The Prince of Mist

Gr 5—8—In 1943, Max, 13, and his older sister Alicia are befriended by Roland, the grandson of a reclusive lighthouse keeper, when their family moves to a house on the coast to avoid the war. Max discovers a strange garden of sinister statues and a series of home movies showing that the statues change positions and expressions. Then, when his younger sister is hospitalized after an encounter with a strange presence that precipitates a fall down the stairs, he becomes aware that something sinister is afoot. The mystery deepens as Roland takes Alicia and Max diving to the ruins of an old shipwreck and the story of the ship and its mysterious passengers is revealed by the lighthouse keeper. Max begins to realize that something from beyond the grave is active in their midst and that it has an agenda that nothing on Earth can stop. In the end, someone will have to pay the price for a bargain made with the "evil one" long ago. The Prince of Mist hooks readers from page one. It is a combination of mystery, suspense, and supernatural thriller. The author keeps readers guessing all the way till the end in a story that's fresh, frightening, and beautifully translated. Awesome.—Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA