Windswept

July 18, 2022
Newbery Honoree Preus presents an intriguing dystopian fantasy steeped in fairy tales. Thirteen-year-old Hyacinth, called “Tagalong,” has lived her entire life indoors, safe from the treacherous wind that snatched under-15-year-old “youngers” and whisked them away to places unknown. Seven years after her own three sisters were windswept in a sudden snow squall, having sneaked away from the once-prosperous family’s guard, a map to a secret gathering is slipped through a knothole in the door that Tag peers out of daily. Spurred to break out of the boarded-up house, Tag heads to the meeting with a forbidden book of fairy tales and a seemingly magical ribbon, only to witness the deep corruption of the “olders” tasked with keeping the “youngers” safe. Tag and a motley group of new friends set off on a quest to find their missing siblings, encountering witches, trolls, and enchanting magic along the way. Via sensate prose (outside “tasted sweet and spicy and slightly dangerous”) and jam-packed worldbuilding that borrows from Norwegian fairy tales, Preus smartly employs the fairy tale form to investigate ethics around avarice, exploitation, and communal priority. Veve’s occasional graphite illustrations contribute to the fairy tale feel. Characters read as white; back matter includes a list of referenced fairy tales. Ages 10–14. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary.