A Corner Of White

"It’s traditional for fantasy heroes to leave their small towns for great adventures. But a series of disasters, from failing crops to falling fairies, keeps Elliot stuck at home. In modern-day Cambridge, England, Madeleine struggles to survive with her mother, and dreams of her rich, world-traveler father taking them back. Elliot’s father is missing, too: He vanished a year ago after an attack of rogue colors. (In Elliot’s fantastical Kingdom of Cello, visible wavelengths are living creatures, variously benign or deadly.) But though Madeleine and Elliot can’t leave, they discover a way to send messages through a tiny rift between their universes. Their conversations are charming, funny, whip-smart and heartbreaking."