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From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a poignant coming-of-age middle grade story that captures the wild beauty of 1970s Appalachia and the tender, fragile ties that bind us to family, faith, and magic.
Delilah knows a rattlesnake when she hears one.
After all, she was born and raised in Blackberry Holler, so when she hears that telltale rattle, she doesn’t panic. She knows her pet racoon, Freddy, will come catch the snake for his breakfast. But Freddy doesn’t come, and disaster almost strikes—until Delilah is rescued by a traveling preacher. Turns out, Brother Jones is setting up a revival church on their rural Appalachian mountain.
At first this seems like a godsend to Delilah. Her older sister, Eve, used to be her best friend, but now Eve is acting all grown up. Church might bring them back together. Their wild little sister, Jezzie, sure could use some religion too. But when the churchgoers start to speak strange words and handle venomous snakes, Delilah isn’t so certain—especially after Brother Jones condemns her hill magic as witchcraft. Worse yet, an old, frightening folktale seems to be coming true. Now worried for herself and her sisters, Delilah must figure out what she believes—and fast.
Also by J. Kasper Kramer
From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a historical middle grade novel about a budding young scientist in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, who fears her weather balloon experiment has been mistaken for a flying saucer!
Nothing ever happens in Roswell, New Mexico. Dorothy should know. She’s lived her whole life on a rural ranch nearby, surrounded by the difficult memories from her family’s struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression years ago. At least her older brother Dwight is home safe from the war. Unfortunately he’s no better to talk to than her ancient pet sheep, Geraldine.
Thankfully Dorothy has her experiments, like launching rockets off the top of her windmill. But one stormy night, she sends a gigantic weather balloon into the stratosphere—and an incredible blast lights up the sky. Suddenly, all the newspapers feature a flying saucer crash in their headlines and the sleepy town of Roswell is alight with gossip and speculation. But what if the so-called extraterrestrial vessel is actually Dorothy’s weather balloon?
Now available in paperback from Simon & Schuster/Atheneum!
Praise for Eyes on the Sky
“Part gritty historical fiction, part The War of the Worlds, the novel uses adventure and science fiction to make some pointed observations about the effects of war. . . . Dorothy, Hugo, and the place they call home are vividly rendered. . . . A courageous hero and some unexpected twists make for a compelling read.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Takes off with the incorporation of science fiction elements, and the meticulous, expertly rendered 1947 desert setting enhances its thrilling conclusion.”
Publishers Weekly
Also by J. Kasper Kramer
The War That Saved My Life meets Coraline in this “deliciously creepy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade historical novel following an anxious young girl learning to face her fears—and her ghosts—against the backdrop of the typhoid epidemic.
Essie O’Neill is afraid of everything. She’s afraid of cats and electric lights. She’s afraid of the silver sick bell, a family heirloom that brings up frightening memories. Most of all, she’s afraid of the red door in her nightmares.
But soon Essie discovers so much more to fear. Her mother has remarried, and they must move from their dilapidated tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island, a dreary place in the East River. That’s where Essie’s new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. Essie knows the island is plagued with tragedy. Years ago, she watched in horror as the ship General Slocum caught fire and sank near its shores, plummeting one thousand women and children to their deaths.
Now, something on the island is haunting Essie. And the red door from her dreams has become a reality, just down the hall from her bedroom in her terrifying new house. Convinced her stepfather is up to no good, Essie investigates. Yet to uncover the truth, she will have to face her own painful history—and what lies behind the red door.
Praise for The List of Unspeakable Fears
“Kramer has chosen an innately creepy setting. . . [and] delivers a thrilling read with poignant commentary on the value of immigrants’ lives and one’s capacity to become a stronger, better person.”
Booklist, starred review
“Intricately and elegantly plotted, and full of vividly rendered details, Kramer’s novel is a deliciously creepy ghost story with a mystery at its core and, given discussions about vaccines and contagion, special resonance for the current historical moment.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
A powerful middle grade debut with three starred reviews that weaves together folklore and history to tell the story of a girl finding her voice and the strength to use it during the final months of the Communist regime in Romania in 1989.
Ileana has always collected stories. Some are about the past, before the leader of her country tore down her home to make room for his golden palace; back when families had enough food, and the hot water worked on more than just Saturday nights. Others are folktales like the one she was named for, which her father used to tell her at bedtime. But some stories can get you in trouble, like the dangerous one criticizing Romania’s Communist government that Uncle Andrei published—right before he went missing.
Fearing for her safety, Ileana’s parents send her to live with the grandparents she’s never met, far from the prying eyes and ears of the secret police and their spies, who could be any of the neighbors. But danger is never far away. Now, to save her family and the village she’s come to love, Ileana will have to tell the most important story of her life.
Praise for The Story that Cannot be Told
“By turns surprising, poetic, and stark, The Story That Cannot Be Told is one that should most certainly be read.”
Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee
“A mesmerizing debut.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
J. Kasper Kramer 