He picked it up, and he opened The Miraculous to the first blank page, right after Entry #1306.
Entry #1307, he wrote in black, bold letters.
Wunder wrote for a long time, filling page after page. He wrote about the funeral and the Minister of Consolation. He wrote about Faye and the bird. He wrote about the DoorWay House and the letters, about the DoorWay Tree and the flowers. He wrote about Milagros.
Who had she been? An old woman? A witch? His sister? Why had she come to Branch Hill? Why had she sent those letters? And where did she go?
The more Wunder wrote, the more he realized that he might never know. But he also realized that he would never stop wondering. He would never stop asking questions. Maybe there are other branches to climb up, other roots to follow down, the witch had told him. There was so much more to find.
And whoever the witch had been, she had connected the dot of his soul—connected it to friends and to family and to all the love and beauty and mystery that surrounded him. She had shown him that he was not alone. She had shown him that there were miracles.
It was enough.
With great love, he signed the entry, Wunder.
Then he tore the pages out.
He left them on the table, with a flower on top.
* * *
At the cemetery, the gates were propped open, and inside, there were hundreds of people. Wunder watched as his neighbors climbed high up into the DoorWay Tree to pick flowers. He watched as they gave them away or held them close. He watched as they stood in clusters, arms around one another, some crying, some laughing, some kneeling. He knew what they were feeling; he knew the way their hearts were breaking and mending at the same time.
And he knew as he watched that this was only the beginning. He knew that everyone in Branch Hill would soon come to the cemetery. Everyone in Branch Hill, and maybe even beyond.
They would come to see the bright miracle of the DoorWay Tree.
And then they would stay for a while. They would stay and reach beyond their sorrow, beyond time, beyond death. They would stay and find the miracles hidden in the darkness. They would stay.
Together.
Because here was a place where the dead weren’t really gone.
Here was a place where the living stood side by side.
Here was a place where roots went down deep.
Here was a place where branches reached up high.
Here was a place where miracles happened.
Here was a place where everything changed.
Behold.
Acknowledgments
Not too long ago, very few people had ever read anything I had written and very few people knew that I wanted to publish a story someday.
But now my writing world has grown and grown, and my dream has become a reality. And there are so many people to thank for that.
And so, all my gratitude to:
•My extraordinary agent, Sara Crowe, who found a home for Wunder and Faye.
•My dream of an editor, Janine O’Malley, whose vision and love for this story were everything I could have hoped for and more.
•Melissa Warten for her insightful eye and unfailing patience and enthusiasm.
•Hayley Jozwiak and Chandra Wohleber for their keen questions and attention to detail.
•Beth Clark for designing and Matt Rockefeller for illustrating the cover that perfectly captures this story’s dark and bright.
•The entire team at FSG and Macmillan Children’s, including Jen Besser, Katie Quinn, Alex Hernandez, Katie Halata, and many more who welcomed me with such warmth and contributed so much wisdom and talent.
•Holly McGhee and all the Pips who make me so proud to be a part of Pippin Properties.
•My many artistic, linguistic, cultural, and religious advisors, including Adrienne Kim Clark, Jin Oh, Paul and Nicole Henry, Raquel Trinidad, Liz Oleski, Brigid Misselhorn, Meagan Bell, and Irene Aunger Smith.
•Tonja Ewing-Gomez and all the members of A Novel Bunch for their support and encouragement.
•The Novel Nineteens, who were the writing friends I never knew I needed and now could not imagine doing this debut year without.
•The countless writers who have inspired and challenged and shaped me.
•The many teachers, librarians, and fellow authors who I have been privileged to encounter in this new and wondrous world of children’s literature.
•Every single reader who picks up this story.
•My parents for their unconditional love and unwavering belief in me. And, just as importantly, for watching my kids.
•Of course, Russ for embracing the writing-during-freetime to writing-on-a-deadline shift. I carry your heart with me, and I know you carry mine.
•And finally, to Coral Mae and Everett Reef. You two are the brightest miracles in my world.
About the Author
Jess Redman is a therapist and psychology teacher. She currently lives in Florida with her husband, two young children, and an old cat named Soul Pie. The Miraculous is her debut novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
Farrar, Straus and Giroux ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraphs
Part One: The Bird
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Part Two: The Stone
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Part Three: The Witch
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Part Four: The Letters
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Part Five: The Branch
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Part Six: Questions
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Part Seven: The Tree
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
Text copyright © 2019 Jessica Redman
All rights reserved
First hardcover edition 2019
eBook edition July 2019
mackids.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Redman, Jess, 1986– author.
Title: The miraculous / Jess Redman.
Description: First edition. | New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019. | Summary: After losing his faith in miracles after the death of his newborn sister, eleven-year-old Wunder Ellis meets a mysterious old woman who nee
ds his help to reconnect the living and the dead, bringing himself and his town face-to-face with miracles.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018020006 | ISBN 9780374309749 (hardcover)
Subjects: | CYAC: Miracles—Fiction. | Grief—Fiction. | Death—Fiction. | Family life—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.R4274 Mi 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018020006
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
eISBN 9780374309756