  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2011 The people of Widowsbury aren’t fond of strangers, not since a raging storm twelve years ago unleashed a torrent of terrifying oddities that brought pain and misery to the town. Things have calmed down a bit now, but the villagers’ suspicions have made them cruel, a fact that Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred can attest to. Each of the girls arrived separately at Madame Gertrude’s School for Girls after the storm, and each has been subjected to torment from both their classmates and teachers due to their peculiarities: Beatrice claims to speak to ghosts, Maggie is freakishly strong, and Adelaide may or may not be a werewolf. Now people are going missing again, and when the town falls under the spell of a madman, it seems that only the three girls and their odd abilities can save the town-if it deserves to be saved. Towell, the creator of the popular online cartoon Childrin R Skary, offers up a splendidly odd little tale here with a trio of heroines that are, in fact, a little scary and with some images of gore and death that are downright icky. These more morbid elements are not just for the sake of titillation, however, as the gloomy setting and unlikable characters set up a provocative conflict that explores the nature of ignorance versus actual evil. Although the girls do indeed end up saving the town (despite the temptation to let their tormentors rot in the belly of the titular carousel), their reward is not instant popularity but rather the grudging tolerance of their peers. It may not seem like a happy ending, but it is a fitting one, particularly for readers who have grown up on a steady diet of Gorey and Gaiman. Final illustrations not seen. KQG - Copyright 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 08/01/2011 Gr 4–6—Twelve years ago, a ferocious storm tore through the town of Widowsbury, unleashing evil forces. Now, the residents view any strangers with distrust. And so when Mr. Zoethout arrives in town on the storm's anniversary, it is no surprise that his vending cart full of sweets is ignored by the local children. At Madame Gertrude's School for Girls, Adelaide, Maggie, and Beatrice have their own problems: the new librarian, the first person to ever extend a hand in friendship to them, has disappeared. The headmistress, who leads her other students in ridiculing the outcasts, insists that the girls scared her off. Certainly, Adelaide's lupine sense of hearing and smell raises questions, and Maggie's physical strength is well beyond that of most typical adolescent girls. And Beatrice's ability to commune with dead animals is disconcerting. But the girls, certain that Miss Delia has not left of her own accord, are determined to find her, aided by the son of the cook at the neighboring boys' school. They realize that the sudden appearance of a carousel in the woods has something to do with the evil forces at work and that they must do something before the town is destroyed. Towell has a loyal following of teens and adults with her "Childrin R Skary" website, which features illustrations and short films. Sadly, her attempt to bring the same element of creepiness to a younger audience in text format falls flat. Characters and dialogue are wooden, and the plot grows increasingly convoluted. Students with a taste for dark fantasy are better directed to books by Neil Gaiman or to Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's "Suddenly Supernatural" series (Little, Brown).—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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