When a girl in a homemade hot air balloon falls out of the sky in rural Gilbertine, there are questions: Who is this girl, where exactly did she come from, why won’t she talk, and what has she risked to live in a country that does not seem to want her? And what can Sophie, Wyatt, and K—three misfit best friends with complex and harrowing stories of their own—do to help the girl who can’t trust those who want to help her? What should they do? As seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Sophie, who lives with her terminally ill grandmother, Cloud Hopper by National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart is a poignant, high-flying adventure set among the old planes, Vietnam vets, and majestic hot air balloons of a run-down municipal airport. It’s about the rules we’ll break and the dangers we’ll face to do the most-right thing we can imagine, even when we’re feeling long past brave. Ages 11-14. 332 pages.
Cloud Hopper will be published by Penelope Editions, Penny Candy Books, on September 8, 2020. Cloud Hopper is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and was given a Booklist star.
“In lyrical prose that conveys moving interpersonal relationships, Kephart (The Great Upending) creates a quirky group with a capacity for friendship that amuses and endears, and provides a nuanced look at immigration and found family. Soft sketches by Sulit depict the characters and picturesque setting. Ages 11–14.” Publishers Weekly
“The mystery of a girl fallen from the sky reveals the deeper mystery of a trio of friends in this deftly written, richly layered story of love, loss and life looking up. Your heart will soar!” — e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, author of ALA Stonewall Book Award winner Fat Angie