The Ever Breath

November 30, 2009
Truman Cragmeal, beset by allergies, asthma, and cowardice, has been taken with his fearless twin sister, Camille, to stay with their grandmother, Swelda, for what is meant to be a three-week stay. Despite Swelda's oddities, the children are entranced by her stories and the unearthly snow globes she gives them, which show disturbing, inexplicable images amid the swirling flakes. But the night of their arrival, Truman is lured through an underground passage into the marvelous and frightening Breath World of Swelda's stories. This world and ours have been endangered by the theft of the Ever Breath, an amber ball that keeps them in balance. Truman soon learns that his missing father is wrapped up in the mystery of the Ever Breath's disappearance and commits himself to finding them both. Baggott's (The Prince of Fenway Park
) inventiveness and whimsy never flags; there is some light grisliness: “The man on the ground was wearing a white shirt, but it was turning red.” Once Truman forgets about his inhaler and embraces his new purpose, it's a dizzying, nonstop romp through the imagination. Ages 9–12.

January 1, 2010
Gr 4-7-Baggott, who also writes under the name N.E. Bode, introduces twins Camille and Truman. She exudes health while he suffers from every imaginable allergy. The siblings visit their Grandmother Swelda, whom they had not seen since they were babies, and discover her role as gatekeeper to the magical "Breath World." Armed with seeing snow globes, the twins leave our "Fixed World" and enter the Breath World via a basement portal. Once there, magical creatures assist their efforts to restore a stolen stone to the portal, thus reestablishing equilibrium between the worlds. The last page indicates that sequels may follow. Baggott's imagination never falters, but her storytelling goes awry. The constant entrance of various magical creatures negates true character development, especially in a novel of this length. Thus, most episodes feel hasty. As each character appears, subplots emerge that remain undeveloped. Readers might want to know more about ogres, bog people, or the role of the Office of Official Affairs, but Baggott's tale does not permit that explication. Dialogue is often confusing. At one point, Swelda fails to answer a question and then goes off on an unrelated tangent. A continuity error toward the end may also cause reader puzzlement. While children might relish the magical circus, Anna Dale's "Spellbound" (Bloomsbury, 2008) and Mark Jean and Christopher C. Carlson's "Puddlejumpers" (Hyperion, 2008) provide better forays into fantasy."Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2009
Grades 4-6 Truman Cragmeal and his twin, Camille, are sent to stay with their weird grandmother, Swelda, after their fathers disappearance. Swelda gifts them with two snow globes she claims can show both the past and the future and tells them about the Ever Breath, an orb used to keep the balance between their world and the world of imagination. Believing it only a story, Truman ends up in the Breath World after finding a secret passage, with Camille not long behind. There, they discover that the Ever Breath has been stolen and that it somehow connects to their fathers disappearance. This is a fast-paced story that maneuvers the siblings to the Breath World with a minimum of fuss. Events happen in quick succession, characters are charming and quirky but minimally developed, and the Breath World is populated with imaginative creatures, many pictured in the occasional, appealing drawings. Although the confrontation with the thief of the Ever Breath resolves too easily, it also sets up a promising sequel. This is a fanciful, lightweight fantasy for young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)