The Graveyard Gift

September 1, 2024
A girl from small-town West Virginia who's plagued by visions of death learns she's actually magical. Rosemary Thorpe is on her way to inpatient psychological treatment, thanks to her tendency to tell people how and when they'll die, when she's intercepted by Fern, the fairy who also serves as the book's omniscient narrator. Rosemary becomes the newest student at Fern's School for Wayward Fae, where her presence is disruptive to a community that's dealing with mysterious intrusions from the outside world. Rosemary, who was raised by her human mother and never knew her father, isn't sure how to answer questions about her origins. But she begins to settle in and make friends, including Trym, who's deaf, uses sign language, and is part banshee, and Essie, who's part djinn. When Essie disappears, Rosemary and some of her classmates venture into--and beyond--the dangerous Lost Woods to bring him back. Fern's narrative voice is a lot of fun, and the magical boarding school setting is a classic for a reason. Readers will be captivated by the imaginative otherworlds the students travel to and intrigued by the mystery of Rosemary's background. Despite the abrupt ending, they'll anxiously await the next entry. Rosemary and Trym are cued white, and Essie has "tan" skin. There's some racial diversity among the secondary characters; Rosemary, expecting all ghosts to be light-skinned, is surprised that a brown-skinned boy can be part ghost. Magical fun from beginning to cliffhanger ending.(Fantasy. 8-13)

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