by Holly Black
First published 2011
Runaway teenagers flee to Bordertown, a city straddling the boundary between the human world and elfin realm. Here, young people from both sides seek adventure and reinvention. Elves form rock bands and zoom through streets on motorbikes powered by spells. Human kids transform themselves in the squats, clubs, and artist studios scattered throughout Soho. The city pulses with magic and music as these displaced youth create new identities far from their origins. Over twenty interconnected stories, songs, and poems reveal the lives of those who call Bordertown home. Writers both established and emerging explore what happens when worlds collide and outcasts find their tribe. The collection captures the raw energy of young people carving out space where they belong, mixing magic with the gritty reality of street life.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, young-adult, urban-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, gritty, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bordertown
Period: 21st-century
544 pages · Hardcover · Random House Books for Young Readers