THE SPELL OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

by Lucy Johnston Sypher ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 1975

Lucy's fraidy cat ways weren't particularly noticeable in Cousins and Circuses but here she seems to be scared of just about everything--spreading her worrying between real dangers like the distemper epidemic and Mother's poor health (she gets tired a lot and is gaining weight) and silly phobias, like a fear of feathers which makes her shy away from the new priest's talking pet crow. As usual, however, Lucy's personal problems are submerged in the whirl of events that seems to be always going on right there on The Edge of Nowhere--brother Amory's blood poisoning; the tragic death of her dog Topsy; the arrival of four new teachers; the town's first suffragette speech; rumors of arson in connection with two grain elevator fires. The spell of Wales, N.D. depends on the proliferation of just such homey and (we assume) autobiographical incidentals, but Sypher is generous with good memories and bad. And it's easy to make friends with Lucy as she faces everything from the drunken butcher to Amory's water pistol and comes out looking like a trooper.

Pub Date: April 18, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975

Categories: FICTION