The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava LavenderA 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga. Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava in all other ways a normal girl is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen

A 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava -- in all other ways a normal girl -- is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava's quest and her family's saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 03/25/2014
ISBN: 9780763665661
Pages: 301
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.20d
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Literary Award - Winner
Award: William C. Morris YA Debut Award - Finalist
Award: Washington State Book Award - Winner

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 12/23/2013
School Library Journal 02/01/2014 pg. 116
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2014
Booklist 03/01/2014 pg. 72
Shelf Awareness 03/25/2014
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2014
PW Best Children's Books 11/03/2014 pg. 48
PW Children's Starred Reviews 12/01/2014 pg. 99
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2014 pg. 26
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2014 pg. 133 - Recommended, Satisfactory

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 168895 / Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Reading Level: 6.8 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 12