"A lush and mysterious fable, full of beauty, full of wonder." - -Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me
"With lyricism and elegance, Erin Entrada Kelly weaves a rich tale. Powerful and gripping." - Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil series
"Unlikely but determined heroine Lalani is lovably loyal, kind-hearted, and optimistic even as she faces unspeakable dangers, and her relentless spirit makes her a worthy protagonist in this triumphant tale about fighting for the people one loves and staying true to oneself." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Newbery Medalist Kelly writes a heroic fantasy about making choices, going on a quest, and conquering evil. Scattered throughout the novel are short, beautifully illustrated second-person vignettes allowing readers to imagine they are the mythical creatures Lalani encounters . . . Fast-paced and full of wonder, this is a powerful, gripping must-read." - Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
"Inspired by Filipino folklore, Newbery Award winner Kelly has woven her narrative with a mythology that is rich and delicious. . . . Readers will be cheering for Lalani in her unlikely quest to save her family and friends, using only the power of her wits, courage, and empathy." - Booklist (starred review)
"Beautifully rendered . . . A journey illustrating the importance of story and the power of faith and hope." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"Brimming with injustice, beauty, pain and wonder . . . A fluid, intentional novel grounded strongly in emotional reality and overflowing with the fantastic. Absolutely bewitching." - Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Fans of Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon will be enthralled." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Kelly turns from the contemporary realistic settings of the Newbery-winning Hello, Universe and of You Go First to a tropical island-set fantasy world. . . . An excellent job of world-building." - Horn Book (starred review)
Erin Entrada Kelly was awarded the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space. She grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She is a professor of children's literature in the graduate fiction and publishing programs at Rosemont College, where she earned her MFA, and is on the faculty at Hamline University. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Philippines Free Press Literary Award for Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Before becoming a children's author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor and received numerous awards for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press.
Erin Entrada Kelly's debut novel, Blackbird Fly, was a Kirkus Best Book, a School Library Journal Best Book, an ALSC Notable Book, and an Asian/Pacific American Literature Honor Book. She is also the author of The Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You Go First, a Spring 2018 Indie Next Pick; Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; Those Kids from Fawn Creek, named to numerous best-of-the-year lists; andthree acclaimed novels for younger readers, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, Surely Surely Marisol Rainey,and Only Only Marisol Rainey,which she also illustrated.She lives in Delaware.