kindergarten”–age son, Dash, both implied white. Despite difficulties in adjusting, Kitty slowly begins to find her way, meeting new friends, having new adventures, and ultimately, working through her grief. Elevated language and an older-sounding narrator make this ideal for more mature readers, for whom the stark examination of loss, death, and the wide variety of complex emotions will resonate strongly. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elizabeth Bewley, Sterling Lord Literistic. (May)