Emily K's Staff Pick December 2012: This steampunk faery tale/murder mystery/coming-of-age story takes place in a dark, fantastical Victorian England, where faeries make up the underclass and changelings (aka “peculiars”)—the offspring of humans and faeries—are the most scorned of all. Changelings have been mysteriously disappearing from their homes, and Bartholomew, a thirteen-year-old changeling, finds himself on an unlikely adventure to save the changelings, and the world. A great crossover novel, adults will enjoy this story just as much as young teens. I’m especially excited about The Peculiar because it is the debut novel of Colorado-born, 18-year-old Stefan Bachman, who is already being compared to Charles Dickens, Neil Gaiman, and Brian Selznick.
