School Library Journal» Paranormal

Pick of the Day: The Diviners (Audiobook)

SLJ — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:00:24 +0000

The Diviners. By Libba Bray. 15 CDs. 15:15 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-449-80875-7. $60.
Gr 10 Up–Printz winner Libba Bray’s latest literary masterpiece (Little, Brown, 2012) is stunning, suspenseful, and sure to leave listeners utterly breathless. Thoroughly modern flapper Evie O’Neill’s psychic ability to divine secrets from inanimate objects gets her exiled from her stuffy Ohio town. Sent to stay with her Uncle Will in Prohibition-era New York City, the last thing Evie expects is to be thrown headlong into a terrifying, and seemingly paranormal, serial murder mystery. Crime scene evidence leads Evie to believe the killer is John Hobbes, a religious leader and madman who was hanged for murder 50 years ago. It seems “Naughty John” has returned from the grave to complete a deadly ritual to bring about the apocalypse. Evie believes her abilities can help stop this killer. But there are others with unique powers as well, including a clairvoyant child and a man with healing powers. Circumstances gradually draw these Diviners together. Are they strong enough to stop the evil that’s been unleashed? Not for the faint of heart, this spellbindingly creepy ghost story will keep listeners enthralled long into the night—preferably with the lights on. Bray’s writing is brilliant. Intricately detailed storylines interweave perfectly with a cast of richly drawn characters. Period slang and historical details help set the scene. January LaVoy’s exceptional narration skyrockets an already outstanding story to the next level. Characters live and breathe through distinctive voices, complete with accents and dialects. Perfect pacing bestows the story with a constant edge-of-the-seat ambiance. A must-have.–Alissa Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI

Pick of the Day: The Diviners

SLJ — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:40:48 +0000

BRAY, Libba. The Diviners. Bk. 1. 578p. Little, Brown. Sept. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12611-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21464-3.
Gr 10 Up–Set in 1920s New York City, this literary tour-de-force from Printz Award-winner Bray offers grand themes, complex characters, and suspense. After her secret gift for divining information from objects lands her in trouble, 17-year-old Evangeline O’Neill is sent from Ohio to live with her uncle, who runs a museum specializing in folklore and the occult in Manhattan. Evie is a quintessential flapper: not really bad, but rebellious and yearning to fly free of her Babbitt-like existence. Although she starts out her new life like the party girl she was back home, her pursuits become more serious when her uncle is asked to help solve a series of strange murders. She crosses paths with Memphis Campbell, a black numbers runner in Harlem, whose power to heal by laying on hands failed him when he tried to save his mother. Other characters include a homosexual composer who meets people in dreams, a Ziegfeld girl with a past, a pickpocket searching for his family, and a young research assistant with his own secrets. Bray develops each of these characters and their gifts, gradually bringing them together in a chilling and thrilling battle with Naughty John, a paranormal serial killer. Over the course of the novel, people (mainly good) smoke, drink, and use other illegal substances. These peccadilloes are contrasted with the values of the hellfire-and-brimstone cult that spawned Naughty John. The compelling and dramatic supernatural plot explores self-actualization, predestination, the secrets everyone hides, and, of course, good versus evil. An absolutely terrific read and, thankfully, the first in a planned series.–Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME