Breaking the Fall

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Praise for Michael Cadnum

“Not since the debut of Robert Cormier has such a major talent emerged in adolescent literature.” —
The Horn Book

“A writer who just gets better with every book.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“Cadnum is a master.” —
Kirkus Reviews

Blood Gold

“A gripping adventure set during the 1849 California gold rush. Complementing the historical insight is an expertly crafted, fast-paced, engrossing adventure story full of fascinating characters. This is historical fiction that boys in particular will find irresistible.” —
Booklist
, starred review

“This novel is fast paced.… The well-realized settings, which range from remote wildernesses to sprawling cities, create colorful backdrops for Willie's adventure. An enticing read.” —
School Library Journal

“The prose is lively.… A spirited introduction to the gold rush for older readers.” —
Kirkus Reviews

Breaking the Fall

Edgar Award Nominee

“Tension hums beneath the surface.… Riveting.” —
Booklist

“Eerie, suspense-laden prose powerfully depicts the frustrating, overwhelming and often painful process of traveling from youth toward adulthood.” —
Publishers Weekly

Calling Home

An Edgar Award Nominee

“An exquisitely crafted work … of devastating impact.” —
The Horn Book

“Probably the truest portrait of a teenaged alcoholic we've had in young adult fiction.” —
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Readers … will never forget the experience.” —
Wilson Library Bulletin

“[Readers] will relate to the teen problems that lead to Peter's substance abuse and the death of his best friend.” —
Children's Book Review Service

“Through the prism of descriptive poetic images, Peter reveals the dark details of his sleepwalking life.… An intriguing novel.” —
School Library Journal

Daughter of the Wind

“Readers will enjoy the sensation of being swept to another time and place in this thrill-a-minute historical drama.” —
Publishers Weekly

Edge

“Mesmerizing … This haunting, life-affirming novel further burnishes Cadnum's reputation as an outstanding novelist.” —
Kirkus Reviews
, starred review

“A thought-provoking story full of rich, well-developed characters.” —
School Library Journal

“Devastating.” —
Booklist

“A psychologically intense tale of inner struggle in the face of tragedy.” —
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Forbidden Forest

“Cadnum succeeds admirably in capturing the squalor and casual brutality of the times.” —
Kirkus Reviews

Heat

“In this gripping look at family relationships Cadnum finds painful shades of gray for Bonnie to face for the first time; in her will to grasp the manner and timing of her healing is evidence that she is one of Cadnum's most complex and enigmatic characters.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“Compelling. Adopting the laconic style that gives so much of his writing its tough edge and adult flavor, Cadnum challenges readers with hard questions about the nature of fear and of betrayal.” —
Publishers Weekly

In a Dark Wood

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist

“A beautiful evocation of a dangerous age … Readers who lose themselves in medieval Sherwood Forest with Cadnum will have found a treasure.” —
San Francisco Chronicle

“
In a Dark Wood
is a stunning tour de force, beautifully written, in which Michael Cadnum turns the legend of Robin Hood inside out. Cadnum's shimmering prose is poetry with muscle, capturing both the beauty and brutality of life in Nottinghamshire.
In a Dark Wood
may well become that rare thing—an enduring piece of literature.” —Robert Cormier, author of
The Chocolate War

“[T]his imaginative reexamination of the Robin Hood legend from the point of view of the Sheriff of Nottingham is not only beautifully written but is also thematically rich and peopled with memorable multidimensional characters.” —
Booklist

“Cadnum's blend of dry humor, human conflict and historical details proves a winning combination in this refreshing twist on the Robin Hood tale.” —
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

“A complex, many-layered novel that does not shirk in its description of [the period], and offers an unusually subtle character study and a plot full of surprises.” —
The Horn Book

The King's Arrow

“The King's Arrow is an adventure story full of color and romance, as resonant as a fable, told in clear, clean, swift prose. A wonderful read.” —Dean Koontz

Nightsong: The Legend of Orpheus and Eurydice

“Cadnum (
Starfall: Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun
) once again breathes life into classic mythological figures.… Skillfully creating a complex, multidimensional portrait of Orpheus (as well as of other members of the supporting cast, including Persephone and Sisyphus), Cadnum brings new meaning to an ancient romance.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Another excellent retelling of one of Ovid's mythical tales. This well-written version is a much fuller retelling than that found either in Mary Pope Osborne's
Favorite Greek Myths
or Jacqueline Morley's
Greek Myths
. The story is a powerful one, delivered in comprehensible yet elevated language, and is sure to resonate with adolescents and give them fodder for discussion.” —
School Library Journal

Raven of the Waves

“[A] swashbuckling … adventure set in the eighth century, Cadnum (
In a Dark Wood
) shows how a clash of cultures profoundly affects two distant enemies: a young Viking warrior and a monk's apprentice.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Convey[s] a sense of what life might have been like in a world where danger and mystery lurked in the nearest woods; where cruelty was as casual as it was pervasive; where mercy was real but rare; and where the ability to sing, or joke—or even just express a coherent thought—was regarded as a rare and valuable quality … Valuable historical insight, but it's definitely not for the squeamish.” —
Booklist

“Hard to read because of the gruesome scenes and hard to put down, this book provokes strong emotions and raises many fascinating questions.” —
School Library Journal

Rundown

“Deep, dark, and moving, this is a model tale of adolescent uneasiness set amid the roiling emotions of modern life.” —
Kirkus Review

“Cadnum demonstrates his usual mastery of mood and characterization in this acutely observed portrait.” —
Booklist

Ship of Fire

“Brimming with historical detail and ambience, this fact-paced maritime adventure will surely please devotees of the genre.” —
School Library Journal

Starfall: Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun

“Cadnum (
In a Dark Wood
) once again displays his expertise as a storyteller as he refashions sections of Ovid's
Metamorphoses
into a trilogy of enchanting tales. Readers will feel Phaeton's trepidation as he journeys to meet his father for the first time, and they will understand the hero's mixture of excitement and dread as he loses control of the horses. [Cadnum] humanize[es] classical figures and transform[s] lofty language into accessible, lyrical prose; he may well prompt enthusiasts to seek the original source.” —
Publishers Weekly

Taking It

“Cadnum keeps readers on the edge of their seats.” —
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

“Cadnum stretches the literary boundaries of the YA problem novel. This one should not be missed.” —
Booklist
, starred review

Zero at the Bone

“Riveting … [an] intense psychological drama.” —
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

“Much more frightening than a generic horror tale.” —
Booklist
, starred review

“A painful subject, mercilessly explored.” —
Kirkus Reviews

Breaking the Fall

Michael Cadnum

FOR SHERINA

The bay if we could see

too beautiful to see
.

1

You have to hold your breath.

After a while you have to breathe, but you can breathe so slowly no one, even someone close enough to touch you, can hear that you are there.

But even then, even with every breath measured and slow, something goes wrong. And all you can think is:
I can't do it
.

It wasn't what I had expected at all.

The house around me was huge. The ceiling was a flat, white slab. The furniture hulked, and the carpet hissed under my feet. The house was big, and it was alive, every shadow trembling.

I knew I couldn't do it. Leave now, I told myself. Back out the side window where you came in. Go.

Now.

But I stayed where I was. Some part of me loved this, and I thought: Jared should see me now. He should see how I steal, invisible, all the way across the floor without making a sound.

See, I would tell him, I can do it after all.

It was my first time. Jared had laughed, but I had told him that I could do it, just as he could, and that I would prove it tonight. He was waiting for me even now, and I could imagine him smoking cigarettes and shaking his head to himself, knowing that I wouldn't be able to play his game.