The Box and the Dragonfly

March 2, 2015
After stumbling into a mysterious building called the House of Answers, 12-year-old Horace F. Andrew's life becomes strange and wondrous. He leaves with a gleaming oval box, which he eventually discovers has the ability to send things forward in time, while letting him glimpse the future. At the same time, Horace meets Chloe, an enigmatic girl whose dragonfly talisman lets her walk through walls. Together, they learn that they have become Keepers of the Tan'ji, ancient artifacts as magical as they are scientific. As they attempt to keep the Tan'ji away from the malevolent Riven, Horace and Chloe are drawn into a perilous struggle of good versus evil. While Sanders (No Animals We Could Name) presents a gripping story full of neat ideas, and the chemistry between Horace and Chloe is sweet, some of the temporal hijinks overcomplicate an already convoluted plot (at one point, Horace has to fake a note from Chloe in order to satisfy a vision he's seen, for instance). Even so, this is an entertaining offering, and a fine start to the Keepers series. Ages 8â12. Author's agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency.

January 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Who wouldn't be intrigued by a sign with their name on it? Unfortunately, the sign middle schooler Horace F. Andrews sees from the bus window really says "House of Answers," and it leads to a place filled with precious few of those. What he finds are mysteries galore, including a glass box with very special powers that he seems destined to control. Horace becomes caught up in a centuries-long battle between the Makers and the Keepers, groups with very different ideas about who should control the magical artifacts called Tanu. Along the way he befriends Chloe, headstrong and breathtakingly brave, who has been dealing with magic by herself since she was a young child. Together, they join the fight to save Chloe's father and destroy one particular nest of evil, run by Dr. Jericho and his golem. Refreshingly, our hero comes from a healthy and happy home (though Mom has a few mysteries of her own). At just over 600 pages, this brick of a book starts slowly and gets a bit bogged down in vocabulary. Supporting characters add interest, and the magical world is full of detail and wonder. Fans of Harry Potter and Gregor the Overlander will find this one entertaining.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

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