Cynthia Leitich Smith is the best-selling, acclaimed author of the Tantalize series and the Feral series. She is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Blending teen romance
with complex questions of identity, equality, and censorship, this is an excellent choice for most collections.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
In a time when #ownvoices stories are rising in popularity among YA readers, this brings an
insightful story to the conversation...this is truly a thought-provoking and educational novel.
—Booklist
Louise...is believable in her own missteps, and her younger brother’s moral quandary—he’s unsure if he wants to stay in the play after finding out about L. Frank Baum’s virulent anti-Native prejudice—is compellingly explored...a
revealing account of a bigotry experience that sometimes gets overshadowed by others, though, and readers will sympathize with Louise’s frustrations.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Smith effectively presents the continuous microaggressions Lou faces as a young Native woman alongside the central narrative arc of the school play.
—The Horn Book
Smith depicts the Wolfes’ warm family life as a stable foundation as Hughie and Lou each confront challenges, and she is especially successful at portraying the camaraderie and conflicts of the newspaper staff...a
thought-provoking work of realistic teen fiction.
—Publishers Weekly Online
