From Publishers Weekly In this finely drawn tale, Lyon (Borrowed Children) weaves parallel story lines into a novel of uncommon beauty that incorporates the mysterious bonds between parents and children, love and legend. Gina and her family live in modern-day Cleveland; Jamie and his family in some unnamed, vaguely Celtic past. Both of their lives are turned upside-down when their respective mothers leave and their fathers engage in puzzling behavior. While Gina surreptitiously follows her normally predictable, meticulous surgeon father to a most unexpected destination-a psychic-Jamie tracks his own father into the forbidden woods, leading to an unsettling encounter with a bear. Could the creature be his father transformed? Twining a variation of the selkie legend into her tale, Lyon stitches more than a touch of magic into the story's fabric as Gina's and Jamie's worlds intersect, and each helps restore peace to their heartbroken families in an astonishing way. Lyon expertly differentiates the voices of her narrators, which, though distinct, blend harmoniously as their stories unfold through alternating chapters. Her subtle theme-that children remain open to the inexplicable wonders of life that adults have given up on-may well inspire readers to explore the mysteries in their own lives. Lyon's poet-roots inform her vivid imagery ("It was a shiny morning, brim with birdcry") and metaphoric prose ("She has a great laugh, like glitter spilling"). A lyrical, memorable tale. Ages 11-up.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 6-9-A thought-provoking contemporary novel with elements of fantasy. Gina lives with her father and brother in Cleveland, OH, Jamie with his father and sisters in a preindustrial enchanted forest. When Gina embarks on a soul journey to discover the truth about her father's odd behavior, she arrives in Jamie's world, where he was imprisoned while searching for his own father's secret. Gina frees Jamie before she returns home, and their brief encounter brings some peace to Jamie's family and, perhaps, to her own. The young people tell their stories in alternating chapters using diction appropriate for their respective worlds. Occasional details such as Gina's crush on a schoolmate detract from the narrative thrust, but Lyon's skillful, poetic use of language gives the situations and characters vitality. Jamie's predicament and rescue are described in highly symbolic terms; while the images are intriguing, their meanings resist easy interpretation. When Gina asks her spirit guide, a psychic named Esther, to explain whether her soul journey affected her family in Cleveland, Esther answers, "I'm afraid I can't provide the kind of explanation you want-this is not like a math problem." This ambiguity will frustrate some readers but appeal to others, who will ponder the two stories' many points of connection: absent mothers, haunted fathers, a ring that travels between the worlds, the healing that comes with the end of silence.
