Blue Montgomery always loses. It’s his “fate”. Everyone in his family has a “fate” – either good or bad. It dates back to 1817 when one of his ancestors faced the golden alligator of the Okefenokee swamp to ask for good luck. He wasn’t the only person there that night – so they split the wish knowing that half of their descendants would suffer as a result.
Blue’s father always wins – except at parenting. He leaves Blue at Granny Eve’s to pursue his racing career. Blue is despondent, until he meets Tumble. Tumble is a budding hero. She has read Maximal Star’s self-help book, How to Hero Every Day multiple times, determined to make a difference in someone’s life. What Tumble doesn’t know is that she has a bad “fate” too.
Doomed to fail, Tumble and Blue forge a friendship based on empathy and loyalty. A series of mishaps inspires them to question the status quo. When they realize that their “fates” are intertwined, they decide to do the unthinkable: to find the swamp alligator and ask him to change their lives and that of their families.
Like her bestseller Circus Mirandus, Cassie Beasley’s latest novel highlights the importance of family and the unconditional love one should find there. Blue discovers the affection of cousins he did not know he had and experiences the allegiance of familial ties. At the same time, Tumble proves to be a big-hearted girl who never thinks of herself. While the two have a track record of failure, they succeed at friendship, proving that a sacrifice done for love is more powerful than any evil.
Jennifer Minicus is a teacher living in Ridgewood, NJ.
