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  • The Whispers

The Whispers

Author
Publication Date
January 14, 2020
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction /  6th − 8th
Language
English
The Whispers

Only 1 copies currently available
Description

A heartrending coming-of-age tale set in the South, perfect for fans of Bridge to Terabithia and Counting By 7s.

Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the Whispers, magical wood creatures that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home. She disappeared a few months ago and Riley is determined to find her. So he goes on a camping trip with his friend Gary to look for the Whispers and ask them to bring his mom back home.

But Riley doesn't realize the trip will shake the foundation of everything that he believes in for forever.

Publication date
January 14, 2020
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780525517511
Lexile Measure
800
Publisher
Puffin Books
BISAC categories
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV060000 - Juvenile Fiction | LGBT

Publishers Weekly

Eleven-year-old Riley resorts to extreme measures to find his mother after she disappears, believing he is "suspect number one" in a case that hasn't moved forward in months, the details of which he can't fully recall. He always thought his mother's favorite story, "The Whispers," about magical woodland creatures that can grant wishes, was straight fiction until one night he hears them call "She's here." To find his mother, Riley seeks to recreate the tale, embarking on a camping trip with an endearingly motley cast of friends to enlist the fantasy forces. A running use of vocabulary words that grew out of a game Riley and his mom played both advances the plot and offers nuance to Riley's emotions. Howard effectively layers Riley's character and "conditions" (he has been wetting the bed since his mother disappeared, and his attraction to boys is at odds with his evangelical Christian upbringing), offering clues about his mother's fate that readers will piece together before he does. This touching, often wry novel offers a memorable psychological puzzle and explores grief and acceptance. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2018 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Before disappearing four months ago, every night, 11-year-old Riley's mom told him the story of the Whispers, magical creatures who live in the nearby woods. In exchange for a tribute, the Whispers will grant your heart's desire, and there is nothing Riley's heart wants more than for his mother to be found. The investigation is at a standstill, and his family seems to have given up. His father rarely speaks, and Riley feels he's somehow to blame. His guilt is compounded by his anxiety over what he calls his "condition." He thinks about kissing boys and has a major crush on his neighbor Dylan. Riley wavers between self-assurance and shame over his attractions. His internal struggle and the search for his mother come to a head when he rushes into the woods to bargain with the Whispers. The final chapters leave the whimsy behind as Riley is revealed to be an unreliable narrator. His unresolved feelings about his identity are sensitively handled at the touching conclusion; however, it is troubling he continually refers to being gay as a "condition," which implies an illness or deficiency. VERDICT Despite a few missteps, this realistic middle grade novel's exploration of the stories people tell to protect themselves, and the courage it takes to see through them, is ultimately uplifting.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Eleven-year-old Riley resorts to extreme measures to find his mother after she disappears, believing he is "suspect number one" in a case that hasn't moved forward in months, the details of which he can't fully recall. He always thought his mother's favorite story, "The Whispers," about magical woodland creatures that can grant wishes, was straight fiction until one night he hears them call "She's here." To find his mother, Riley seeks to recreate the tale, embarking on a camping trip with an endearingly motley cast of friends to enlist the fantasy forces. A running use of vocabulary words that grew out of a game Riley and his mom played both advances the plot and offers nuance to Riley's emotions. Howard effectively layers Riley's character and "conditions" (he has been wetting the bed since his mother disappeared, and his attraction to boys is at odds with his evangelical Christian upbringing), offering clues about his mother's fate that readers will piece together before he does. This touching, often wry novel offers a memorable psychological puzzle and explores grief and acceptance. Ages 10-up. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Jan.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8--Before disappearing four months ago, every night, 11-year-old Riley's mom told him the story of the Whispers, magical creatures who live in the nearby woods. In exchange for a tribute, the Whispers will grant your heart's desire, and there is nothing Riley's heart wants more than for his mother to be found. The investigation is at a standstill, and his family seems to have given up. His father rarely speaks, and Riley feels he's somehow to blame. His guilt is compounded by his anxiety over what he calls his "condition." He thinks about kissing boys and has a major crush on his neighbor Dylan. Riley wavers between self-assurance and shame over his attractions. His internal struggle and the search for his mother come to a head when he rushes into the woods to bargain with the Whispers. The final chapters leave the whimsy behind as Riley is revealed to be an unreliable narrator. His unresolved feelings about his identity are sensitively handled at the touching conclusion; however, it is troubling he continually refers to being gay as a "condition," which implies an illness or deficiency. VERDICT Despite a few missteps, this realistic middle grade novel's exploration of the stories people tell to protect themselves, and the courage it takes to see through them, is ultimately uplifting.--Sophie Kenney, Delray Beach Public Library, FL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Greg Howard
Greg Howard grew up near the coast of South Carolina. His hometown of Georgetown is known as the "Ghost Capital of the South" (seriously...there's a sign), and was always a great source of material for his overactive imagination. Raised in a staunchly religious home, Greg escaped into the arts: singing, playing piano, acting, writing songs, and making up stories. Currently, Greg resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his husband, Steve, and their three rescued fur babies Molly, Toby, and Riley.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 01/01/19
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Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), 12/01/18
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