THE POSSIBILITY OF FLYING

I won't lie, Francesca Lia Block is a wonderful author, but she is an author that will only appeal to certain people. I can't even tell you who those people are, but the way she writes is different than other authors because nothing about the stories are obvious. You have to find your way, much like the characters in one of her recent books THE WATERS AND THE WILD. This is a story about a 13-year-old girl, who's not really a girl. She makes friends with a 18th century slave girl, who's not really a slave girl, and an alien boy who's not really an alien. Or maybe they are these things. Whatever the case, this girl, who finds herself wanting to eat dirt all the time, keeps seeing another version of herself - in her room, walking down the street, out in the back yard. The "doppleganger" version is here to replace her, and it's only a matter of time before the reality sets in. Obscure enough for you? Recommended for 6th-8th grades.