When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune

So I just made another note to add to my blue notebook later when the house had cooled off: Tias nature is boiling out of her like hot soup out of a pot and Kambia Elaine just flew in from Neptune. Shayla Dubois lives in a Houston neighborhood known as the Bottom where life is colorful but never easy. She wants only two things out of life: to become a writer and to have a nice peaceful home. Instead her life has been turned upside down. Shaylas mama kicked her sister Tia out of the house for messing around with an older guy and months later Tia still hasnt come home. Shaylas father Mr. Anderson Fox has rolled back into town and has been spending a lot of time at the house with Mama. And Shayla still doesnt know what to make of her strange new neighbor Kambia Elaine. Kambia tells Shayla the most fantastic stories: that the Lizard People turn into purple chewing gum when the sun comes up; that Memory Beetles gather up and store peoples good memories; that she is a piece of driftwood from the Mississippi River. All Shayla knows for sure is that Kambias mother has a lot of male visitors and that Kambia doesnt look too healthy. When Kambia tells Shayla about the vicious Wallpaper Wolves that hide in her walls to catch bad little girls Shayla knows something is wrong. But she doesnt know how she can help Kambia when she cant get past her stories and when Tia still hasnt come home. Told lyrically and gracefully by debut author Lori Aurelia Williams When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune shows how complicated life can get when children are forced to grow up too quickly while it also celebrates the bonds of a strong loving family.