Serpent on the Mountain

Following the conclusion of the Vietnam War, tweens grapple with familial and communal changes in this haunting novel by Kramer (Eyes on the Sky). In the remote Appalachian town of Blackberry Holler in eastern Tennessee, 12-year-old Delilah’s older sister Eve, with whom Delilah was once close, has been inexplicably keeping her distance from Delilah—and from Delilah’s earnest attempts to learn the ways of healing herbal mountain magic. Meanwhile, Delilah’s younger sister Jezzie proves herself always ready to brawl with neighborhood boys. The arrival of traveling preacher Brother Jones instills hope in Delilah that her sibling conflicts—as well as other tensions at home—can be resolved. After he rescues Delilah from a rattlesnake, Brother Jones invites the family to attend services at his new church. But the promise of salvation soon gives way to unease: alarmed by Brother Jones’s apparent ability to speak in tongues and his dramatic handling of a rattlesnake during worship, Delilah must reckon with the possibility that a grim mountain folktale may hold surprising truths. Delilah’s perceptive first-person narration and imagery-rich language conjures a chilling Appalachian backdrop populated by strong, memorably rendered, white-cued characters. It’s an ominous tale that thoughtfully explores cultural tensions and competing beliefs. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Carlson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary. (June)