Summer Prince, The

Alaya Dawn Johnson

ISBN 10: 150125040X ISBN 13: 9781501250408

Publisher: Scholastic on Brilliance Audio, 2015

Synopsis

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that's sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June's best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government's strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

About this title

About the Author

Alaya Dawn Johnson began writing The Summer Prince while on a train, traveling three thousand miles across America. But her love of Brazil started much earlier—as a child listening to the music of Joćo Gilberto, and as a young woman traveling there with her sister and cousin. She attended Columbia University and lives in New York City. This is her first young adult novel. Visit her online at www. alayadawnjohnson.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From The Summer Prince:

When I was eight, my papai took me to the park to watch a king die.

At first, all I saw were adults clad in bright blues and greens and reds, in feathers and sequins, in cloth glittering with gold and jewels. Carnival clothes for carnival day, but covered in the early morning chill with darker coats and shawls. I looked up at this mass of grandes like I had stumbled into a gathering of orixas. I couldn't see their faces, but I could see their hands, the way they twisted them around each other, or clicked through a string of rosary beads. Some held candles, some held flowers. They were dressed for carnival, but they were quieter than I remembered from other years. The legs and torsos swayed and jostled, but no one danced. A few of the men cried. For the first time in my life, I knew a carnival without music.

I held my papai's hand. He did not look at me. A strange sigh swept over the crowd, like the wind howling past the cliffside during a winter storm. A woman's voice boomed through the park, but I was too young, too close to the ground to understand.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic on Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 150125040X
• ISBN 13: 9781501250408
• Binding: MP3 CD