What’s a brother to do? It occurs to 12-year-old Ray that his younger sister will have a better chance at adoption if he disappears from the orphan train that is taking them to good homes. All he takes is the special stone left by his father. Ray connects with a traveling medicine show, where, despite the many strange personalities, he feels at home. It is after leaving them that he discovers possible links between some in the show, his father’s disappearance and a force of evil seeking dominance. Set in the period after the Civil War, this first in a series provides a compelling fantasy using the tall tales of the American South and frontier. The early parts of the novel move slowly as all of the characters—including John Henry’s son—and their connections are introduced. However, as Ray becomes more determined to stop the man he thinks killed his father, the pace accelerates. Bemis successfully manages the large cast and achieves a balance between the tenor of the historical period and the tall-tale tone of the story. (Fantasy. 10-14)
