Pennies

Gr 5 Up–It’s 1921 in Blight Harbor, the bucolic home of slightly magical folk, including 12-year-old Mae Von Rathe and her besties Lark, Claret, and Brigid. Doors to other worlds open in town, and the girls find a new one near their secret fort. Meanwhile, townspeople keep disappearing, most recently Brigid’s cousin Emilia. Suspecting her suitor Johnny, the girls follow their door to the Dark Side Sun world with an eerie mix of unusual foliage and light. Caught by Johnny and his compatriot, they explore in hopes of locating Emilia before villainy overtakes them. Mae, who wants to be an adventurer; fearless Lark; elegant half-vampire Claret; and pink-haired, ruffly witch Brigid work together and are described with different skin tones. Pen-and-ink line drawings add to the ominous mood. Mae’s first-person narration and loyal friends will connect with readers in this prequel to The Clackity. Senf’s settings are imaginative, creating an equally terrifying and alluring world. The pacing mirrors the high-stakes situation where four girls match wits with a serial killer. Some authorial choices work less well. The girls’ age, the grisly (off-stage) acts, and the target audience are not a perfect match. The book introduces many townsfolk and backstories, expansively suggesting a series but also rapidly providing a lot of story strands. Finally, Mae’s feelings of inadequacy, a crucial factor in the denouement, are not well supported throughout.