Holly Black is one of the authors who will be in Jackson on September 16th for the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour. She is well known for her collaboration with Tony Diterlizzi on the Spiderwick Chronicles, as well as her New York Times Bestselling series of Modern Faerie Tales. Her newest book, White Cat, is the start of a new young adult series entitled The Curse Workers.
The book begins with Cassel, the main character, waking up on the edge of the roof of his school dormitory. He was following a white cat he was sure had bitten out his tongue, but it turns out he was sleepwalking almost 
to his death. He’s had a hard past few years, what with his father’s death, his mom’s arrest after being caught conning a millionaire, and oh yeah, his best friend Lila’s murder – which he is pretty sure he did, although he has no idea why. So he has plenty of reasons to have bad dreams, but try telling that to the principal. On school probation because of liability, Cassel is forced to go back to living with his family, who, unlike himself, are curse workers. A curse worker can affect you just by touching you. Their work is illegal, so most workers end up working for the mob, influencing emotions, luck,dreams, memories, causing physical pain, and even death at the touch of a finger. After moving home, he realizes something is going on that no one will quite explain to him. He hears quiet family meetings downstairs that he is not asked to attend, his brother Barron drops out of law school, and his sister-in-law’s memories have been changed. To get to the bottom of this secret plot, Cassel must con his family into telling the truth.
Holly Black has crafted an intriguing story that had me guessing until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book in the Curse Workers series or to meet her in person! This novel is great for boys and girls age 13 and up, so come on by and check it out!
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