SILENT ECHOES

Jablonski is in familiar territory in this pseudo time-travel/feminist treatise. There are two main characters: The first, Lucy Phillips, is a willing participant in her father’s fraudulent spiritualist racket in 19th-century New York City. They have a fairly successful act they use to fool wealthy believers when a totally unexpected thing happens. When Lucy calls out to a “spirit” in whom she has no belief, she actually hears an answer from a 16-year-old girl named Lindsay. Lindsay, in modern-day New York, deals with many of the same issues as Lucy: Awful parents need to find their own ways, figuring out who to trust and who is untrustworthy. The author does a good job of giving credible reasons for the girls’ mental communications. However, Lucy is quite unlikable and her change from shyster to advocate for female rights is rushed and not well-conveyed; Lindsay’s story is far more compelling. But the plot moves along quickly and will likely grab the attention of young teens. (Fantasy. 12-15)