Air of Indifference is a middle grade fantasy novel by author Barbara Blair.

SYNOPSIS:
In the story, Nia Norway has just turned 13. She’s extremely excited because her grandmother, who has raised Nia since infancy, has given Nia the best birthday celebration ever. But shortly into the festivities, tragedy strikes. Her grandmother collapses, and after a long, painful hospital stay, Grandma dies. Nia doesn't have any surviving relatives, so the state places her in foster care.

To deal with her grief, she escapes by daydreaming. She often finds herself interacting with “water people,” “air people,” and “fire people” who miraculously take the form of her dead relatives – including her parents, who died when she was an infant.

The eccentric, foster family Nia is placed with proves to be a difficult fit, and she constantly finds herself the victim of bullying. On one of the many times she retreats to her room, she and her roommate discover a secret passage behind a forbidden door. The passage leads to an attic where they find a host of treasures. While playing with them, Nia inadvertently compromises a forcefield that separates two distinctly different worlds and sets in motion their course of collision. 

As you journey with Nia through this adventure, you’ll discover her prophecy and her special gifts. You’ll meet all the characters of her daydreams and travel with her as she learns how to use her gifts and unlock the mystery of her quest. You’ll discover the bizarre happenings that are fusing these two alternate worlds. As you inexplicably find yourself moving back and forth with Nia between the two realities, you’ll discover the veil between them is thinning. A mysterious curse has thrown both worlds off kilter. If they collide, they’ll be obliterated.

When you and Nia meet her grandfather in the “space between worlds,” you’ll both instantly be drawn to his charm. Then you’ll discover that he is the one who has cursed the two worlds, which included using Nia as the key to open the passage and set the curse in motion. Nia is torn between anger and her love for her grandfather. As more relatives from the “alternate reality” appear, the lines between right and wrong become blurred. Nia is unable to decipher who is telling the truth and who is on her side.

Nia must gather the clues that will help her understand her quest. She must learn how to use her gifts, including moving between the two worlds at will. She must figure out who she can trust and enlist their support. She must map out her quest and decide whether she will fulfill the prophecy – a dangerous undertaking that may cost her, her life. As the one person who can bring both worlds back into balance, will Nia save humankind? Would you?