Kirkus Reviews QR Code
FAITH by Julie Murphy

FAITH

Taking Flight

From the Faith Herbert series, volume 1

by Julie Murphy

Pub Date: July 7th, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-289965-1
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

A loud-and-proud fangirl finds herself living a fan’s dream.

Faith Herbert runs a popular blog for her main obsession—the popular show The Grove. This past summer, Faith took a chance to secretly have her latent psiot abilities activated and gained the ability to fly. She’s not sure what she’s meant to do with her new superheroic powers, but she’s been trying to keep her “feet on the ground” as she starts her senior year. When The Grove moves its shooting location to Faith’s small Minnesota town, she can’t believe her luck. Then she meets, and starts hanging out with, the show’s star, Dakota Ash. In the meantime, a string of local pets, homeless people, and then Faith’s classmates all go missing. It’s scary, but she’s determined to help if she can. Faith’s character is the true star here; she has a sweet disposition and genuine dedication to her friends and family. She’s also good-humored, which makes moments of emotional stress, like dealing with her grandmother’s emerging memory issues, all the more poignant. As in all her work, Murphy’s portrayal of a plus-size protagonist is nuanced and heartfelt. Faith is blonde, white, and questioning. Dakota is biracial (white/Latinx) and lesbian.

Destined for great heights.

(Fiction. 13-19)