GRIMOIRE

Set around—or, rather, within—the pages of a powerful collection of spells, this suspenseful series opener traps the untrained scion of a magical family in a dismal alternate London, where numerous dangers await. Lured by a promised inheritance, Jarvey Midion and his parents fly from Georgia to London, only to be kidnapped by sinister Great Uncle Siyamon, who pitches them into a glowing volume from his library. Jarvey finds himself in grim, Dickensian “Lunnon,” separated from his mom and dad but actually holding the mysterious tome. Helped by Betsy Dare, a supposed street urchin with a secret, and also by his own astonishing, if uncontrolled, ability to work magic, Jarvey eludes capture while nerving himself to confront Tantalus (another malign relative) and escape. The end leaves him, armed with but “a chance, a hope and a friend,” determined to rescue his parents and take on the sorcerous Siyanon. Strickland offers a conventional but typically fast-paced tale, with nicely lurid touches and plenty of unanswered questions. Good start. (Fantasy. 11-13)