THE SUMMER OF THE ENNEAD

Nine children visit their grandparents’ campground and are forever changed in Clark’s supernatural middle-grade novel.

In the summer of 1985, nine siblings, a mix of siblings and cousinsranging in age from 9 to 13—Alex, MJ, Lucy, Cora, Carrie, Will, Leo, Philip, and Eliza Jessie—arrive at Camp Nokomis to stay with their grandparents, Hannah and Will. Upon their arrival, a storm begins, and Hannah (who is Ojibway) asks each of them to name their individual strengths, and, later, with what animals they feel the strongest connection. The kids help their grandparents around the camp, forming groups for different tasks, such as cleaning up the beach. One day, Lucy communicates telepathically with a deer, and, shortly thereafter, the kids’ chosen animals become totems and guides for them: Hawk for Alex, Owl for MJ, Deer for Lucy, Coyote for Cora, Bear for Carrie, Horse for Will, Beaver for Leo, Bat for Philip, and Panther for Eliza Jessie. The children spend time with their guides learning how to transform into their respective totems; Hannah and Will, whose guides are Raven and Turtle, respectively, answer questions. It turns out this ennead (group of nine) was preordained to help “bring change.” The kids set about doing activities to help Mother Earth. Clark’s sweet, accessible story effectively highlights Indigenous customs, as when Hannah and Will teach the children about smudging and the importance of drums. Just as clear is the story’s overarching message that humans need to take better care of the planet and work in harmony with nature. However, Clark’s prose has a tendency to explicitly describe what the story is about (“this part of our story will not be about the day-to-day world of becoming. It will be about the events, experiences, and breakthroughs that are part of awakening to their true selves”), and the plot itself feels rather sparse. Most of the story follows the characters as they split their time between doing chores and having meetings; the main antagonists—poachers and a development company that could destroy the land—don’t arrive until near the end.

An earnest and charming but underdeveloped read.