Transcendent
Penguin Young Readers Group · Hardcover · October 4, 2016
A timely work of contemporary magical realism, about a world plagued by violence, and the girl called upon to be a hero.
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- Who it’s for
- Magical realism meets the uneasy pressure of being asked to save a grieving world.
- Themes
- Identity and family secrets, Violence and collective grief, Public expectations of heroism
- Genres
- Magical Realism for Teens, Contemporary YA Fantasy, Faith & Belief
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A timely work of contemporary magical realism, about a world plagued by violence, and the girl called upon to be a hero. When terrorists bomb Disney World, seventeen-year-old Iris Spero is as horrified as anyone else. Then a stranger shows up on her stoop in Brooklyn, revealing a secret about the mysterious circumstances surrounding Iris’s birth, and throwing her entire identity into question. Everything she thought she knew about her parents, and about herself, is a lie.
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Suddenly, the press is confronting Iris with the wild notion that she might be “special.” More than just special: she could be the miracle the world now so desperately needs. Families all across the grieving nation are pinning their hopes on Iris like she is some kind of saint or savior. She’s no longer sure whom she can trust—except for Zane, a homeless boy who long ago abandoned any kind of hope. She knows she can’t possibly be the glorified person everyone wants her to be… but she also can’t go back to being safe and anonymous. When nobody knows her but they all want a piece of her, who is Iris Spero now? And how can she—one teenage girl—possibly heal a broken world?
Hope Under Pressure
Magical realism meets the uneasy pressure of being asked to save a grieving world.
Come here for
- Identity questions under sudden public scrutiny
- A sharp tension between hope and distrust
Expect
- Contemporary magical realism shaped by violence and grief
- A teenager wrestling with who she is to herself and others
Where it sits
| Magical Realism for Teens | 96% |
|---|---|
| Faith & Belief | 58% |
| Contemporary YA Fantasy | 45% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Family Stories
- Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
- Values & Choices
- Authors
- Katelyn Detweiler
- Publisher
- Penguin Young Readers Group
- Published
- October 4, 2016
- Format
- Hardcover
- Theme
- Identity and family secrets · Violence and collective grief · Public expectations of heroism
- Reading lane
- YA Family Stories