SPELLBOUND

In the Enright family, Athene and Zach are as opposite in every way as the letters of their names. Zach is sunny, finding ways to be happy, while dour Athene hasn’t quit resenting his birth. When the family takes a vacation to rural England, Athene happens upon a curious creature who calls himself a “Gloam,” a gnome-like creature who inhabits the night. Athene is thrilled with her adventure until Zach trails along one evening. In a fit of pique, she decides to send him into the tree inhabited by the Low Gloam, an evil, nasty bunch that holds new arrivals in magical, eternal thrall. An unbelievable personality change transforms the unlikable Athene, who decides to rescue her lost brother from an underground world described as both fascinating and miserable. Athene assembles a cadre of helpers to break the spell, as the plot hurtles forward in a manner equally logical and improbable by turns. Breaking the spell requires both work and cleverness in the classical fantasy tradition without much else to make it stand out. (Fantasy. 9-12)