The Plentiful Darkness

Gr 3-6--Rooney De Barra's life is difficult: She's an orphan living on the streets with only rats for company. Having been rejected by the Roughhouse Boys, the ragtag group of parentless children who terrorize the town, she lives in a desperate competition to collect moonlight which she sells to buy food. It seems like life couldn't get much worse for Rooney, until it does. She catches the eye of the witch who stalks the town and finds herself flung into the Plentiful Darkness: a place where all seasons of the year exist, but only in nighttime mode. Ruling this place is Sorka of the Darkness, whose subjects include children who have disappeared from the town without a trace. Soon joined in the murk by her nemesis Trick Aidan, Rooney struggles to learn how to deal with this strange new place, only to discover the reason Sorka is trapped here and why it may mean none of them will ever see the light of day again. Part spooky, part fantastical, this is a strange little tale that weaves in important life lessons without being preachy, and features an impatient heroine who struggles with her flaws even as she's trying to work her way out of the void. The unrelenting darkness is an interesting concept, but hinders world-building to a certain extent. Readers who enjoy Adam Gidwitz's "Grimm" series will enjoy this title too. VERDICT Purchase where shivery fantasy for tweens is in demand.--Elizabeth Friend, Wester M.S., TX

Pale-skinned orphan Rooney de Barra, 12, survives on the fictional streets of Warybone by harvesting moonlight with her enchanted mirror. But when her rival, roughhouse boy Trick Aidan, who is also white, steals her mirror, Rooney is determined to retrieve it--even when that means following Trick into a strange patch of darkness cast by a mysterious magician. In the darkness, Rooney and Trick discover a shadowy, claustrophobic world filled with broken objects and lost children led by the sullen, capricious, and pale Sorka, also 12. To escape the darkness before it consumes them, Rooney and Trick must join forces with their fellow captives, including brown-skinned recent arrival Devin Hayes, and find a way to bring light into the darkest shadows. As newfound bonds of necessity grow between characters and Rooney is forced to challenge her expectations and assumptions, Kassner (The Forest of Stars) allows the heroes a satisfying measure of growth. Leaning heavily upon atmosphere and lush descriptions, with setting almost a character itself, this eerie tale might have been further enriched by additional exploration and worldbuilding; still, it succeeds in delivering a robust message of resilience and hope. Ages 8-12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Aug.)

Though the darkness is indeed plentiful, this book gleams with an eerie magic, its characters burning bright and fierce. A visual treat of a tale. —Stefan Bachmann, international bestselling author of Cinders and Sparrows

For readers who love the creepiness of Coraline . . . Lyrical narration weaves a tale that's both haunting and comforting. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books