Stork

Gr 7 Up—Katla Leblanc has recently moved from LA to northern Minnesota, the ancestral home of her mother's family. The story immediately takes on a magical twist when she is summoned to the scary basement of a seemingly abandoned fabric shop only to find a chair being held for her among a circle of old women. It's a secret meeting of the Aslendigas Storkur Society—storks who recommend and vote on the placement of new souls in "vessels." Couple that with the new boy who apparently knows her from "before," and you have the making of a breathtaking urban fantasy. Delsol uses colloquialisms and rich language to create vivid characters and detailed settings. The inclusion of Nordic mythology and a sense of fate add to the tenor of mysticism, and the two young men in Katla's life, one of whom might be posing a danger to her, add interest and suspense.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL