The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E. Harrow is a new book with an absolutely beautiful cover and an absolutely beautiful beginning. Harrow is a talented writer, describing a doorway as “a dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical” and commenting on the word Door: “There, look how tall and proud the word stands on the page now, the belly of the D like a black archway leading into white nothing.” She tells two parallel stories – one about Ade, a young girl living in the late 1800s, who meets a ghost boy from another world and then spends years looking for him, and another story about January Scaller, a troubled mixed-race child with a dog named Bad who is betrayed by her guardian, Mr. Locke. Both stories are imaginative and pull in the reader; I just did not like flipping between them. In addition, I thought that the pace of this debut novel really slowed and therefore found it difficult to stay interested at times, despite the wonderful writing and unique blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Booklist recommends THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY for teens, saying “Young adult readers will relate to January as she grows into herself and discovers the world around her.” I do think that teen – and adults – will enjoy these adventures and find much to consider in the commentary on social class. Readers just need to be patient as the novel unfolds, for “it is at the moment when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.”

The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green by Erica Boyce

THE FIFTEEN WONDERS OF DANIEL GREEN by Erica Boyce has a bit of a sci-fi vibe (crop circles), some romance, and a mystery, but it is mostly about the relationships which we develop – especially when we can be open and vulnerable to others. As such, this debut novel is a melancholy story with a hopeful, uplifting ending. Daniel Green is a young man who creates crop circles and Sam, a resilient farmer devoted to his community in Vermont, secretly engages Daniel to fashion one and create excitement about the area. All seems to be going according to plan until Sam receives bad news about his health, causing his daughter Nessa to take off on a cross country driving trip in an effort to convince her estranged brother to head back to the farm.  Daniel accompanies her and readers learn a great deal about their background stories and struggles as the narration shifts back and forth between them. In fact, several other chapters are told from the perspective of Molly, Sam’s wife and Nessa’s mother, further adding to an understanding about why they settled in Vermont. All of these different voices are told in the first person and that is a bit disconcerting at times although each is written beautifully. One example is when Sam and Molly are comforting each other and she thinks, “I love you in my bones. I don’t say a word. Instead, I stretch my body out next to him and place my arm over his chest, my leg over his own. As if I could be a frame to house him, the beams and studs and foundation protecting him from everything.”

Two Can Keep a Secret and The Golden Tresses of the Dead

TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET is another terrific mystery by Karen M. McManus (author of One of Us is Lying).  In this story, twins Ellery and Ezra Corcoran move from California to Echo Ridge, Vermont to live with their grandmother because their Mom is spending time at a rehab program.  They know that at least some of their Mom’s poor choices stem from the fact that her own twin disappeared when they were in high school decades ago. In fact, another girl from Echo Ridge, named Lacey, was found strangled just five years ago and the current classmates face disturbing new threats. Ellery has a big interest in true crime and plenty of theories about who may be involved, especially when suddenly another girl goes missing after being with Malcolm Kelly, the younger brother of Lacey’s boyfriend, himself a murder suspect. Yes, TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET is complicated with interconnected mysteries and some implied commentary on a justice system that can dramatically impact a young person’s reputation. McManus adds to the suspense by placing some of the action at a local Halloween-themed park and by utilizing multiple narrators to once again provides surprising twists.  TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Read an excerpt here.

 

THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD by Alan Bradley is a brand new Flavia de Luce mystery. This one starts with a wedding for Flavia’s sister and then delves into the partnership between Flavia and Arthur Dogger (family retainer who was valet to her late father) as they work to try and solve their first official case. The missing letters they seek soon are entangled with a homicide. As readers of this blog know, Flavia is a beguiling, precocious teen sleuth and a definite personal favorite. After all, who can possibly not be charmed by her observation abilities, such as: “There is no cozier place on earth to discuss body-snatching than a gently rocking railway carriage in the rain.” OR “As no mean dissembler myself -- oh, all right, as a downright filthy fibber when the occasion and circumstances required -- I know all too well the liar’s tendency to stitch and embroider the truth until it resembled the winner of the Best Tea Towel Award at the church fete.” Alan Bradley exhibits a masterful tendency to transport his mystery readers to Bishop's Lacey, rural England in the 1950s. He entertains humorously along the way. THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly.  Enjoy!