LIGHTLAND

Set in a small Iowa town, this fantasy by a newcomer addresses the power of memory. Lottie and Lewis, both 11, are best friends, each with an eccentric trait that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Lewis does not speak except to Lottie, not even to his mother or teacher, and he sleeps with his eyes open. Lottie only wears pajamas to school. Remembering is her avocation, one that started by collecting stories of her mother, who died when Lottie was born. As she grows, so do her stories, so her father makes her a storybox from the doomed cherry tree that her mother had planted. The storybox is the magical link through which Lottie and Lewis transport to LightLand. There they must confront the evil NightKing, who experiments with the energies of memory by stealing them from people (and animals) with the Veil of Oblivion. The NightKing believes that by controlling memory, he controls destiny. This is an interesting concept, given Lottie’s passion, but it’s made weaker by the use of fairly shopworn fantasy devices; the storybox could as easily be a cupboard to Narnia, for instance. The story’s strength is in the action and the underlying message of the importance of memories and their influence on life. The design fits nicely with the day/night theme as each chapter opens with a two-page spread of white text on black pages. Clever details and amusing quirks add character to a familiar struggle of good versus bad, in this case, played out in light and dark. (Fiction. 8-12)