STARMINSTER
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In Hopkins’ series opening debut, 11-year-old Astrid Crossley, who has “paper-white” skin and “white-blonde” hair, knows no life beyond the dark rhubarb shed where she’s kept safe from unspecified dangers by her mother. Her desperation to see the stars leads to her discovery by Mrs. Wairi, one of the winged Librae. Claiming Astrid is a Librae on the cusp of fledging, Mrs. Wairi whisks her away to a fantastical city above London, which is invisible to unauthorized people. But something is rotten in London Overhead. At Starminster school, unfledged children are treated as lesser. When they stage a protest, the ruthless Headmaster expels them, then exploits them as free labor. Meanwhile, Mama mobilizes London Underfoot to find Astrid, who learns that other children are missing—but where are they? Astrid is a resilient, poignant character who’s struggling with big questions. How could her loving Mama steal her childhood? Why do London Overhead’s mysterious Luddite Overlords treat some citizens so cruelly? Kurtz’ opening two-page spread sketches the city of stone, marble, and flower-shaped buildings hovering above London, but readers may wish for additional illustrations to clarify aspects of the intricately imagined world described in Hopkins’ vivid prose. The story features a multicultural cast, and an appendix describes the birds from around the world whose wings appear on various Librae.



from Kirkus Reviews https://ift.tt/vTMrqjw

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