The First of Penguins

by Mary Q. Steele

First published 1987

The cramped streets and dirty buildings of their neighborhood weigh down two young friends who dream of something better. The poverty and ugliness around them feels crushing until they discover they can slip away to other worlds entirely. These strange new places feel like dreams made real, each one different from their harsh city life. The friends travel together through these magical realms, driven by their shared hope that somewhere they will discover the one thing that can fix everything wrong with their world. Their journey becomes a test of friendship as they search for an answer that might not exist. At its heart, this is a story about the power of imagination when reality becomes too much to bear.

Genres: fiction, adventure, fantasy, contemporary

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical

Tropes: found-family, search-for-meaning

Setting: Penguins

Period: 20th-century

1 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Signet

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