A Curse Dark as Gold

Gr 7—10—After her father's death, care of Stirwaters wool mill falls to Charlotte and her younger sister, Rosie. Charlotte labors to keep the business afloat, but the mill is plagued by accidents, vandalism, and general bad luck. The arrival of their florid new guardian, Uncle Wheeler, only adds to Charlotte's worries. When they are blacklisted from the annual cloth exchange, in desperation Rosie summons a mysterious man named Jack Spinner who can turn straw into gold thread. Though the mill is solvent for the moment, the bad luck continues and Charlotte suspects that a curse is to blame. Meanwhile, she marries a young banker and becomes pregnant. When the mill is seized and put up for auction to repay Uncle Wheeler's massive gambling debts, Charlotte conjures Jack Spinner to buy back the mill, at great danger to her newborn son. Elizabeth C. Bunce's novel (Scholastic, 2008) is a spooky, multilayered reimagining of the Rumplestiltskin tale that is superbly suited to an audio production. The mood builds at an unhurried pace, and listeners can almost feel the cold mist off the river and hear the creaking of the mill wheel. Charlotte Parry impressively imbues her reading with a mix of resolve and trepidation as Charlotte unravels the dark mysteries of Stirwaters. Unlike some fairy tale retellings, such as Alex Flinn's Beastly (HarperTeen, 2007), this one preserves the lush historical setting. It will find an audience with fans of Nancy Werlin's suspenseful fantasies.—Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA