THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE IS FINDING YOURSELF.
When Jack's seven year old sister Jenny disappears during a game of Hide and Seek, he and his parents are overwhelmed with grief. When 15 year old Jack and his best friend Finn get the chance to follow into the strange world that swallowed her, he hopes to find Jenny and bring her home. But the blood of children is a commodity in the fantastical land of Frey. The children there can't return. In addition to escaping the creatures around them, Jack and Finn wrestle with their own secrets which could change their lives forever.
Back home, their friend Millie is the dealing with murderous changelings who don't want their originals to return.
*****
"If Alice or Dorothy had a gay big brother who was desperate to get his little sister home, and if Wonderland or Oz were much more dangerous places... that's the core of this fantasy-adventure queer tale of coming-out."
"Beneath the love of absurdity, the satirical observations, swashbuckling adventure, strange creatures, and moments of horror, there is a pervasive sense of kindness in this book."
"An epic of great imagination and ridiculous delights."
NOTE: Though this book is not sexually explicit, Frey is a world where mermaids do not wear tops, monsters do not always wear pants, and teenage boys sometimes think about sex. Corresponding body parts are occasionally mentioned. This book is not intended for young readers. And there is a fair bit of poetry if you worry about that sort of thing.
Manchester, Paul: - Paul Manchester discovered he loved reading in the first grade with Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak. It opened up a new world. Then in fourth grade, Paul discovered Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, then the Oz books in fifth grade (they'd been lurking on a high shelf at home), along with Edgar Rice Burroughs' adventure books (these often had half naked men on the covers... which were pretty intriguing to this ten year old), and an endless stream of favorite books after that. Paul also began writing and drawing around then. Paul studied art and theater at San Jose State University (in addition to bible and music theory during a year-long stint at bible college). He graduated with a BA in Theater Arts where he focused on scenic design. He spent a few years designing stage scenery, then moved to Southern California to work in the TV and film industry. His work slowly migrated from live action TV, to the world of animation, then back to live action with graphics for props. Lots of adventures over the years... Paul has met the rich, the poor, street people, celebrities, folks from all walks of life and points of view... it's been a fascinating journey. So many stories. Despite the externals, folks are much the same. And most are pretty decent. He even (many years back) had the opportunity to spend a marvelous couple of hours with Maurice Sendak (who was a quite likable curmudgeon) discussing Mozart (Paul was designing a production of Cosi Fan Tutte at the time). You just never know what might happen in life. He chooses to think of that as a good thing. Life is always filled with possibilities for the curious and persistent.
