A highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Carry On finds an overwhelmed Simon joining Penny and Bax on a trip to the American West in a vintage convertible, only to be confronted by dragons, vampires and gun-toting skunks. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)
THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED SEQUEL
TO THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER CARRY ON
Simon Snow is back and he's coming to America!
The story is supposed to be over.
Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after…
So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?
What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light.
That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place.
With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.
Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun.
- (
McMillan Palgrave)
RAINBOW ROWELL lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and two sons. She's also the author of Carry On, Landline, Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Attachments. - (McMillan Palgrave)
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* At last! A sequel to Carry On (2015) and the good news is that it's every bit as fine as the first. Here's the story: Simon, having lost his magic, is in such a funk that it seems things might be over with him and Baz. Happily, their friend Penelope—she who must be obeyed—decides they need to go to America to sort things out and to find out what is happening with their friend Agatha, who is incommunicado in San Diego. On the way they meet a 22-year-old named Shepard who is relentless in his determination to befriend them. With that settled, they head to Las Vegas, which turns out to be the vampire capital of America. Meanwhile Agatha is in grave danger, being held captive by a band of strange men called the Next Blood, who have an unhealthy interest in her magic. How this all works out is the making of a terrific adventure infused with magic, except when it isn't. The story is told from a number of points of view; one quibble here: the voices tend to sound too much alike. But that's small potatoes compared with the overall excellence of a book in which every vista pleases and every character delights. Carefully plotted, the book is a classic page-turner right to the open ending which, o frabjous day, promises a sequel to the sequel! One can hardly wait. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
PW Annex Reviews
After the triumphant conclusion of Carry On, hero Simon Snow had earned some reward, or at least a little happiness. Instead, as this sequel opens, readers learn that Simon has sunk into a deep post-heroics funk. Roommates and fellow magicians Penny and Baz (well, mostly Penny) decide that Simon needs a radical change. A hastily and haphazardly arranged trip takes them from England to Chicago, where they rent a classic Mustang to head west—Penny presciently senses that former classmate Agatha has found trouble in California. Trouble, in fact, abounds, and the magicians face off against a variety of foes, including Ren Faire-visiting vampires and a shotgun-wielding polecat, while finding that their idiom-based magic works differently in America. Rowell's dry wit is on full display as the first-person narrative moves between the characters, and plentiful awkward relationships—including the fraught romance between Simon and Baz—add tension. Though this second volume lacks the first's tighter plotline, it's a big-hearted look at early adulthood, exploration, and self-renewal that will certainly draw fans. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly Annex.