by H.E. Edgmon
Feiwel & Friends
9/24/2024, paperback
SKU: 9781250873965
Perfect for fans of The Marrow Thieves, Hatchet and The City of Ember, H.E. Edgmon's middle grade debut offers a bittersweet tale of hope and survival, a modern classic for the climate change generation.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
One year ago, a solar flare scorched the Earth and destroyed life as we know it.
With their parents gone and supplies running dangerously low, step-sisters Millie and Rose only have one chance at survival: leave home with their infant half-brother and loyal dog Corncob in search of Millie's grandma, a Seminole elder. As they navigate the burning land with a group of fellow survivors, dodging The Hive, a villainous group that has spent the last year hoarding supplies and living in luxury, the siblings have to learn to rely on each other more than ever, and discover how to build a new life from the ashes.
Expertly balancing heartbreak and hope, The Flicker is both a thrilling survival story and a tender exploration of Indigenous ideas of identity and found family.
Target age: 8 to 12
Reviews:
"Edgmon's middle grade debut is a dystopian, anti-capitalist, Indigenous, gender nonconforming love letter to tweens . . . The writing is engaging, the plot is lively, and the social dynamics are believable, even when presenting lessons. Edgmon doesn't pull any punches with this book . . . Through a story with some genuinely frightening moments, Edgmon helps readers explore identity. After all, who are we after all the systems we've used to define ourselves crumble?" -- School Library Journal, starred review
"Incisive worldbuilding surrounding the climate collapse makes this middle grade debut a simultaneously cautionary tale and dystopian adventure in which Edgmon showcases the unflagging power of community in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Edgmon's middle-grade debut skillfully blends action and emotion . . . A compelling coming-of-age story." --Kirkus
"A cinematic postapocalyptic adventure grounded in meaningful emotional growth" -- Booklist
"I'm so grateful to live in a world with Edgmon's writing, and The Flicker does not disappoint! With two beautifully unique and immersive POVS, Edgmon rips the reader apart, taking them past the point of certain hopelessness, and then -- SOMEHOW! IMPOSSIBLY! -- fixes them up with such skill and love, they will be left blinking in the sunlight. The Flicker is both a masterclass in character-driven narrative, a thrilling post-apocalyptic adventure, and a deeply moving story of Appalachia and the determination to survive." --Esme Symes-Smith, author of the Sir Callie series
"Bound up in a gripping page-turner, the soul of The Flicker is fierce, relentless love for chosen family, the natural world, and a humanity exploited almost to the point of extinction. With unblinking honesty, this story invites readers to hope, and hope tenaciously for a better way of living." --Alder Van Otterloo, author of Cattywampus and The Beautiful Something Else
About the Author:
H.E. Edgmon did not sleep for several years and is now the author of copious novels and short works for tweens, teens, and adults. Their line-up includes The Witch King duology, the Ouroboros duology, and The Flicker, and their writing has been described as "monstrously thrilling, deeply emotional" by School Library Journal. Across genres, H.E. hopes to find readers in their darkest moments and help them start a fire. In their laughably limited free time, they're likely hosting themed parties for no reason or trying to predict the future. They live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by chosen family and giant dogs.