Magonia

An original fantasy with great characters, emotional complexity, and a fantastic universe. Aza Ray was born with a strange, incurable disease that makes breathing more difficult. Doctors are left to prescribe powerful medications in the hope of keeping her alive. When Aza sees a mysterious ship in the sky, her family believes they are hallucinations caused by the effects of the medication. But she knows she's not seeing things; she heard someone calling her name from up above, in the clouds, where a magical land of flying ships exists and where Aza is no longer the fragile, sickly girl. In Magonia, she can not only breathe but also sing. Her songs have transformative powers, and through them, Aza can change the world beneath the clouds. In a brilliant and sensitive young adult debut, Maria Dahvana Headley crafts a fantasy rich in nuance and full of symbolism.