47

Walter Mosley's first book for YA readers is quite an unusual one. Interlacing history and science fiction together, he creates an intriguing world that will draw readers in. Ostensibly about slavery, this is really a book about freedom. 47 is a young slave living on a plantation. After having led a relatively sheltered life up at the main house, he has now been deemed old enough to go to the men's house.

Soon after, he meets the mysterious Tall John, a runaway slave who acts completely different depending on who is talking to him: subservient with the master, funny with the other slaves, and something entirely different with 47. At this point, the novel takes a dramatic turn from a historical focus to one of speculative fiction.

Tall John, you see, is from another world entirely. Not only that, but he is hundreds upon hundreds of years old and has been searching all this time for 47 for the one person that can stop the evil Calash (and the dastardly Wall) from destroying the worlds.

There's so much going on in this book, I couldn't even begin to tell you without giving some details away that I'm not willing to give. Just be prepared to be frustrated a little bit at the end when you realize that this has to be just the first book in a series and that 47's story is really just beginning.

I recommend this book to both science fiction and historical fiction fans ages 12 and up. The blending is a little startling at first, but soon you will find yourself completely taken in.