Tumble & Blue

From time to time, I bother to notice them.

 

Tourists. They come reeking of their bug repellents and their sunscreens, and theclicker-snap of their cameras nibbles away at the song of the swamp until I wonder if they can hear it at all.

 

In my memory, the humans who traveled the Okefenokee were a different sort. These new ones are less afraid. More curious. And, on the whole, they are quite a bit plumper.

 

It would be a lie to say I have not felt the stirrings of temptation. Especially in the deep summer, when the sun glazes them with sweat so that they glisten, juicy and bright as silver fish.

 

Scrumptious, but I resist. My business with mankind is not, strictly speaking, that of the predator.

I do have to remind myself of that when they come carrying maps. How they love those little guides with their safe paths through the swamp all dotted out and color-coded. Acres of prairie and blackwater and cypress and pine captured as lines on bits of paper. Made small as gnats.

 

Such arrogant morsels, you humans. That s something that hasn t changed.

 

Which brings me to the beginning, to a couple of humans long dead but still causing trouble for their descendants. Almira LaFayette, Walcott Montgomery names from a story that is only now approaching its end.

 

It s been two hundred years, and I still remember the taste of them on the night air. Thick, greedy, sweet with desperation. When they met on the edge of the swamp, the red sickle moon was cutting a hole in the black of the sky.

My moon.

 

And in its bloody light those two bad people were looking for an easy way out of the messes they d made. Montgomery was a horse thief. LaFayette was a murderous young bride. He had robbed a militiaman, and she had shot her husband in the gut with a revolver three days after the

Cassie Beasley is from rural Georgia, where, when she s not writing, she helps out on the family pecan farm. She earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first book, Circus Mirandus, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times notable book, and a Nerdie Book Club Award winner.

* "Reminiscent of Ingrid Law's Savvy books, Beasley's sophomore novel is a spirited yarn that shines through rich characters, evocative writing, and enchanted premise. Booklist, starred review
 
* "A tender message about sacrifice-for loved ones and the greater good-underlies this magical story of fate and family. Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
* "An original, highly engaging story about the power of friendship, family curses, and blessings-and what it means to be a hero." Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "The lush setting and lustrous portrayal of the characters will captivate even the most reluctant reader. Middle graders will delight in the richly drawn world and history that Beasley creates. School Library Journal, starred review

* "In a mix of tall tale, magic realism, comic midgrade mayhem, and sweetness a mix reminiscent of Sachar s Holes Beasley creates a distinctive, energetic world in which kindness is a muscular value and quirkiness is organic to the setting." The Horn Book, starred review