Pictured on the cover is twelve-year-old Felicity Ulysses Dahlers, better known as Fud. She lives with her mom in a trailer somewhere in Wyoming. Unfortunately, Larry, Mom’s abusive, alcoholic boyfriend also lives there. The ex-boxer has an uncontrollable temper.

Fud can’t understand why her mother continues to make excuses for his behavior and worries when his next anger episode will occur. Fud’s worries increase when Larry brings home a run down houseboat he intends to fix up and use as a new home for the three of them, Fud is sure life will only get worse.

Hope arrives from Leigh, a new friend from a neighboring trailer. She is going to enter the Miss Black Gold beauty pageant and wants Fud to do the same. This sounds like a terrible idea until hearing about the $2000 prize money for the winner. That cash would hopefully convince Fud’s mom to break away from Larry.

A very contemporary story turns fantastical as Fud begins to see changes in herself that mirror what she sees and hears from the coyotes in the area. Is she slowly turning into one of these creatures to escape from Larry?

The often gut-wrenching first person narration engross readers with an intense look at domestic abuse and poverty. The choices made by the adults in Fud’s life were realistic though surprising in the end. Coyote Queen is a page turning tale thanks to the Fud’s spot on voice. She rings true at every turn. Excellent writing for sure.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: October 10, 2023

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: COYOTE QUEEN by Jessica Vitalis

1. Rooting for the main character doesn’t happen in every book, but in Coyote Queen you will be in Fud’s corner the entire way hoping for the best outcome.
2. Debates will begin if Fud turning into a coyote is really happening or just a part of her imagination. Either way it is a parallel to her scary life.
3. Finding help and support are important takeaways. For Fud she finds the perfect friend in the talkative Leigh and her mom. A great supporting cast.
4. The story leaves readers with the sense there is hope even in the most dire situation.
5. The author’s heartfelt background as to why she wrote the story in an important read. Also included are resources as to where one can find help if in a similar situation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JESSICA VITALIS is a Columbia MBA-wielding writer with Greenwillow / HarperCollins. She authored The Wolf’s Curse and The Rabbit’s Gift (which received two starred reviews and was named a Canadian Children’s Book Center Best Books for Kids and Teens 2023). Her next book, Coyote Queen, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and has already received a Kirkus starred review. A novel in verse, Unsinkable Cayenne, comes out in 2024. Her work has been translated into three languages, and she was named a 2021 Canada Council of the Arts Grant Recipient and featured on CBCs Here and Now and CTVs Your Morning. Jessica lives in Ontario with her husband and two daughters but speaks at conferences, festivals, and schools all over North America.

Jessica’s Social Media

Website: http://jessicavitalis.com

Instagram: @jessicavauthor https://www.instagram.com/jessicavauthor/

Facebook: @jessicavauthor https://www.facebook.com/jessicavauthor/

Twitter: @jessicavitalis https://twitter.com/jessicavitalis

Bluesky: @jessicavitalis https://bsky.app/profile/jessicavitalis.bsky.social

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