THE RIVERMAN

Alistair is the kid you can trust--a kid who can keep secrets. Fiona is not the girl next door. With her crooked nose and voice that creaks, Alistair hardly knows she exists, until she shows up on his doorstep on his 13th birthday with a proposition: she wants him to write her autobiography. It all seems like a silly game, at first.

This odd vanity projects takes an unexpected turn and soon becomes a glimpse into the mind of a troubled girl. Fiona tells Alistair her secret, that in her basement is a gateway to the magical world of Aquavania, where children create worlds from their imagination. Even more troubling, Fiona says that a creature called the Riverman lives there, stealing the souls of children, and that she fears her soul is next. Though Alistair is incredulous, he becomes enchanted with her as they spend more time together. Ultimately, he must choose whether to believe her tales of Aquavania andthe Riverman, or to believe something more logical--but much more terrifying and real--is happening. THE RIVERMAN is a Junior Library Guild selection for August 2014. Part Bridge to Terabithia, part Let the Right One In, THE RIVERMAN is the first book in a creepy coming-of-age fantasy trilogy by Aaron Starmer, author of The Only Ones (Yearling 2012) and Dweeb (Delacorte 2009). THE RIVERMAN will be a lead title for Winter 2014.