Kate Alice Marshall’s first foray into middle grade books…and it is a beauty!
The town of Eden Eld is a quiet, prosperous town where nothing really happens. Eleanor (always known as Elle to her mum) has just moved there to live with her aunt after an awful incident. She feels ill at ease, and is definitely not made any more comfortable by the strange things she sees and hears around her.
On her first day at school Elle is befriended by Otto and Pip, two larger than life characters who can also see these strange creatures. They try to help Elle settle in, but it quickly becomes apparent that these three have been brought together for a reason.
The reason is linked to a mysterious book of fairy tales that Elle remembers her mother reading to her. The stories talk of a character called Mr January who struck a bargain with the inhabitants of Eden Eld…that every thirteen years he would take three children, all born on Halloween, and they would never be heard of again. In exchange the town would prosper.
Naturally, our three new friends learn that they’re the intended targets for this year’s sacrifice. We follow them on their quest to break the curse.
As the mother of a child born on Halloween I couldn’t resist this. The story is slight fully quirky – dark and yet not overly scary. I love the hints of more to come…wouldn’t it be great to see them again and see whether they succeed in their new aim?