Under the Open Sky: A Story of Magic, God, and Girlhood

"There I was, the charity kid, sad and poor, only at a private academy because I was a preacher's daughter. We drove a deadbeat car. I wore hand-me-downs and combat boots. Suddenly, I am pregnant, a witch, and a liar. I have no friends, and I use hundreds of bracelets (called infinity "charms") to curse the whole school. Of course it looked like I stole the money."

Abigail Moore is your typical preacher's daughter-active in the church, swift to volunteer, and curious: is God really there? As she stumbles through the West Texas landscape of magic, coyotes, aliens, and boys, Abigail finds herself in a huge scandal. And it's just what she needs to open her mind and seek the truth.

In the style of Carson McCullers, author Rachel Waterhouse, plods through a strange and southern coming-of-age world, giving the reader an inside-look on growing up. The novel draws from her own story as a preacher's daughter living in Texas. Other than a religious background, Waterhouse credits the mystery of the natural world, "Because the only thing you could do in a small town was look up." Under the Open Sky is her first YA novel.