THE WHITBY WITCHES

In the first installment of Jarvis’s new trilogy, Ben and Jennet have bounced among foster homes because people are alarmed by Ben’s ability to see ghosts—until Alice Boston, an old woman who lives in a small seaside village called Whitby, takes them in. At first, the children can’t believe their luck. For the first time in ages, Ben feels relaxed, and in his wanderings, he meets some mystical sea folk. But Aunt Alice has secrets of her own, and Jennet and Ben aren’t Whitby’s only newcomers: A suspicious woman moves to the village. When Aunt Alice’s friends fall under her dangerous spell, Ben, Jennet and Aunt Alice must join with the sea folk to fight for their lives. What begins as an old-fashioned fantasy with atmosphere and characters reminiscent of E. Nesbit’s works gets overly complex as the plot reaches its climax. Still, fantasy readers will find a great deal to love here, and this seems a perfect choice for the younger legion of Harry Potter fans. (Judging by the familiar-looking cover design, the publisher thinks so, too.) (Fiction. 8-12)