Fly
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A powerful novel in free verse about courage, connection and self-discovery. Felix Landon Yarrow, a fourteen-year-old with cerebral palsy, is captivated by the noble, chivalrous ideals of knighthood. So when he fears a school villain poses a danger to his lady love, finding a way to save her becomes his quest. In the elaborate plot he creates, Felix will triumphantly conquer his enemy and rescue his “damsel in distress.” Alas, for this brave knight, as for most middle schoolers, plans often have a way of going awry. A moving story about a young boy grappling with an imperfect world and discovering others are, too.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Free verse poems voiced by a wheelchair-using 14-year-old with cerebral palsy form a unique, Cervantes-tinged novel from Hughes (Hit the Ground Running). Felix Landon Yarrow—F.L.Y., or Fly—carries his late father's well-worn copy of Don Quixote at all times as "physical proof/ to ignorant people/ that there's a/ mind/ in this/ body of mine." Often disregarded by his peers, Felix nevertheless suggests that "invisibility/ is my superpower" as he observes his crush, Daria, and watches out when popular Carter, whom Felix considers dangerous, also takes an interest in her. After Carter initiates a criminal money-making enterprise at school, Felix channels his hero Quixote, beginning a ploy to protect Daria and bring Carter to justice. Hughes's complex characterization of Felix—private, well-intentioned, frustrated with others' low expectations for him—eloquently rings through each observational stanza, especially through his evolving relationship with his "extra, extra" extroverted school aide Levi. The poems, most a page or two in length, stagger words for emphasis and emotional impact, resulting in a seamless and immersive narrative about one teen's "quest/ for a noble life." Felix, Carter, and Levi cue as white; Daria is brown-skinned. Ages 10–14.
