Kin (Good Neighbors Series #1), Vol. 1 »

Holly Black spent her early years in a decaying Victorian mansion where her mother fed her a steady diet of ghost stories and books about faeries. Her first book, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Teens, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, and has been translated into twelve languages. Her second teen novel, Valiant, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Locus Magazine Recommended Read, and a recipient of the Andre Norton Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother — instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her — and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

KLIATT

Rue Silver sees strange people skulking around her hometown, people with wings and horns and long pointy ears. Rue thinks she might be going crazy, just like her missing mother, who has a history of walking around naked in gardens and talking to willow trees. Friends and family are no help: Rue's father is in jail, the main suspect in the murder of a student; and her boyfriend is scared of her. Rue is a bit scared of herself, especially when she finds out that she can talk to ivy and turn invisible. Enter Aubrey, Rue's grandfather, who tells her that she is one of the Fair Folk, The People of Peace, The Good Neighbors: a fairy. Aubrey wants Rue all to himself, and he's not the type to take no for an answer. The Good Neighbors: Kin is the first volume of a series. Fantasy fans will enjoy this graphic novel; the writer, Holly Black, is the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles. Rue is a likable protagonist, a strong yet vulnerable woman who is in the process of self-discovery. The art focuses on all manner of strange beasties. The plot is a bit complex, but pulls together in the end. The reader will realize that Rue's mother is a fairy long before Rue does; clues include her long pointed ears and the fact that she hasn't aged a day in decades. The Good Neighbors contains comic book violence and is recommended for middle school and high school graphic novel collections; if you cater to fantasy fans, it is a must buy. Reviewer: George Galuschak