SHODDY COVE

Narrative red herrings abound in this adventure set on the coast of Maine. Clare, 12, is less than thrilled at the prospect of spending the summer as an (unpaid) interpreter at the living-history museum where her mother works. Gradually, however, she becomes involved with a pair of siblings, Adam and May, who have chosen Cossit Island Village as their refuge after their mother dies. This modern-day plot unfolds against a historical backdrop that reveals itself through documents Adam has stolen to read to his sister. As the story lurches along, it turns out that Cossit Island Village was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and a letter Adam finds tells the story of a dramatic escape. Levin’s plot begins with promise, as the reenactment of a funeral seems to plunge Clare and May into the 19th century. This eerie hint at time travel never bears fruit, and Clare spends the rest of the story wondering, along with the reader, what really happened. Purchase a fresh copy of Julia Sauer’s Fog Magic instead. (Fiction. 9-13)