Falling In

Gr 4—7—Isabelle Bean, 12, has always felt different from everyone else and has no friends. One day, on the way to the principal's office, she opens a door and falls into an alternative universe hundreds of years behind her own. She learns that a witch is terrifying the children of the County of the Five Villages. She meets Hen, and with her first friend in years, travels to find the witch. Hen hopes to destroy her, while Isabelle is just curious about the witch. When they come to a cottage, the girls meet Grete, a female apothecary, with secrets of her own. Grete needs Isabelle's help in fixing the past and future. Along the way, Isabelle learns about dealing with loneliness by making friends and being true to family. Frances O'Roarke Dowell's novel (Atheneum, 2010) balances the fantasy world with the real world. Jessica Almasy's wonderful storytelling ability captures the inquisitive nature of Isabelle and gives the village children old-style English accents. The text's humor, combined with the cleverness of the interactive format of asking listeners questions, makes this a fun listen.—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY