Will Do Magic for Small Change

by Andrea Hairston

Overview

“[A] beautifully multifaceted story... Highly recommended.” —The New York Times

Andrea Hairston's historical fantasy Will Do Magic for Small Change presents a tale of alien science and earthbound magic and the secrets families keep from each other.

Cinnamon Jones dreams of stepping on stage and acting her heart out like her famous grandparents, Redwood and Wildfire. But she’s always been theatrically challenged. That won’t necessarily stop her! But her family life is a tangle of mysteries and secrets, and nobody is telling her the whole truth.

Before her brother died, he gave Cinnamon The Chronicles of the Great Wanderer—a tale of a Dahomean warrior woman and an alien from another dimension who perform at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. They are a story of magic or alien science, but the connection to Cinnamon's past is unmistakable.

When an act of violence wounds her family, Cinnamon and her theatre squad determine to solve the mysteries and bring her worlds crashing together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250808745
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	436,944
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Andrea Hairston is a novelist, essayist, playwright, and the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theatre. She is the author of Redwood and Wildfire, winner of the 2011 Otherwise Award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award, and Mindscape, shortlisted for the Phillip K Dick and Otherwise Awards, and winner of the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. In her spare time, she is the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies at Smith College. She has received the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts Distinguished Scholarship Award for outstanding contributions to the criticism of the fantastic. She bikes at night year-round, meeting bears and the occasional shooting star.

Editorial Reviews

[A] beautifully multifaceted story...with deep, layered, powerful characters. Highly recommended.” —The New York Times

“This is one of those books you start and realize you've been waiting to read for a long, long time without knowing. Will Do Magic for Small Change is a deep breath, a good friend, a heartbreaking, game-changing, life-affirming, truth-telling powerhouse. I love this book.” —Daniel José Older

“Andrea Hairston's vision is breathtaking. She weaves sweeping historical narratives and mythology with the wisdom of the elders, and shines light on the pressing issues of the day. In her hands language is a blessing, and the familiar and the fantastic become magic, one and the same.” —Sheree Renée Thomas

“The entire work is filled with magic, celebrating West Africans, Native Americans, art, and love that transcends simple binary genders. Hairston's novel is a completely original and stunning work.” —Publishers Weekly

“This book glitters with West African magic, unconventional love, and creatures you won't forget.” —BuzzFeed

“This book’s lyrical language and unsparing vision make it a mind-expanding must-read.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review on Master of Poisons

“This is an urgent, gorgeous work.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Master of Poisons

Master of Poisons voted a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020

From the Publisher

★ 04/18/2016
Hairston (Mindscape) brews up a potent blend of West African religion and history, magic, science fiction, theater, and the life of one Pittsburgh teen in the 1980s. The curtain opens with Cinnamon Jones at the funeral for her half-brother, Sekou, who has died of an overdose and left her as the Guardian of a book called simply The Chronicles, which gives the history of the Wanderer. The Wanderer is an extradimensional being who first materialized in embattled Dahomey, a kingdom in West Africa, in 1892, and whose story is gradually revealed to Cinnamon as she reads the book. Three years later, she introduces two other teens, Klaus Beckenbauer and Marie Masuda, to The Chronicles; they read it together and resolve to reunite the aspects of the Wanderer that have been scattered. The three adolescents discover love and mystery while being supported by Sekou’s shade and the spirit-filled elders of Cinnamon’s family. The glory of West Africa’s orishas pulses off the pages, as does the weird power of the Wanderer, an unusual take on an alien life form. The entire work is filled with magic, celebrating West Africans, Native Americans, art, and love that transcends simple binary genders. Hairston’s novel is a completely original and stunning work. Agent: Kristopher O’Higgins, Scribe Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

07/29/2022

Hairston (Redwood and Wildfire; Master of Poisons) writes a magical coming-of-age story. The novel was first independently published in 2016 and is now getting picked up by Tor.com. Beginning in 1980s Philadelphia with the overdose of Cinnamon's brother, Sekou, readers follow Cinnamon's grief and discovery as she struggles to keep her brother's gifts and memory safe from her mother's anger and sorrow. Sekou was guardian to the story of the Wanderer, an alien who first came to Earth in the late 19th century, arriving in Africa. Guardians keep stories alive—including those of the Wanderer, who gains power from being remembered. Alternating between Cinnamon's and the Wanderer's stories, the novel is a rich exploration of a young Black girl finding friends and purpose. The novel also beautifully focuses on the idea that remembering and telling stories keeps people alive. The text is sometimes dense, but Hairston's novel is a provocative reading experience that confronts current societal issues. VERDICT This new edition is recommended for public libraries and readers who have an interest in African history and science fiction and who missed the book when it came out as an indie.—Danielle Williams

Library Journal

Tamika Katon-Donegal and Andre Santana narrate a complex family drama in a unique mash-up of magic and Afrofuturism. In the 1980s, as Cinnamon Jones struggles with the recent suicide of her brother, she's reading a book he gave her about the journey of a West African warrior woman and an alien who perform in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Cinnamon discovers a connection between the book and her own family history. Katon-Donegal shoulders the bulk of the narration with aplomb. Shifting amid a variety of accents and characters, she anchors attention to the imaginative and empathetic tale and imbues the story with heart and wonder. The dual narration in two time frames, coupled with the story's compelling rhythm, provides a sense of discovery as evocative phrases seem to pop in listeners' ears. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

Tamika Katon-Donegal and Andre Santana narrate a complex family drama in a unique mash-up of magic and Afrofuturism. In the 1980s, as Cinnamon Jones struggles with the recent suicide of her brother, she's reading a book he gave her about the journey of a West African warrior woman and an alien who perform in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Cinnamon discovers a connection between the book and her own family history. Katon-Donegal shoulders the bulk of the narration with aplomb. Shifting amid a variety of accents and characters, she anchors attention to the imaginative and empathetic tale and imbues the story with heart and wonder. The dual narration in two time frames, coupled with the story's compelling rhythm, provides a sense of discovery as evocative phrases seem to pop in listeners' ears. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile