Themes: change, being broken/needing mending, illness, flight/freedom, redemption

This Printz honor book is one of the best I’ve read all semester. I really, really loved it. 13-year-old Michael’s family just moved to a city in northern England, but his family has larger things that settling in on their minds—his brand-new baby sister is near death. While his parents are occupied with moving in and taking care of the baby, Michael begins exploring the derelict old garage next to the house. He discovers a strange being—part man, part something else there, and tries to help it, even as his sister’s condition worsens. After a little while, he becomes friends with Mina, the eccentric, artistic, idealistic girl next door who is not quite like anyone he has ever known before. Mina’s free-spirited ways influence him to take chances, learn to listen and see in ways he’s never done, and believe in miracles that he never dreamed were possible. I’d recommend it for any and all, ages nine and up.