Blue Window

January 22, 2018
The style of Gewirtz’s fantasy trades on the classic: five siblings fall through a mysterious window into another world and must find their way home; along the way, they meet cryptic characters with names like “the Genius,” “the Guide,” “Master Watcher,” and “Shepherdess.” A third-person narrative moves among Susan, Max, Nell, Kate, and Jean as they wander about, confused and frightened, trying to get their bearings in a bleak and frightening world. The siblings stand out for their smooth skin and striking beauty, which endanger them almost constantly. Though the children develop special powers (Susan can summon the wind in times of need, for example), the narrative lacks momentum. The children are unmoored, and even the strange school where Nell learns the dark history of this world isn’t an adequate tether to anchor the narrative. The siblings spend the bulk of the book stumbling about, trying to understand where they are and why the people are so strange, moving through a series of events that never quite coalesces into a cohesive fantasy. Ages 10–up.

February 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-In this harrowing fantasy, 13-year-old twins Susan and Max, along with their three younger sisters, fall through their inexplicably-turned-blue living room window, landing in a strange world where people have hazy features that fluctuate between human and sharp-toothed animals. The cruel ruler is awed by the siblings' unusually smooth faces and sends them to a lab for experimentation, a terrifying fate that involves cutting. Susan summons a previously unknown magical strength, allowing them to escape. Pursued by animal and human monsters, they eventually find sanctuary in a hidden city where Max is taken for special training because he is male. Although the people look normal and they are safe, the cultish atmosphere makes the sisters uncomfortable, even as they develop some extraordinary new powers. An epic battle occurs before order is restored and the children return home. Characterization comes gradually as the book is presented from the points of view of each sibling from oldest to youngest. Chapters are interspersed with the perspective of a mysterious person called "the exile" who hints of a prophesy involving five special beings and plays an important role at the end of the book. Although the plot device invites comparisons to C.S. Lewis, this tale is much more sinister and lacks the joy and sense of wonder of the "Narnia" series. There are some fanciful scenes, but the overall mood is tense and frightening. VERDICT Themes of human experimentation and animalistic behavior are best left to more mature readers, in spite of the young ages of the protagonists. An additional purchase.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
Five siblings fall into another world in this old-fashioned fantasy novel.Tumbling through the titular portal, 13-year-old twins Max and Susan, 11-year-old Nell, 8-year-old Kate, and youngest sister Jean--all white--land where magic is possible and people are malleable. In the city of Ganbihar, the residents appear to be devolving, affected by the "change" and sway to the mob magic of the Genius. Sought for their superior appearance, the five flee captivity, begin developing magical powers, survive an arduous trek, and find refuge beyond the maddening mist with the scholars in the sanctuary. But the siblings are soon besieged by the mad Genius, bitter scholars, monstrous slashers, and sibling spats. The third-person narration alternates through their perspectives, recounting their travels and travails in distinctive voices--with interspersed glimpses of "the exile" offering increasingly incoherent if prettily poetic observations--but such rich characters and detailed scenic descriptions cannot overcome slow pacing and vague worldbuilding. Gewirtz's nostalgic haziness and unsubtle moralizing recall but do not rival the works of C.S. Lewis and E. Nesbit, and moments of gruesome violence and cruelty clash with the otherwise idyllic tale.Yet another tale of the "chosen ones" arriving in a realm of devolved people and lost knowledge to destroy the evil rulers, defy discrimination, and restore magic to a withering land. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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