LITTLE BIGFOOT, BIG CITY

As Alice, Millie, and Jeremy pursue different goals, their lives entangle irrevocably—for better and worse.

Large, wild-haired, seemingly white Alice’s confirmation that she has nonhuman blood further fuels her desire to join the Yare, or Bigfoot—unknown to most of the world—who live hidden deep in New York woods. Meanwhile, small, furry Millie, who longs to completely abandon her simple Yare life, uses the help of Alice and of snobbish human Jessica to get a singing audition for the smash TV show The Next Stage. The three girls met at an unusual boarding school, Experimental Center for Love and Learning. Simultaneously, a secret U.S. government agency pressures No-Fur (human) Jeremy and his friend Jo, who uses a wheelchair, to aid its mission to capture members of the Yare Tribe. The plot twists and turns around the realistically portrayed adolescents, while readers also mull cultural clashes, the intricacies of friendship and betrayals, the ironies of people’s fantasies, and the unexpected revelations mothers make to daughters. Details of New York City, plenty of humor, and even a swipe at the current White House administration add fun to this spirited cliffhanger. And does Yare behavior mock or support “yare’s” nautical meaning? Although some questions are resolved, readers will be impatient for the third novel. Most characters are white; Millie’s mother is coppery-golden–skinned.

Fast-paced and full of questions, answers, more questions—and heart.