First published 1991
Ron hits the streets after running away from home. He lands in Bordertown, where crumbling buildings house an unlikely mix of punk rockers and pointed-eared elves. This decaying city sits right on the line between our ordinary world and the magical realm of Faerie. Ron must navigate both human outcasts and fairy folk as he tries to survive on his own. The teenager discovers that growing up means more than just leaving home. In Bordertown's alleys and squats, surrounded by beings both mundane and magical, Ron faces the real work of becoming an adult. Magic and reality collide in a place where neither world's rules apply completely.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, young-adult, urban-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bordertown, Faerie
Period: Contemporary
179 pages · Hardcover · Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich, NY