“I love historical fiction,” she said to Nora. “Do you think my granddaughter would like it? She’s in the sixth grade.”
“She’s the perfect age for Karen Cushman. Does she like historical novels?”
The woman looked aggrieved. “Not really. She’s what you’d call a reluctant reader.”
“Hm. Maybe she just hasn’t met the right book. What are her interests?”
“Well, the last time I saw her, she told me about a paper she’d written on gender equality. Her teacher was very impressed. And she marched in a parade last year.”
Nora smiled and touched the cover of the book in the woman’s hand. “Meggy, the main character, travels to London to work for her alchemist father. However, she is turned down because she’s not male. This is a story of a young woman fighting for her future. I have a feeling your granddaughter will cheer on Meggy Swann.”
Though the woman thanked Nora, she didn’t look happy. “It’s hard to connect with my grandkids. I don’t get their technology. I don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time. Are there books that can explain these things to me?”
“Probably, but I don’t think you need them. Why don’t you and your granddaughter read this book at the same time? Maybe you could meet somewhere special to talk about it? That would be a pretty cool way to connect.”
The woman loved the idea. “I’m going to write a note on the title page. And buy us matching bookmarks too. I thought I saw some . . .”
Nora pointed her toward the bookmark spinner and returned to her stack. Now that she’d sold her only copies of Alchemy and Meggy Swann, she’d have to find a middle-grade replacement for the window. Luckily, she had another Cushman novel, The Midwife’s Apprentice, on the shelf. While she was in the children’s section, she also grabbed Ella Enchanted, Malala’s Magic Pencil, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Matilda, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.
After bagging the grandmother’s purchases and telling her to come back soon, Nora perused the stack of YA titles Sheldon had selected for the window display.
“Every book has a feisty female on the cover,” he said as Nora looked at copies of Throne of Glass, Labyrinth Lost, Children of Blood and Bone, and Uprooted.
Nora nodded in approval. “These books paint a picture of strong, determined, powerful women of all ages. Magical women. We can add Wicked to the pile, but not A Discovery of Witches or Practical Magic. There are no women on those covers. Let’s find a few more adult titles.”
In between helping customers, Nora pulled copies of The Mists of Avalon and Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello, and Sheldon added Alice Hoffman’s The Dovekeepers and Isabel Allende’s The House of Spirits to the pile.
Later, while Nora was reviewing their final selections, a young woman with pale skin, purple-tipped black hair, black clothing, and a sullen expression approached the counter.
“This is from my mom,” she said, dumping a paper bag on top of The House of Spirits. “For checking on her this morning.”
Nora took in the young woman’s nose ring, eyebrow piercings, Metallica T-shirt, and knee-high combat boots. “You must be Bren. I’m Nora.”
Bren pointed at the empty space above Nora’s pinkie knuckle. “She said you’d been in a fire. How’d it happen? Did you start it?”
But Nora wasn’t listening. She’d just recognized Bren’s face. “You were in the upstairs window—when the angel fell—I saw you.”
“I know. Wasn’t it awesome?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I mean, who wants to be an angel? They don’t have any fun.”
She walked over to the bookmark spinner. Using her middle finger, she spun it once. Twice. Three times. The bookmarks lifted into the air.
Sheldon stepped out from behind the North Carolina Authors section just in time to see Bren whip the front door open, creating a riot of noise from the sleigh bells. She left the shop without a backward glance.
“What’s in the bag?” Sheldon asked. “A hand grenade?”
Nora peeked inside. “Two chocolate muffins. Do you want one?”
Sheldon curled his lip. “If that girl does Like Water for Chocolate baking, those muffins will taste like angst and hostility.”
Picking up a muffin, Nora gave it a good sniff. “It’s a gift. I should try it, at least.”
Sheldon watched with interest as Nora broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth. His interest was even more piqued when she immediately spit the piece back into the bag.