Button Hill

Gr 4–6—Dekker discovers a mysterious clock in the cellar beneath the basement of his great aunt Primrose's old house. After twisting the skull that decorates the Nightclock and unknowingly opening the border between the living world (Dayside) and that of the dead (Nightside), mischievous Dekker inadvertently allows a sinister, pointy-toothed boy named Cobb to kidnap his sister and hide her in Nightside. To find Riley and return to Dayside before it is too late, Dekker embarks on a dangerous journey through a twisted world full of train-riding ghosts and skeleton gangs. Harper, a strange girl who traverses Dayside and Nightside, joins Dekker on his adventure, seeking her mother and an otherworldly music box that Cobb has stolen. The atmospheric descriptions of the spooky scenes and inhabitants of Nightside create a strong sense of place, and the children's well-crafted dialogue adds humor to balance macabre scenarios. Despite a slow start to the plot and some inconsistencies in the characters, the action unfolds at a steady pace that will keep readers curious about what happens next.