Young Adult Fiction
"My latest theory is that I must be a changeling"
About the Book
How far would you go for a friend? For fans of Kelley Bowles’s **In 27 Days** and classic girls' lit from authors like Louisa May Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, and Eleanor Porter, this story resonates deeply.
Harper Southwood is a teenage girl who possesses the unique ability to sense when people will become ill—but what good is that when she can’t predict her best friend’s struggle with depression or her mother’s looming health crisis? Harper has always wanted to be helpful, yet she feels utterly helpless when faced with real adversity. Now, she’s presented with an opportunity to summon her courage and cleverness to fight for justice. Join this cute, spirited teen on her astonishing journey of self-discovery in this engaging work of **teen fiction**, where she learns that empathy and inner strength are her true gifts, her genuine superpower.
“Bowles . . . clearly understands the world of young adults. Her portrayal of Harper—her anxieties and excitement, her inner and outer personas, her acute awareness of the importance of living in the moment—will captivate readers and immerse them in a **young adult books** mindset. The story grows darker as it unfolds, yet it never sinks into despair. Harper’s strength is evident in her moments of vulnerability. Despite her isolation, it is her compassion that sets her apart. The message is profound, yet it’s delivered subtly without being overbearing. Bowles writes to engage, provoke thought, and uplift readers. The resulting novel, rather than serving as a heavy examination of **teen suffering**, rejects literary pretentiousness and aims instead to resonate with Harper’s generation of **young adults**. While girls will find particular relatability, there’s space here for everyone. A wise, vibrant tale of individuals both separated and united.” —Kirkus Reviews (a Kirkus recommended review)
Learn More
Watch Down in the Belly of the Whale's book trailer or visit its goodreads page.
Other Reviews:
“Bowles' writing is lively and fun, yet still grounded and full of depth. . . . This is a wonderful book that cleverly explores some powerful and painful emotions.”
—Victor Catano, best-selling author of Tail & Trouble
“Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful, always true . . . Down in the Belly of the Whale is Ordinary People for a new generation.”
—Jason Parent, author of What Hides Within and Seeing Evil
new books
The Meld YA Paranormal series--book 1
The Meld, an otherworldly group of six, has been gathered in the past millennium to bestow gifts on our most needy population: adolescents. This unique group represents a yin/yang of deadly behaviors that qualifies their membership—half took lives for noble reasons, while the other half did so for selfish ones. They completed their circle with Delilah Mackley in 1962 and have since been ‘operating at full strength’ to grant a supernatural gift to their chosen charges.
In Book 1, The Meld: Magic Please, the first installment in a captivating series of teen fiction, the group chooses Colorado sophomore Millie Mahoney.
It's 2006. The tragic 2001 murder of Millie’s mother and the subsequent self-destruction of her father have thrown her life into chaos. To fight against this turmoil, Millie immerses herself in her great passion—words and their power. The Meld grants her the extraordinary ability for her words to become deeds, meaning anything she writes comes true. This newfound gift leads to some serious mishaps, and navigating her sudden supernatural influence becomes the crux of her story. While she is too smart to attempt to bring her mother back to life—having read ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ and seen Pet Sematary—Millie does seek a way to heal her family. Perhaps, while she’s at it, she can catch the loving attention of her “Lobster” Derek Samson. Kelley Bowles skillfully weaves these themes into her compelling young adult books, making them a must-read.
PREQUEL to The meld
I Know it's Daytime
Anabelle Fleming is starting her first day of high school, but for her, it’s a different kind of beginning. She’s recently relocated to the small town of Pinewood, Colorado, following her mother, a famous thriller writer, and her father, the front man for a monstrously successful rock band, after their divorce. To make matters more complicated, Anabelle hallucinates. Her visions, which reflect her anxiety over these lifestyle changes, reveal objects surrounding her friends and family—like butterflies, bubbles, bruise-like auras, and even fangs. Anabelle worries that she might be losing her mind.
What Anabelle truly desires is an average life complete with a happy nuclear family and a typical high school experience. However, her visions draw her into a world filled with intrigue and mystery, leading to conflicts that ultimately teach her a profound lesson: true happiness is more about accepting life as it is rather than longing for what one wishes it to be. This compelling narrative resonates deeply with the themes found in Kelley Bowles’ works in teen fiction and young adult books.
