How to Make a Golem (and Terrify People)

March 15, 2012
Two classmates and an ancient alchemist help a meek Edinburgh teen get a handle on her fears. As if being constantly harassed by Euan at school isn't bad enough, a home burglary on the night of her 13th birthday leaves emotionally fragile Edda on the verge of a breakdown. She's desperate enough even to believe strange new classmate Michael Scot's claim that he can grant her wish to be protected from danger. Warning that wishes are tricksy things, he orders her to create a heart using materials linked to her terrors and then to bury it inside a monster outlined in clay. Is it all a prank? Her loyal friend Lucy and even Euan--who in an unlikely twist becomes a reluctant ally after Edda learns that he's a victim of domestic abuse--think so. Hearing heavy footsteps in the night but finding deep footprints, dead birds and other small animals in the yard every morning, Edda soon has a change of heart. So do Lucy and Euan after the trio meets the golem face to, well, face. Wisely realizing that "you can make monsters on your own, but you need your friends' help to stop them," Edda enlists the two in a scheme to change the golem from an aggressive to a peaceable creature. By the time they succeed Scot has vanished, even from Lucy's and Euan's memories, but so have Edda's fears. Some exciting moments but the character development seems forced, the monster not all that terrifying, and the "conquering fear" theme works better on a metaphorical level than an actual one. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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June 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Edda, or Mouse to her family, loves her new home, but she doesn't love being the new girl at school. She is small and shy, and frequently bullied by Euan, a boy in her class. The night of her 13th birthday dinner, her house is burglarized, and her presents unwrapped and stolen. She suspects Euan, but can't be sure, and timid Edda is suddenly afraid of everything. Then mysterious Michael Scot comes into her life. He's odd. He sounds much older than he looks, and he lives in a tower with a basement full of strange objects. He speaks to a dead toad he keeps in a jar. But he says he can help her make a golem, a man out of mud that will protect her and her belongings, and thus overcome her fears. She agrees, but when everything goes terribly wrong, Edda discovers who her true friends are and that she doesn't need a golem to feel strong. Her uncertainties about her own strength of character, and her journey of self-discovery, will resonate with readers. Powerful messages come through, such as choosing your friends wisely and learning to stand up for yourself. Willis skillfully avoids revealing too much about the golem until the end, and readers will race through the pages to find out whether the creature is real, or only in Edda's imagination.-Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX

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