Horn Book Review
Eleven-year-old Rileys beloved mother told him the story of the Whispers, invisible beings who know all the secrets of the universe and who, in exchange for tributes, will grant people their hearts desires. Now Mama has disappeared, and visits from the Worlds. Worst. Police. Detective. Ever make Riley feel hes under suspicion. It gradually becomes clear that Riley, whos been wetting the bed (my condition), has reason to be anxious. Things hes hiding include his possession of Mamas wedding ring and his fear that his other condition, the one that led him to enjoy a shared kiss with Kenny from Kentucky, somehow caused her departure. When Riley himself hears the Whispers, his intense desperation and self-blame make it believable that hes willing to sacrifice himself to get Mama back. Riley is an unreliable narrator, to the point that some readers may not understand right away what kind of book theyre reading (see Sharelle Byars Moranvilles 27 Magic Words, rev. 1/17, for a similar portrait of grief in disguise). But hes a thoroughly sympathetic one, and its easy to root for his eventual understanding of the truthand of his own blamelessness. shoshana flax January/February 2019 p 93(c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The Whispers know all the secrets of the universe. If they're real, can they help Riley find Mama?Eleven-year-old Riley's mother has been missing for four months. The Fat Bald Detective that Riley sees weekly for questioning has made no progress in the case. Riley's father, older brother, and grandparents don't talk about Mama's absence, which doesn't help matters. Riley has begun wetting the bed, which he calls his "condition," but there's this "other condition" that he fears may be the reason his mother left or was taken: Riley wants to kiss boys rather than talk with his best friend, Gary, about a female classmate's "miraculously inflated boobs." Riley is convinced the Whispers, unseen creatures from his mother's favorite story, will accept an offering in return for his heart's desirehis mother's returnwhich drives the plot, along with Riley's exploration of his identity as a gay preteen in the rural South. Howard places unreliable-narrator Riley at the center of his middle-grade debut. The slow reveal of what actually happened to Mama leads to a satisfying and touching conclusion, one that careful young readers may see before it arrives. Riley and his family are white; Gary is biracial (black/white); their classmates in their small South Carolina town are diverse.A realistic tale of coming to terms and coming-of-age, of friendship and loss, with a touch of magic and humor. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
