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Hollow Chest
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About Hollow Chest
Product Description Debut author Brita Sandstrom arrives with an unforgettable modern folktale of the darkness around and inside us, and the courage it takes to keep hope alive. “Hollow Chest is remarkable on so many levels—its exquisite writing, its startling originality, its deep empathy. An astonishing debut.” —Anne Ursu, award-winning author of The Lost Girl Charlie has been having nightmares. Eyes watching him in the night, claws on his chest, holding him down. His dreams have been haunted for years, ever since German bombs rained down on London, taking his father’s life, taking his city’s spirit, taking his beloved brother, Theo, off to war in France. Now Charlie is left to take care of his grandpa Fitz while his mother works, waiting for the day when Theo will come home. And with World War II nearly won, that day is almost here. Grandpa Fitz warns Charlie that soldiers sometimes come back missing a piece of themselves, but Charlie isn’t worried. Whatever Theo has lost, Charlie will help him find it. When Theo finally does return, though, he is cold and distant. But Charlie refuses to accept that the brother he knew is gone, and soon, he discovers the reason for his brother’s change: war wolves. Terrifying ancient beasts who consume the hearts of those broken by grief. The wolves have followed soldiers back home from the front. And if Charlie truly wants to save Theo, he’s going to have to find them and get his brother’s heart back. But can a heart that’s been eaten ever be replaced? From School Library Journal Gr 3–8—In London after World War II, Charlie, who lives with his mother and Grandpa Fitz, is awaiting his brother's return from the war. Charlie's grandpa, who has a missing arm, warns Charlie that Theo may be different upon his return "even if you can't see it right away." Charlie is not deterred and is determined to figure out how to help Theo get back to how things were before. There is a thread of folktales woven into this historical fiction story. Charlie listens to stories told by his mother and others in the community, including a story about the "war wolves" that steal and eat a portion of a person's heart, leaving them forever frozen in their loss and grief. Charlie must find strength and bravery that he did not know he had in order to find the missing pieces of his brother's heart. Charlie, his family, and his community are all coded white. The folktales have been amended and updated by Sandstrom to be more palatable for today's culture. VERDICT An addition for libraries with readers who enjoy World War II fiction, magical realism, and stories that tug at the heartstrings about strong family bonds.—Helen Prince, Indian Land H.S., Fort Mill, SC Review "I read this book breathlessly, ardently, my heart thumping in my chest. Brita Sandstrom has woven a story stitched through with hope and terror and longing. At its center is the utter audacity of love - how we hang on even when we are broken, and how we must never let go. A lovely, moving debut." -- Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon “ Hollow Chest is remarkable on so many levels—its exquisite writing, its startling originality, its deep empathy. But what lingers most is its unwavering heartbeat: in the darkest of times, what will carry us through is love.” -- Anne Ursu, award-winning author of The Lost Girl “Brita Sandstrom’s debut is the rare sort of book that gives new language to old truths. Tender, sweet, painful, and brave, Hollow Chest is full of astonishing love.” -- Elana K. Arnold, award-winning author of The House That Wasn't There "The book effectively evokes post-war England and the way that war doesn’t end for everyone, and the wolves are a potent metaphor to introduce younger audiences to the realities of PTSD." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books "The literal and figurative rubble of combat provides a rich setting through which to examine the fragility a
