Elizabeth and Zenobia

After Elizabeth Murmur's mother abandons Elizabeth and her father, they move into his childhood home, Witheringe House. Accompanying Elizabeth is her constant companion Zenobia, who her father dismisses as an imaginary friend but who Elizabeth knows is something... else ("There's a faintness about her that makes it hard to tell where she ends and the rest of the world begins"). Unlike timid, scared-of-everything Elizabeth, Zenobia adores the gloomy, fog-shrouded mansion and is obsessed with conjuring a "Spirit Presence." Elizabeth reluctantly follows Zenobia to the forbidden East Wing of the estate to perform seances, where they unravel a mystery surrounding Elizabeth's father's sister, who disappeared at age seven. Rounding out the gothic atmosphere of Australian author Miller's first children's book is a lurking housekeeper, a magical storybook, a cemetery, and a garden tended by a gardener who the adults claim doesn't exist; Bryksenkova's stark b&w spot illustrations add to the overall creepiness. Readers will be absorbed by Elizabeth and Zenobia's conversations, the complex and chilling plot, Elizabeth's transformation from meek to brave--and the mystery of what, exactly, Zenobia is. Ages 9-13. (Sept.)

Gr 4-7--Elizabeth and Zenobia are friends. Elizabeth is timid, and Zenobia can best be described as unusual and fearless. They arrive at Witheringe House, a creepy manor where Elizabeth's father lived as a child. Zenobia loves it at first sight and is convinced that it is haunted. Eager to make contact with any spirit presence that might be found in the many secret and "off-limits" spaces in the house, Zenobia immediately begins holding seances and trying to commune with the dead. Elizabeth, however, is leery, so she is relieved when Zenobia's efforts seem unsuccessful. But strange things begin to happen in the East Wing, one of the areas that Elizabeth and Zenobia have been forbidden to explore. Flowers and vines in the wallpaper seem to come to life. The girls find a strange book whose words and images morph into different stories after the stroke of midnight. Strangest of all, Elizabeth discovers that her father had a sister, Tourmaline, who disappeared in the house when she was a young girl. With themes on courage, friendship, and imagination, Miller's novel is spooky and inviting. Older middle grade readers who have read widely in the genre might find it predictable and lacking a satisfying climax. There are questions throughout the story dealing with Zenobia's existence. Is or isn't she Elizabeth's imaginary friend? Is she a ghost? These questions will bother some readers, but others will enjoy the weirdness of it all. VERDICT Give this debut novel to readers looking for an accessible read and a bit of a scare.--Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, TX