BOOK AND HALL

Evil forces close in on a young hero in this fourth installment of a middle-grade fantasy series.

After several adventures using magical Doors, 11-year-old Hunter Wilson needs advice. He explains his far-fetched life outside of school to his classmates Gertrude Clemmons and David Kim. But Hunter presents the scenarios as a story that he’s working on, featuring a hero named Chase. He primarily wants to know if he can trust his companion Murphy, who is a giant growff (dog), in his struggle against the Dark Child. When his friends fail to ease his mind, Hunter contemplates opening another Door. He creates spells to use with the wand that can be summoned from his bag, but his limited magical skills can’t reopen the first Door in the hollow tree near the school. Then, on Thanksgiving at his grandparents’ country home, the opportunity to search for more Doors presents itself. But in another realm, the Puzzle Piece Man watches. He’s been guiding Hunter and manipulating events to suit his own design. Meanwhile, the Dark Child sends Esthuan Thievesbane and her werewolf army to intercept Hunter. Will the hero, whom the Puzzle Piece Man calls “dangerous and unpredictable,” reach the enigmatic Collector for the next magical item? Genzano’s Stranger World novels deliver an appropriate length and content for middle-grade readers new to fantasies, and the latest is no exception. Fans learn the fate of Murphy and meet the enjoyably odd Aloysius Stentorious Greel, or the Collector, in his mansion. Clever notions abound, including furniture with “drawers that sang” and some “that held different items depending on when or how you opened them.” Once more, the stakes rise incrementally as Hunter learns that the Elder Folk are waging a war over him (“They’ll sit still for millennia, then tumble down all at once like an avalanche!”). Despite the saga’s engaging plot—and the fact that Hunter has saved Esthuan’s life—there’s great emotional potential in matching up characters more creatively, such as Gertrude and David meeting Murphy. Nevertheless, the series continues to flower as a narrative payoff remains on the horizon.

A quirky and compact fantasy saga that will lure new fans to the genre.