Spirit's Key

October 13, 2014
Spirit Holden and her father have lived on Bald Island for six years; they are still considered "dingbatters," or outsiders, but are tolerated for her father's gift of second sightâhe can hold a house key and warn of impending disaster. Spirit is in mourning for her beloved Sky, a "baldie" or native dog, who died mysteriously. As Spirit's own latent powers start to manifest, and she's haunted by Sky's ghost, other baldies turn up dead. The islanders consider the dogs "devilish beasts" and see their deaths as the harbinger of disaster, especially when a frightening illness threatens to sweep the island. Spirit suspects more, and when her father falls sick she enlists the help of her neighbor, Nector Hatterask, to find out who is hurting the baldies and save them from extinction. Cohn's debut is lyrical and heartfelt, addressing an insular society's fear of the unknown and how it can be exploited, but the story tangles and slows in its own charming prose and theme of melancholy and loss. Ages 9â12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

July 1, 2014
This middle-grade ghostly mystery delivers a timely message.Life on tiny Bald Island is fragile-but for 12-year-old Spirit Holden, who moved there with her father six years earlier, it is home. To the islanders, the Holdens will always be "dingbatters"-outsiders-but their superstitious natures appreciate Spirit's father's gift of second sight, since they believe it protects them from the harsh natural elements as well as the baldies-the island's feral dogs. Even Spirit's pet baldie, Sky, cannot sway the islanders' belief that the dogs are evil. Cohn reflects on insular attitudes in an isolated region as she spins a story about fear of the unknown. When baldies begin turning up dead (including Spirit's beloved Sky) and people fall sick, islanders begin blaming the Holdens. With the help of Sky, who returns as a sort of canis ex machina ghost, Spirit uncovers the secret to the baldies' deaths, discovers her own power and convinces the islanders that superstition and narrow thinking are the real dangers. The story's worthy theme of tolerance would be more effective if it were not trotted out quite so regularly, and the pacing often drags when action seems most dictated-a casualty of the same tendency to overexplain. Despite these shortcomings, however, this debut is an inventive story with a fresh setting and an upstanding moral compass. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-Life on tiny Bald Island should be quiet and predictable, but for 12-year-old Spirit Holden, it's anything but. Seemingly, her ability to inherit the Holden gift of seeing the future has been hampered by the loss of her beloved dog, Sky, which she raised from a wild pup. But when Sky returns to her as a ghost only she can see, Spirit learns that not only is her gift beginning to manifest, but her beloved island and all who live there are in danger. Now she has only a short time to save other wild baldies from dying and the people of Bald Island from a tragedy that only she can foresee. A delightfully original plot and sympathetic characters are somewhat marred by stiff writing, but the island setting is unique, and the people that inhabit it are well worth getting to know-particularly Mrs. Borse, Spirit's agoraphobic next door neighbor. This book will strike a chord with fans of Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2000) and Erin Hunters's "Survivors" series (HarperCollins).-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2014
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* In the tradition of Ingrid Law's Savvy (2008) comes an equally inventive middle-grade novel about a girl awaiting the family gift. Twelve-year-old Spirit Holden's father holds a unique role in the small island community: the ability to spell out someone's future by holding his or her key. Against the backdrop of the mounting mysterious deaths befalling baldiesthe island's wild dogsand a strange illness spreading among the locals, Spirit's gift finally arrives, only in an unexpected form. She is suddenly able to see her dead dog, Sky, now a ghost baldie, and receive premonitions about a fire. With Sky's help, she works to uncover the roots of the illness and protect the baldies before it's too late. Spirit's story is not for the squeamishthere's a fair bit of vomit, as nausea accompanies the arrival of her giftbut it's likely to find a strong audience among lovers of adventure stories and animal tales. Cohn has crafted a winsome protagonist with Spirit and a rich, unique setting in Bald Island. Themes of belonging, standing up for what is right, and wildlife conservation pervade this strong debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)