The Flicker

by H.E. Edgmon

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A page-turning, post-apocalyptic thriller with the soul of a tender, found family narrative. Come for the tension, stay for the heart.

Perfect for fans of The Marrow Thieves, Hatchet and The City of Ember, H.E. Edgmon's middle grade debut offers a bittersweet tale of hope and survival, a modern classic for the climate change generation.

One year ago, a solar flare scorched the Earth and destroyed life as we know it.

With their parents gone and supplies running dangerously low, step-sisters Millie and Rose only have one chance at survival: leave home with their infant half-brother and loyal dog Corncob in search of Millie’s grandma, a Seminole elder. As they navigate the burning land with a group of fellow survivors, dodging The Hive, a villainous group that has spent the last year hoarding supplies and living in luxury, the siblings have to learn to rely on each other more than ever, and discover how to build a new life from the ashes.

Expertly balancing heartbreak and hope, The Flicker is both a thrilling survival story and a tender exploration of Indigenous ideas of identity and found family.

A Stonewall Honor Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250873965
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

H.E. Edgmon is an author of queer speculative fiction across genres. Once a stray dog in the rural south, he now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest with a family of his own design. Haunted and hopeful, his work aims to offer levity without flinching from hard truths. In his writing and his daily life, H.E. will always prioritize the pursuit of an Indigenous future, the safety of our most vulnerable, and making a terrible joke whenever possible.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Flicker:

A Stonewall Honor Book
A Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2024

★ "Edgmon’s middle grade debut is a dystopian, anti-capitalist, Indigenous, gender nonconforming love letter to tweens . . . The writing is engaging, the plot is lively, and the social dynamics are believable, even when presenting lessons. Edgmon doesn’t pull any punches with this book . . . Through a story with some genuinely frightening moments, Edgmon helps readers explore identity. After all, who are we after all the systems we’ve used to define ourselves crumble?" —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Incisive worldbuilding surrounding the climate collapse makes this middle grade debut a simultaneously cautionary tale and dystopian adventure in which Edgmon showcases the unflagging power of community in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Edgmon’s middle-grade debut skillfully blends action and emotion . . . A compelling coming-of-age story." —Kirkus

"I'm so grateful to live in a world with Edgmon's writing, and The Flicker does not disappoint! With two beautifully unique and immersive POVS, Edgmon rips the reader apart, taking them past the point of certain hopelessness, and then — SOMEHOW! IMPOSSIBLY! — fixes them up with such skill and love, they will be left blinking in the sunlight. The Flicker is both a masterclass in character-driven narrative, a thrilling post-apocalyptic adventure, and a deeply moving story of Appalachia and the determination to survive." —Esme Symes-Smith, author of the Sir Callie series

"Bound up in a gripping page-turner, the soul of The Flicker is fierce, relentless love for chosen family, the natural world, and a humanity exploited almost to the point of extinction. With unblinking honesty, this story invites readers to hope, and hope tenaciously for a better way of living." —Alder Van Otterloo, author of Cattywampus and The Beautiful Something Else

“Millie and Rose grabbed my heart from the first page and refused to let go—even long after finishing their story. The Flicker is a brilliant middle-grade debut from Edgmon that’s equal parts unflinching and vulnerable. A beautifully crafted post-apocalyptic tale with a delightful, engaging queer cast, Edgmon’s story world burns bright with nuanced, complex themes of identity, family—both blood and found, and the pursuit of hope, purpose, and love in a hostile and dying world.” —Terry J. Benton-Walker, bestselling author of Alex Wise vs the End of the World and Blood Debts

From the Publisher

2024 CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, Long-listed
2025 ALA Stonewall Book Award - Honor Book, Short-listed

PAPERBACK COMMENTARY

2024-07-04
In a world devastated by a solar flare, siblings embark on a perilous journey across a scorched landscape.

Stepsisters Millie and Rose are alone, caring for their baby half brother, Sammy. They decide to join forces with a multiracial band of survivors calling themselves the Lost Boys—drama camp counselor Ben and his theater troupe—as they navigate the treacherous remnants of the Appalachian wilderness. The girls hope to reach South Carolina and Millie’s maternal grandma, a Seminole elder. Millie’s struggle to preserve her Seminole heritage amid the chaos contrasts sharply with Rose’s attempts to suppress her grief and memories of her late daddy, who was white. Rose grapples with memories tied to her daddy’s stories of the Sanctuary, a mysterious community of survivors he’d hoped to reach. As the journey progresses, Rose explores questions of gender identity. Their journey is fraught with danger, especially from the Hive, a sinister and exploitative corporate group. An encounter with the Hive becomes a matter of life or death for the Lost Boys and the siblings and leads to the shocking truth about the Sanctuary. The transformation from vulnerable children to resourceful young adults culminates in a dramatic confrontation with the Hive. Edgmon’s middle-grade debut skillfully blends action and emotion, offering a compelling look at what it means to pull away from climate defeatism.

A compelling coming-of-age story focused on cultural heritage, gender, and chosen family.(Post-apocalyptic. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

2025 ALA Stonewall Book Award - Honor Book, Short-listed
2024 CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, Long-listed