Shadowshaper (the Shadowshaper Cypher, Book 1): Volume 1

"Magnificent." -- Holly Black, New York Times Book Review

Come to the crossroads, to the crossroads comeSierra Santiago planned an easy summer of making art and hanging with her friends. But then a corpse crashes the first party of the season. Her stroke-ridden grandfather starts apologizing over and over. And when the murals in her neighborhood begin to weep real tears . . . Well, something more sinister than the usual Brooklyn ruckus is going on.Where the powers converge and become oneWith the help of a fellow artist named Robbie, Sierra discovers shadowshaping, a thrilling magic that infuses ancestral spirits into paintings, music, and stories. But someone is killing the shadowshapers one by one -- and the killer believes Sierra is hiding their greatest secret. Now she must unravel her family's past, take down the killer in the present, and save the future of shadowshaping for herself and generations to come.Full of a joyful, defiant spirit and writing as luscious as a Brooklyn summer night, Shadowshaper introduces a fantasy heroine and magic unlike any you've ever seen before, and marks the YA debut of a brilliant new storyteller.

Author: Daniel José Older
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Published: 06/30/2015
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.70w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780545591614
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.1
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 174530 / Shadowshaper


Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Cybils - Finalist
Award: Kirkus Prize - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2015
School Library Journal 04/01/2015 pg. 157
Publishers Weekly 04/13/2015
Booklist 05/15/2015 pg. 64
Romantic Times 07/01/2015 pg. 39 - Excellent
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2015 pg. 68
Shelf Awareness 07/03/2015
New York Times Book Review 07/19/2015 pg. 22
PW Best Children's Books 11/02/2015 pg. 53
PW Children's Starred Reviews 12/02/2015 pg. 105
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/06/2015 pg. 34
Kirkus Best Young-Adult Books 12/01/2015 pg. 65
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2016 pg. 14
School Library Journal 02/01/2017 pg. 50

About the Author
Daniel José Older has always loved monsters, whether historical, prehistorical, or imaginary. His debut series for young adults, the Shadowshaper Cypher, has earned starred reviews, the International Latino Book Award, and New York Times Notable Book and NPR Best Book of the Year picks, among other accolades. His debut middle-grade series, Dactyl Hill Squad, was named to the New York Times Notable Book list and to the NPR and Washington Post Best Book of the Year lists, among others. He has worked as a bike messenger, a waiter, and a teacher, and was a New York City paramedic for ten years. Daniel splits his time between Brooklyn and New Orleans.