Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake
by Michael Witwer (Author)
A debut epic middle grade fantasy from the New York Times bestselling Dungeons & Dragons expert Michael Witwer!
Twelve-year-old Vivian Van Tassel is angry: angry about her mom's mysterious and sudden death; at her dad for uprooting their lives in Chicago to move to the sleepy, creepy town of Midnight Lake; at the bullies who seem to be drawn to her no matter how much she tries to keep her head down...but mostly angry at herself for causing bad things to happen wherever she goes.
When a class assignment at her new school prompts Vivian to research the history of Midnight Lake, she quickly discovers her new home is even more peculiar than it seems. Not only was the infamous Beasts & Battlements (B&B) roleplaying game invented in Midnight Lake, but there are also some hard to explain coincidences about the town and its history that seem to tie back to the game in a way that's as puzzling as it is disturbing.
When the biggest oddballs at school attempt to befriend Vivian and introduce her to their game of B&B, she's torn between wanting to follow the path that has always worked for her--keeping everyone at arm's length--and giving these strange kids and their even stranger fantasy game a chance.
Maybe that's what it will take to get to the bottom of the mystery of Midnight Lake...and why Vivian was really brought there in the first place.
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Kirkus
This earnest but uneven fantasy will appeal most to role-playing–game fans.
Publishers Weekly
Dungeons & Dragons expert Witwer draws inspiration from the tabletop RPG to craft an exciting adventure. Twelve-year-old Vivian Van Tassel's hot temper has gotten her into trouble time and again. It's even led to her removal from fencing class, one of her only outlets for her emotions. But worst of all, she believes that her feelings--and their resultant emotional blowout--are the reason for her mother's tragic accidental death. After her journalist father gets a new job and moves the family to her mother's hometown in Midnight Lake, Wis., Vivian finds herself making friends for the first time while playing Beasts & Battlements with fellow classmates, even as she contends with bullies and struggles to manage her anger and guilt. An assignment about the school's defunct sanitarium brings with it public recognition that a century earlier, many people considered mentally ill described seeing monsters like those featured in B&B, driving Vivian to dig deeper into a dangerous mystery. Abundant Harry Potter references and Vivian's distant third-person perspective bog down the straightforward plot, and standard character archetypes make this a familiar jaunt for fans of fantasy fare. Vivian reads as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jacques de Spoelberch, J. de S. Assoc. (Aug.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
