The Islands of Elsewhere

In addition to the strong characterization and magical setting, the story weaves in realistic topics that many children will recognize from their own lives, including bullying, aging grandparents, and divorced parents, all the while validating their feelings . . . A charming family story with a touch of fairy-tale atmosphere.

Fawcett's poignant story about imaginary worlds and very real problems, with its tongue-in-cheek nostalgic narration, is perfect for fans of Catherynne M. Valente and magical mysteries.

Arriving from Vancouver to the tiny town of Misty Cove with their mother and baby brother Theodore, a trio of sisters become immediately enchanted with their ailing grandfather's bluff-situated property, which overlooks the sea and includes the Fairy Islands: Fairy, Little Fairy, and Ghost. Cast by locals as a magical liminal place, the islands figure prominently in legends about the sisters' great-great-grandmother Lucy Juniper, a pirate--and possibly a witch--who may have left behind buried treasure. Though scornful of whimsies and unwilling to believe that the girls may be the recipients of familial magic, pragmatic 10-year-old Bee enlists Hattie, 12, and Plum, eight, on a quest to locate the loot, imagining that finding it would allow the family to assist their beloved, increasingly forgetful granddaddy. Via a cozy, magic-dusted family story that features a bewitching setting (the remote village seems to "blend into the wilderness at the edges"), Fawcett (The School Between Winter and Fairyland) creates endearing and affectionate characters with realistic tensions--especially between scientifically minded Bee and her more imaginative family members--whose individual strengths help solve the central mystery. Protagonists default to white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, HG Literary. (June)

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