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THE DOOR IN THE LAKE

Name: THE DOOR IN THE LAKE
Author: Nancy Butts
ISBN: 1-886910-27-8

by Nancy Butts ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 1998

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In a story that young X-Files fans will snap up, and which in its basic premise follows that of the movie, The Flight of the Navigator, Joey suddenly disappears from a lakeside camp and reappears just as mysteriously two years later, to find himself with a baby sister, a younger brother who’s bigger than he is, and friends who have moved on in their lives. Joey has only vague memories of a great spiral of light, a shadowy presence, and a sound like wind chimes, all of which he keeps to himself, not wanting to be thought crazy. Joey’s efforts to recreate a normal life go awry when, first, his version of events gets out, and second, an insistent voice in his head begins urging him to return to the lake. Although the plot is disjointed and contrivance- driven, Joey’s feeling of dislocation, and the discomfort others feel in his presence, is credibly presented, and the climactic scene, in which the alien appears to convey Joey back to the time and place from which he vanished, features the requisite glaring lights, odd gravitational effects, and weird atmosphere. Butts (Cheshire Moon, 1996) doesn’t try too hard to answer questions or maintain her story’s internal logic, but it’s rare to find stories for young people about closer encounters that aren’t played for laughs. (Fiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: April 30, 1998

ISBN: 1-886910-27-8

Page Count: 160

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1998

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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THE FIREWORK-MAKER'S DAUGHTER

by Philip Pullman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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Pullman (Clockwork, 1998, etc.) has created a strong-willed heroine who will risk her life in order to experience and become transformed by the world. Bent on becoming a firework-maker like her father, young and determined Lila travels to Mount Merapi to obtain Royal Sulphur from Razvani the Fire-fiend. She arrives at Mount Merapi without the three gifts required as exchange for the sulphur and without the magic water that will protect her from the flames; Lila’s hopes of appeasing Razvani seem impossible until Hamlet, the King’s elephant, and Chaluk, his keeper, arrive with the magic water. Entering the flames, Lila learns that the three gifts—talent, courage and luck—were within her all the time. Falsely imprisoned for stealing Hamlet, Lila’s father relies upon her to help prepare a firework display that will earn his release. Called the Foaming Moss, its spectacular presentation leaves the King, his subjects, and the other firework-makers in awe. Characteristically, Pullman builds anticipation to a breathtaking conclusion, while Gallagher’s distinctive black-and-white illustrations lead readers on a fantastical journey fraught with danger and a dream realized. (Fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-590-18719-8

Page Count: 97

Publisher: Levine/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUBTLE KNIFE
by Philip Pullman ; adapted by Stéphane Melchior ; illustrated by Thomas Gilbert

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
by Philip Pullman ; illustrated by Chris Wormell

- BOOK REVIEW
SERPENTINE
by Philip Pullman ; illustrated by Tom Duxbury

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THE VENGEANCE OF THE WITCH-FINDER

by John Bellairs & Brad Strickland ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1993

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A second posthumous Bellairs adventure (see Ghost in the Mirror, p. 296), again seamlessly completed by the author of Dragon's Plunder (1992) and other fantasies. When Lewis Barnevelt and his uncle Jonathan (last met in The Letter, the Witch and the Ring, 1976) stop over at the family manor in Sussex during a tour of Europe, Lewis accidentally releases a malevolent spirit, imprisoned since the 17th century. Later, the two are seized by the ghost of Malachiah Pruitt, a Puritan "witch-finder" defeated by a Barnevelt ancestor, now back for revenge. The atmosphere and supernatural effects here are particularly eerie, even for Bellairs; beyond the usual nightmares, portents, apparitions, and peculiar old documents, Lewis must contend with being hustled off to a hidden torture chamber and a vicious invisible monster, and barely escapes a maze with twigs that grasp like fingers and bleed when broken. With the help of Bertram, a blind friend, plus a particularly potent amulet (a nail from the True Cross, no less), Lewis banishes Pruitt and his monster and discovers an ancient golden crown. Formulaic, but satisfyingly hair-raising. (Fiction. 11-13)