Sparrow - by Mary Cecilia Jackson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, Mary Cecilia Jackson's devastating but hopeful YA debut is about a ballerina who finds the courage to confront the abuse that haunts her past and threatens her future.

There are two kinds of people on the planet. Hunters and prey
I thought I would be safe after my mother died. I thought I could stop searching for new places to hide. But you can't escape what you are, what you've always been.
My name is Savannah Darcy Rose.
And I am still prey.

Though Savannah Rose--"Sparrow" to her friends and family--is a gifted ballerina, her real talent is keeping secrets. Schooled in silence by her long-dead mother, Sparrow has always believed that her lifelong creed--"I'm not the kind of girl who tells"--will make her just like everyone else: Normal. Happy. Safe.

But in the aftermath of a brutal assault by her seemingly perfect boyfriend Tristan, Sparrow must finally find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past, or lose herself forever....

Review Quotes

"A heartbreaking yet hopeful debut." --Kirkus Reviews

"With grace and tenderness, this debut honors the strength needed to rebuild after trauma." --Booklist

"A solid debut with evocative imagery that will fit well into a collection in need of stories featuring teens grappling with unhealthy relationships or demons in their past."--School Library Journal

"Jackson skillfully balances authentic teenage dialogue in the form of conversations and text messages with evocative lyrical descriptions en route to an uplifting conclusion."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Mary Cecilia Jackson has worked as a middle school teacher, an adjunct instructor of college freshmen, a technical writer and editor, a speechwriter, a museum docent, and a development officer for central Virginia's PBS and NPR stations. Her first novel, Sparrow, was an honor recipient of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Sue Alexander Award, and a young adult finalist in the Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest. She lives with her architect husband, William, in Western North Carolina and Hawaii.