Smoke & Mirrors

Twelve-year-old Andreus “Andy” Carter isn’t thrilled to be spending the summer in fictional Bryville, Ohio, with his aunt Nonie. The only Black kid in town, he endures frequent racism, experiences that worsen feelings of loneliness stemming from his incarcerated father’s postponed parole hearing. Then Andy is apprehended for the purported arson of curmudgeonly neighbor Mr. Gilbert’s barn. Rather than have Andy sentenced to juvenile detention, elderly Mr. Gilbert offers an alternative consequence: helping the barn owner restore his dilapidated home, which local kids call the “murder house.” Andy learns that the house was owned by infamous magician the Red Nave, who disappeared in 1954 after he was implicated in the murder of a prominent Bryville resident. The tween decides to strike a new deal: if he can close the Red Nave’s unsolved case, Mr. Gilbert will release Andy from his renovation duties. Intertwining plotlines regarding the mystery of the Red Nave and Andy’s struggles navigating prejudice shed light on how preconceived assumptions can strain friendships and communities. Andy’s journal entries, presented as letters addressed to his father, appear throughout Ransaw’s thoughtful debut about second chances. Ages 8–12. (June)