THE MAGIC PORTAL

In this children’s fantasy adventure novel, a brother and sister pass through a mysterious gateway and explore other worlds.

Sometimes, 10-year-old twins Callon and Morwen Taylor of the fictional Canadian town of Hammersmith experience what they call “the power”: Whenever their golden retriever, Peaches, is standing between them and their hands are touching, they feel a warm, glowing energy flowing between and around them. During a family hike in a woodland conservation area, the twins and their pet discover an archway, covered by a shimmering gold curtain. After Peaches bounds through it and disappears, Morwen and Callon follow, soon finding themselves in a beautiful meadow where Peaches can now communicate with them telepathically. Their ensuing explorations in this new world turn dangerous, however, when they encounter a “lake monster.” Only by using the power can they return through the portal—and they find that, in their own world, no time has elapsed. As the twins repeatedly revisit the portal, they keep discovering different worlds with different dangers; before long, they invite their best friends, Lily and Zeke, to join the fun. After one especially perilous escapade, they’re rescued by a mysterious figure—at the cost of a favor to be repaid later. In his debut book, Haslam employs a classic theme in fantasy literature: the magical doorway. The settings, nemeses, and predicaments are well-varied, but the overall structure of the narrative—explore, chase and/or capture, escape—quickly becomes very predictable, and the story spends no time on significant character development. The adventures offer a lot of lively action and are often funny. However, the real-world narration can be dry: “The hikes were both fun and educational.” Animal lovers may also be upset by several episodes in which Peaches is attacked and injured.

Entertaining mini-adventures that don’t add up to very much.