Twenty years ago, two traveling-show families changed from rivals to enemies. The Palomas' escalas make them at home in the water, where the women swim as mermaids. The Corbeaus' feathers mark their kinship with birds and show them most at home above ground, in the trees. Every summer, the families cross paths in Almendro, but this summer is different. Against their will, teenagers Lace Paloma and Luc "Cluck" Corbeau are drawn together, at once disproving family stories about the other side and putting their lives at risk from the very people who should be protecting them. McLemore's debut novel has ties to Romeo and Juliet, David Almond's mythical Skellig (1998), and the real-life performances of Cirque du Soleil. Imaginative and lyrical, Lace and Cluck's story will appeal to those comfortable with magic realism. Persistent readers will be rewarded with the intriguing denouement, which resolves the historical conflict, though they may be disappointed with the lovers' path to the future.

Gr 7 Up-For almost an entire generation, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals in a steadily escalating feud that is fueled by hearsay and fantasized superstitions. Both families' livelihood is dependent on their itinerant performances, from one town to the next, and both family shows have turned competitive, with the Corbeaus performing tightropelike acts in the trees and the Palomas presenting mermaid exhibitions in the natural waterways. Members of the families are born with particular marks that brand them according to their lineage. The Corbeaus have a patch of feathers at the base of their hairline, and the Palomas have a series of patterned scales. No Paloma, under any circumstance, should dare touch a Corbeau, or vice versa, for fear that this simple act could cause a potentially fatal catastrophe. This mandate does not keep Lucien "Cluck" Corbeau from rescuing Lace Paloma from a chemical disaster. That fateful moment spurred the beginnings of their star-crossed romance and forever changes the lives of the two clans. In this tale of magical realism, the magic is so deftly woven into the fabric of the story, readers might overlook the more subtle moments. VERDICT Told with skillful poetic nuances, this Romeo-and-Juliet story of forbidden love will entice fans of Maggie Stiefvater's "Raven Cycle" (Scholastic) who wished for a little more romance. Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA