Devil and the Bluebird

Gr 9 Up—An eclectic mash-up of contemporary fiction and fantasy, Mason-Black's premier effort follows Blue Riley as she strikes a deal with the devil: her voice in exchange for the opportunity to find her runaway sister, Cass. Fueled by perplexing hints from the devil, Blue journeys across the Northeast searching for clues from her sister. As deals with the devil so often are, Blue's agreement is fraught with deadlines and catches. Along the way, Blue meets and occasionally travels with a medley of characters who steal the spotlight in this narrative: hippy-dippy Amy, whose soul the devil eats; an unnamed kind librarian paying her father's debt forward; Steve, a stranger-turned-great friend who hitches a ride with Blue to Chicago; criminal-minded Rat, who kidnaps Blue and Steve; abused mother Andrea, who leads Blue to an underground safe shelter; frenetic Tish, Blue's mom's old music partner living on a farm in Wyoming; and romantic interest Dill, who teaches Blue how to hop freight trains. Through all of this, the heroine hangs onto her trusty guitar, learning to "speak" through its strings. The ending is relatively satisfactory, although many questions remain about Blue's fate.