Strange, Lucy. Secret of Nightingale Wood.

Strange, Lucy. Secret of Nightingale Wood. Scholastic/Chicken House  2017  288p.  $16.99    ISBN 978-1-338-15747-5            ms/jr  Realistic Fiction      

E-BN           

After the death of her beloved brother, Henrietta is left to grieve alone when her mother becomes emotionally ill.  In desperation, her father goes abroad to work, leaving Hen to try to bring the family back together.             Sometimes the comments on a book jacket are spot on and sometimes they require a stretch of the imagination.  Readers recognize that critics come in many sizes and shapes, often offering generic, shining comments to entice readers to purchase a book.  In this case, Pam Muñoz Ryan said, “From the first page, I was entirely smitten and compelled to read on until I finished this mysterious and poignant story.”  Spot on.  The poetic style of Lucy Strange pervades this debut novel, embracing the beautiful, yet nearly tragic, story of young Henrietta, who is forced to become an adult at age 13.  Father leaves home, unable to face his wife’s deteriorating mental state.  The nanny, Jane, has her hands full, with an ill mother, a baby and 13-year-old Hen, especially when the mother becomes a bedridden patient of Dr. Hardy.  To Hen she seems to grow more distant by the minute.  Henrietta has taken to wandering the woods, especially after meeting a woman named Moth, a reclusive type who is witch-like in both actions and appearance.  Lucy Strange masterfully weaves a subplot into the main plot: apparently the previous owner of the house lost her son in the war and took her own life by disappearing at sea.  Could Moth be the woman who disappeared?  Meanwhile, Henrietta watches helplessly as Dr. Hardy takes her baby sister away and at the same time plots to put Mother in an insane asylum to receive experimental treatments that seem torturous to Hen.  Just as Henrietta is poised to watch her family fall apart, she becomes empowered, but not without help.  As if the drama were not enough for a reader, it is the way Strange tells the story that contributes equally to the novel's power.  There is sometimes a fine line between sanity and insanity, and Strange finds the words to convey this line exquisitely.

Summary: After the death of her beloved brother, Henrietta is left to grieve alone when her mother becomes emotionally ill.  In desperation, her father goes abroad to work, leaving Hen to try to bring the family back together.                             

Families-Fiction                                                       --Martha Squaresky           

Strange, Lucy Secret of Nightingale Wood

Strange, Lucy Secret of Nightingale Wood Scholastic/Chicken House    2017   288p   16.99  978-1-338-15747-5            ms/jr  Realistic Fiction            E-BN   

After the death of her beloved brother, Henrietta is left to grieve alone when her mother becomes emotionally ill.  In desperation, her father goes abroad to work, leaving Hen to try to bring the family back together.            

Sometimes the comments on the book jacket are spot on and sometimes, a stretch of the imagination.  Readers recognize that critics come in many sizes and shapes, often offering generic, shining comments to entice readers to purchase a book.  In this case, Pam Munoz Ryan said, “From the first page, I was entirely smitten and compelled to read on until I finished this mysterious and poignant story.”  Spot on.  The poetic style of Lucy Strange pervades this debut novel, embracing a beautiful, yet nearly tragic, story of young Henrietta who is forced to become an adult at age 13.  Father leaves home, unable to face his wife’s deteriorating mental state.  Nanny Jane has her hands full with an ill mother, a baby and 13-year-old Hen, especially when Mother becomes a bedridden patient of Dr. Hardy and to Hen, seems to grow more distant by the minute.  Henrietta has taken to wandering the woods, especially after meeting a reclusive type, a witch-like woman in both actions and appearance.  Lucy Strange masterfully weaves a subplot into the main plot:  apparently the previous owner of the house lost her son in the war and took her own life by disappearing at sea.  Could Henrietta’s witch, Moth, be the woman who disappeared?  Meanwhile, Henrietta watches helplessly as Dr. Hardy takes her baby sister away, at the same time he is plotting to put Mother in an insane asylum to receive experimental treatments that seem to Hen to be torturous.  Just as Henrietta is poised to watch her family fall apart, she becomes empowered, but not without help.  As if the drama of this story were not enough for a reader, it is the way Strange tells the story that contributes equally to the power of this novel.  There is a fine line between sanity and insanity, sometimes, and Strange finds the words to convey this line exquisitely.                          Squaresky, Martha          Mama’s depression consumes her after Henrietta’s brother dies

Strange, Jason. The Mothman’s Shadow

Strange, Jason.    The Mothman’s Shadow    

 Stone Arch see Capstone 2011  64p  23.99 978-1-4342-2965-6 

 ms    Horror            VG-BN  

Four boys go camping and encounter the mysterious Mothman.            

Outside of West Virginia modern teens may not be familiar with (folk) tales of the “Mothman,” a cryptid seven foot man, with glowing red eyes and enormous wings.  Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand investigated accounts of the 1966-67 reports that prompted John Keel to write “The Mothman Prophecies,” which was later made into a film in 2002. 

Brunvand concluded that some elements were common among the Mothman reports and some much older folk tales, which suggests that something real may have

triggered the stories.  But skeptics are adamant in dismissing Mothman tales as hoaxes or pranks, or even sightings of a large owl.

     “The Mothman’s Shadow,” follows a group of contemporary boys who are

camping in an isolated cabin without adult supervision.  After a long drive, and evening of ghost stories, and attempts to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, it is scarcely surprising that Noah “sees” the Mothman staring in the cabin window at him.  When Noah describes the seven foot tall, winged man with red eyes to his friends, they are skeptical.  But Ben, Noah’s older brother, does use his cell phone to call the police who come out to check on the boys and investigate for a prowler.

     Noah overhears the police discussing the legendary “Mothman.”  He uses his smartphone to investigate the mysterious creature.  Even with “proof” from the Internet, his buddies continue to scoff....until the next night, when the Mothman returns...

     No violence or blood, but the plot builds suspense and tension, which peak in an anticlimatic weak ending.  Readers will feel compelled to learn more about the Mothman, and will be encouraged to share stories of the weird and unexplained of their own.  The tale provides a good catalyst for discussion and

writing.  “The Mothman’s Shadow” may fill a gap in collections of  the

supernatural which tend to be stocked primarily with vampire and ghost lore.

      Welliver, Hilary