Speculation

December 19, 2022
With an affectionate nod to the works of Edward Eager, Shawl (Everfair, for adults) writes about “magic happening to regular, ordinary kids” in this immersive 1962-set novel that combines the historical and the magical. When their mother is hospitalized with a respiratory malady, 10-year-old Winna Cole and little sister Tupelo stay with their grandparents in Vandalia, a town that once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. After Tupelo inadvertently breaks Winna’s glasses, Grampa Carl gives her a pair of silver-framed spectacles that once belonged to her great-aunt Estelle. The glasses contribute a rainbow shimmer to her view of the everyday—and, combined with a speculative phrase and a bit of mist, allow Winna to communicate with Estelle’s ghost. The specter quickly asks for help finding Winna’s great-uncle Key, whose disappearance as an infant led to a curse that’s affecting the ability of the family—including Winna’s mother—to “breathe easy.” Starring an inquisitive, perceptive protagonist and a supportive cast of adult characters, this intergenerational story underlines themes of family history and inheritance alongside a meditation on ordinary wonders. Protagonists cue as Black. Ages 8–12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

June 16, 2023

Gr 6 Up-When African American Winna's mother gets hospitalized with bronchitis, the 10-year-old and her little sister Tupelo are sent to live with her grandparents and aunt. While there, Tupelo accidentally breaks Winna's glasses. Her grandfather gives her an old pair of spectacles that used to belong to her great aunt Estelle. These glasses, Winna discovers, are more than what they seem and open her up to a world of magic and ghosts. Thanks to the glasses and a bit of speculation using the words "what if," she can see the ghosts of Estelle, and Estelle's mother, Winona. Winna learns that as Winona was escaping from slavery, her baby Key was stolen under mysterious circumstances. Winona's vow to be reunited with her baby and hold him in her arms has cursed their entire family with breathing problems and unable to rest even in death. Winna's mother might be the curse's next victim if Winna can't figure out how to find Key and reunite him with Winona. Winna's magical glasses powered by speculation are a unique and interesting concept. Throughout her journey, Winna uses the glasses to her advantage, but also learns to do things for herself and lean on the people around her. How the magical glasses came to be is not fully explained, and neither is the extent of their powers. This lack of magical world-building might be easy to ignore for some readers, while others might find the workings of the magic hard to understand. The novel's resolution leaves the story feeling unfinished and unsatisfying. A note: Winna experiences racist bullying at school that includes derogatory terms; no explicit slurs are used. VERDICT Though this African American historical fantasy has a unique concept, its lack of world-building and abundance of unanswered questions makes it a difficult title to recommend.-Myiesha Speight

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Starred review from January 15, 2023
Ten-year-old Winna Cole can see ghosts--and they've got a mystery for her to solve. When Winna hears the crunch of her glasses breaking underneath her sister Tupelo's butt, she literally cannot see how she's going to enjoy her time in Vandalia. Fortunately, Grampa Carl held on to a pair of spectacles that belonged to her Great-Aunt Estelle, and they help her communicate with her ancestors on a magical journey to save her mom and herself. You see, as she escaped slavery, Winna's Great-Great Grandmother Winona's firstborn son, Key, was stolen. Her grief was so great that she unwittingly cursed her family to the Burden of the Coles: They will have ill health and no rest in death until Key is returned to her. Now Winna's mother's health is failing, and when Estelle's ghost reveals that Key is still alive, it's up to Winna to find him and bring him home. Shawl imaginatively winds suspense, humor, and loss in this story that shows how the past isn't so far behind us. They also spotlight the troubled blood connections that chattel slavery created across different races and across the country. Through Winna's family, readers see the importance of oral storytelling: The book celebrates it as a shining beacon for those of us who still have elders who can tell stories while offering space to mourn traditions and loved ones we've lost. Provides a new lens to explore histories that can haunt and help us. (author's note, family trees) (Fantasy. 8-12)

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