A resourceful heroine shines in a shivery treat for young fans of paranormal fiction.
In Lee’s middle-grade ghost story, a young girl is threatened by a dangerous spirit.
When Sophie moves during summer vacation from her beloved big-city Calgary in Canada’s Alberta province to small-town Stratford in Ontario, she dreads the “social doom” of starting sixth grade in a school where she will be both the new kid and the daughter of the new guidance counselor, her dad. Yet she can’t help but like the 19th-century house her parents bought, with its intriguing, overgrown garden and a turret bedroom she’s claimed for her own. But who is Tabitha, the girl in the garden, whose hands are so cold and who disappears with ninja stealth when anyone but Sophie is near? And why does the closed door to Sophie’s bedroom closet open at night to a darkness that “felt like its own living, breathing entity,” plunging Sophie into waking nightmares? A finger, “old and gnarled with age,” brushing her cheek is only her first disturbing contact with a malevolent spirit. An atmosphere of escalating unease ramps up the chills in this portrayal of an 11-year-old girl in ghostly danger. Suspense and scares are expertly balanced with Sophie’s empathy for Tabitha and her well-drawn camaraderie with Fitz, a boy her age who becomes a supportive friend. Less successful is the depiction of Sophie’s parents’ belated, casual, even obtuse reactions to unsettling occurrences. (Oblivious when Fritz installs a sturdy lock on the closet door, Sophie’s science-minded dad insists that a trapped possum must have caused the dramatic damage that follows.) In the end, with help from Fitz, a history teacher who “believes all sorts of strange things,” and a performance of Hamlet, Sophie pieces together what is happening and risks her life to confront the threatening spirit. Cryptic mentions of a mysterious gate in town and the 100-year-old ruins of a mill may signal more adventures for Sophie and Fitz to come.
A resourceful heroine shines in a shivery treat for young fans of paranormal fiction.Pub Date: March 18, 2024
ISBN: 9781944644451
Page Count: 196
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience.
Ben Silverstein’s summer with Grandpa is about to go wild.
When his parents need to “work out some troubles,” 10-year-old Ben gets shipped off to tiny Buttonville, where everything seems to be closed or out of business since the button factory was shuttered years ago. Ben’s used to spending summers in the pool in his Los Angeles backyard with his friends, and Buttonville looks positively coma-inducing. When Grandpa’s mouser Barnaby deposits what has to be a baby dragon on Ben’s bed, Ben and his new friend Pearl (whom the whole town calls “troublemaker” on account of a few innocent incidents) decide to visit the new “worm doctor” who has moved into the abandoned button factory. (Ben had heard her strange assistant Mr. Tabby buying ingredients for “dragon’s milk” at the grocery....) When their visit unleashes a hairy, pudding-loving imaginary beast on the town of Buttonville, Ben and Pearl volunteer to catch him. Selfors kicks off her Imaginary Veterinary series with a solid, entertaining opener. Ben and Pearl are Everykids that readers will relate to, and the adults of Buttonville are often delightfully weird and clueless. Twenty-five pages of backmatter include information on wyverns and sasquatch as well as the science of reptiles and a pudding recipe.
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-316-20934-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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