CITY OF LIGHT, CITY OF DARK, by Avi

 

Purchase: IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Ages 9 and up.

 

A Richard Jackson Book | Orchard Books

 

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

 

Publishers Weekly (Starred Review):

 

One of the most versatile YA novelists of the day teams up with first-time illustrator Floca to produce first-rate science fiction in comic-book form. After outlining an altered version of New York City's history, the elaborately plotted saga shows how, through courage and cunning, two preteens, Carlos and Estella, and Estella's clairvoyant mother thwart a power-hungry villain and thereby prevent Manhattan from turning to ice. Against backdrops of neon lights, circling pigeons, abandoned subway stations and storefronts, Avi and Floca dynamically convey a timeless tale of good versus evil. Brilliantly parodying the superhero cartoons of old, this myth conceived in the same spirit as Who Was That Masked Man Anyway? is sure to be a hit with reluctant and advanced readers alike.

 

VOYA (Starred Review):

 

It’s a great story, full of characters facing Dickensian moral dilemmas and Vernian grand adventures, a villain one can hiss, and a fantastic flight over and through the City...an urban fantasy for middle-school readers who enjoy the 'what ifs' of imagination.

 

San Francisco Chronicle:

 

Avi delivers a fast-paced adventure that ably mixes fantasy with urban reality. Floca’s simple but expressive illustrations capture both the magic and the grit of New York City.