Lifeling

Title:

Lifeling

Author:

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Lonny can stop death in its tracks. But there’s a price to pay for his magic. Each time he saves a life, he must sacrifice years of his own. In order to keep his power a secret, he's always stayed away from the nearby town of Farstoke, where the townsfolk might take advantage of a lifeling boy for their selfish and dangerous ends. But when Lonny’s family is left with no money, he and his brother Midge are forced to venture into Farstoke in search of work. Lonny soon finds that the people of Farstoke aren’t the frightening monsters he’s been told to fear. Or so they seem at first glance. As Lonny debates revealing his secret ability to the town, he must ask himself if the people of Farstoke are really who they appear to be, and if he is willing to risk his life to save another. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 8-12. Henry Holt and Company.

Grades 4-6. Henry Holt and Company.

General Note:

Originally published in London by Nosy Crow in 2021 under title: The life and time of Lonny Quicke.

Edition:

First American edition.

Physical Description:

260 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Subject Term:

Brothers -- Juvenile fiction.

Rejuvenation -- Juvenile fiction.

Sacrifice -- Juvenile fiction.

Ability -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Secrecy -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Henry Holt and Company,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781250317353

Publication Information:

New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022.

Call Number:

J APPLEBAUM

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003642488	Juvenile Fiction	APPLEBAUM	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

For fans of Tuck Everlasting comes a fantasy adventure from Kirsty Applebaum about a twelve-year-old boy who can bring living creatures back from the point of death--in exchange for part of his own life.

Twelve-year-old Lonny can stop death in its tracks. But there's a price to pay for his magic. Each time he saves a life, he must sacrifice years of his own. In order to keep his power a secret, he's always stayed away from the nearby town of Farstoke, where the townsfolk might take advantage of a lifeling boy for their selfish and dangerous ends.

But when Lonny's family is left with no money, he and his brother Midge are forced to venture into Farstoke in search of work. Lonny soon finds that the people of Farstoke aren't the frightening monsters he's been told to fear. Or so they seem at first glance. As Lonny debates revealing his secret ability to the town, he must ask himself if the people of Farstoke are really who they appear to be, and if he is willing to risk his life to save another.

Author Notes

Kirsty Applebaum was born in Essex, England and grew up in Hampshire. She's had a wide variety of jobs including bookselling, railway re-signaling, picking stones off conveyor belts, putting lids on perfume bottles, and teaching Pilates. She now lives with her husband on top of a hill in Winchester. Kirsty is also the author of The Middler .

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

With a premise that asks big questions about the value of an individual life, Applebaum's (The Middler) earnestly told novel conveys messages of love, loyalty, and sacrifice. Twelve-year-old Lonny Quicke is a lifeling--a person who can revive dying animals and people, in exchange for a shortened existence. To protect him from the powerful, potentially lethal pull of dying humans, Lonny's white-presenting family--his cantankerous grandfather, worried widower father, and younger brother Midge--remain near their secluded forest home, relying on the little money Lonny's father makes fixing watches. But when food becomes scarce for the family, Lonny and Midge risk going into nearby Farstoke to earn money. Watching preparations for an annual festival that celebrates the mythology of lifelings' sacrifices upends the siblings' understanding of Lonny's power and puts the boy on a path to possible disclosure and difficult decisions about responsibility. Applebaum builds tension from the start, describing the "buzzing" Lonny feels when a nearby creature is dying, detailing Farstoke's obsession with lifelings, and building toward a message that balances hope and reality, while developing a believable narrator with deep bonds and longing. Ages 8--12. Agent: Nancy Miles, Miles Stott. (Apr.)