Far Out!

Bustard fills her cast with a realistic mix of friends, rivals, supportive parents, and neighborly townsfolk (many given animated faces by Rowland's vignettes at each chapter's head), capturing a vivid sense of the rhythms and atmosphere of small-town life in the early 1960s--inspired, she writes, by a real event staged in the 1970s. Readers fond of comfy tales set in small Southern towns (practically a genre all its own) will enjoy meeting Magnolia Jean.

Cosmic questions merge with terrestrial affairs in this unhurried small-town mystery from Bustard (Blue Skies). Magnolia Jean Crook--sheriff's daughter, staunch believer in alien life, and aspiring detective--is as excited as anyone in 1964 Totter, Tex., for the upcoming First Annual Come On Down Day. Organized by funeral home owner Mr. Harrington for a local UFO organization's 10th anniversary, the event is intended to both capitalize on the region's history of otherworldly sightings and to attract "any and all space aliens who wish to visit. No RSVP required." The event hits a snag when a prized, anonymously owned meteorite integral to the festivities is stolen from the local library. Magnolia, in partnership with sixth grade classmate Nick Lawless, a drummer, swears to get to the bottom of the heist. When the meteorite is discovered in the shed of Magnolia's beloved and increasingly forgetful grandmother, the duo doubles down on their sleuthing to clear her name and bolster Totter's waning morale. A sometimes meandering plot centers solidly on the book's compassionate protagonist, whose colloquial narrative reflects the town's quirky affability, offers a loving view of an intergenerational relationship, and touches on themes of memory and belief. Magnolia reads as white; context clues hint at the town's diversity. An author's note concludes. Ages 8-12. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. (Apr.)

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