The Veil

Gr 7 Up—Chance and narrator Karen Peakes team up again for the final installment in this trilogy, which provides an eclectic mix of romance, Irish folklore, family drama, and mystical fantasy. Grace has found the archdruid who can teach her to use her power to save Ireland, but Grace just can't learn the spells, and the time for the ritual is rapidly approaching. Peakes easily transitions among Grace's light, high-pitched speaking voice; the deeper, New York-accented boy-next-door Patrick; and the dashing baritone of Irish folk hero Diarmid, as well as secondary characters and a host of supernatural creatures. Lovely folk music is added in throughout, further rooting the story in its time and place. This trilogy has become increasingly more mesmerizing largely due to the perfect combination of carefully detailed text, empathetic characterization, masterful editing, and, of course, entrancing narration.