I Am the Swarm - by Hayley Chewins (Hardcover)

About the Book

"As far back as anyone can remember, the women of the Strand family have been magical. Their gifts manifest when they each turn fifteen, always in different ways. But Nell Strand knows that her family's magic is a curse. Her mother's age changes every day; she's often too young to be the mother Nell needs. Her older sister bleeds music and will do anything to release the songs inside her. Nell sees the way magic rips her family apart again and again. When Nell's own magic arrives in the form of ladybugs alighting on the keys of her beloved piano, the first thing she feels is joy. The ladybugs are a piece of her, a harmless and delicate manifestation of her creativity. But soon enough, the rest come. Thick-shelled glossy beetles that creep along her collarbone when her piano teacher stares at her. Soft gray moths that appear and die alongside a rush of disappointment. Worst of all are the wasps. It doesn't matter how deep she buries her rage, the wasps always come. Nell will have to decide just how much of herself she's willing to lock away to stop them--or if she can find the strength to feel, no matter the consequences."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A propulsive YA novel in verse that blends the contemporary magic of Jandy Nelson with the simmering feminist rage of Laurie Halse Anderson's Shout

As far back as anyone can remember, the women of the Strand family have been magical.

Their gifts manifest when they each turn fifteen, always in different ways. But Nell Strand knows that her family's magic is a curse. Her mother's age changes every day; she's often too young to be the mother Nell needs. Her older sister bleeds music and will do anything to release the songs inside her. Nell sees the way magic rips her family apart again and again.

When Nell's own magic arrives in the form of ladybugs alighting on the keys of her beloved piano, the first thing she feels is joy. The ladybugs are a piece of her, a harmless and delicate manifestation of her creativity. But soon enough, the rest come. Thick-shelled glossy beetles that creep along her collarbone when her piano teacher stares at her. Soft gray moths that appear and die alongside a rush of disappointment. Worst of all are the wasps. It doesn't matter how deep she buries her rage, the wasps always come. Nell will have to decide just how much of herself she's willing to lock away to stop them--or if she can find the strength to feel, no matter the consequences.

An intense, emotional read simmering with rage and magic, I Am the Swarm is a captivating YA novel in verse that beautifully speaks to the complicated nature of growing up as a girl.

Review Quotes

★FIVE STARRED REVIEWS ★

★ "Written in delicate, sparse, almost fragile verse . . . Chewins examines each of Nell's emotions as if it's a butterfly preserved in amber, held up to the light for careful study. The elements of magic interwoven with the very real cruelties of girlhood is a case study in successful fabulism. A beautiful, introspective slow burn of a book." --Kirkus, starred review

★ "This cutting novel in verse is fearless, biting, and raw...there is a painful, sharply realistic thread that zeroes in on the way that girls are often stifled, silenced, coerced, or used...though there is a tender, quiet hopefulness that finds purchase in each of the women's stories." --BCCB, starred review

★ "In this deeply felt verse novel, Chewins expertly leverages evocative language . . . for a moving tale of self-discovery and healing through connection." --PW, starred review

★ "In verse that flies across the page, Chewins weaves multiple apt metaphors with sensory detail . . . themes of music as a powerful tool for self-expression and anger as an important self-protective measure in this one-sitting read. --Booklist, starred review

★ "Vividly and fluidly written verse sets a gradual pace that allows readers to immerse themselves in Nell's complex reality and her path to womanhood in a world both harsh and hopeful." --The Horn Book, starred review

"I feel like Hayley Chewins looked directly into my soul and wrote I Am the Swarm just for me. But this astonishing book is going to resonate for so many readers. Brilliantly crafted in raw, unflinching verse threaded through with delicate magic, Nell's heart-wrenching journey is both harrowing and hopeful. I am madly in love with this book." --Joy McCullough, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Water Paint

"I Am The Swarm dances along your skin like the insects depicted in its pages. Beautiful, dangerous, and just a little bit deadly. I've never read a book quite like it before." - Rena Rossner, author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood

"With prose that is both as fierce as a hornet's sting and as the delicate as a butterfly's wings, I Am the Swarm examines girlhood, family, and adolescence in a vivid, honest, and wholly original light." -- R.M. Romero, critically acclaimed author of The Ghosts of Rose Hill

About the Author

Hayley Chewins is the critically acclaimed author of The Turnaway Girls and The Sisters of Straygarden Place. She grew up in Cape Town, and now lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and daughter. She is the singer and songwriter for EIGHT THOUSAND BIRDS. You can visit her at HayleyChewins.com.