ENCOUNTER AT OWL ROCK

Two brothers team up with their longtime bestie and a peculiar new friend for a high-stakes, out-of-this-world adventure.

One day a few years ago, twins Oakley and Cypress Young’s parents mysteriously vanished. That summer they met Jaz Demetrio, who’d recently lost her mother. The three Black-presenting tweens (Jaz’s father is Italian American) have been inseparable ever since. Aspiring filmmaker Cypress, Oak, who's a wholehearted believer in the otherworldly, and well-traveled military brat Jaz collaborate on shooting movies while also investigating their beloved Atlanta neighborhood. Evil Orion Industries is buying up properties, bringing about sudden changes. While filming at an old amusement park—now an Orion construction site—Oak flies off his skateboard and disappears into a portal on Owl Rock, a large granite rock formation, kicking off an extraterrestrial mystery involving cruel businessman Hancock Orion. The dual first-person narration shifts between the point of view of Cypress, who’s desperately trying to find his brother and navigate issues of rapid, world-destroying gentrification, and Oak, who befriends an alien who’s reluctant to be part of the world-conquering plot. By the time the brothers reunite to save the day with music and magic meteorites, their understanding of how to be part of a team while still maintaining their individuality is forever changed for the better. Epigraphs featuring quotes from Oak’s favorite superhero, the Silver Surfer, drive home the cosmic scope of their discoveries.

A raucous romp from twin perspectives with something different to say.