Bibliograph

Ballad & dagger, by Daniel José Older

Type

Label

Ballad & dagger, by Daniel José Older

Language

eng

Illustrations

maps

Index

no index present

resource.interestAgeLevel

Ages 12-18

resource.interestGradeLevel

Grades 7-9

Literary Form

fiction

Main title

Ballad & dagger

Responsibility statement

by Daniel José Older

Series statement

Outlaw Saints novel, book 1

Summary

Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse's island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal's sinking escaped to New York. While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo--now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who's alive, the other not so much)--is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago. But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo's life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder by a person he thought he knew. Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled and Mateo awakens a power within himself--a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind his lost homeland

Target audience

adolescent

resource.variantTitle

Ballad and dagger

Creator