Out with friends to celebrate the end of high school, Lucy is obsessed with finding the graffiti artist known as Shadow, whose work she loves. Lucy, also an artist and headed for community college, believes she and Shadow will have an instant connection if they meet. Instead, she ends up stuck with high school dropout Ed for the night. He’s killing time with his friends Leo and Dillon until it’s late enough to break into the high school to steal computers. Ed’s friends claim Ed knows Shadow. In truth, Ed IS Shadow. He dropped out of school to help his mom pay bills, and because reading is such a struggle for him. For two years he worked at a paint store, mentored by Bert, the elderly owner. But Bert’s recent death has left Ed without a job and without hope. As he gets to know Lucy, Ed wants to tell her the truth about his identity, but anonymity is what’s given him the courage to be honest in his art. In alternating chapters from Lucy’s and Ed’s perspectives, Australian author Cath Crowley takes a lyrical, gritty, often funny look at teens on the verge of adulthood, and the ways art, creativity, and connection can provide solace, meaning, and hope. The planned robbery becomes a source of both tension and comic relief in this novel full of clever yet believable dialogue among characters it’s a pleasure to spend time with. (Age 13 and older)