At the Firefly Gate

February 19, 2007
An air of mystery wafts through Newbery's (Sisterland
) quietly suspenseful novel. Henry isn't sure how he will fit in now that his family has moved from London to a small village in rural Suffolk. On his first night in the family's new house, Henry sees a shadowy young man surrounded by glowing fireflies, waiting by the gate at the bottom of the garden. The next day, Henry meets Dottie, his neighbor's elderly aunt, and senses an odd connection with her that is also somehow linked to the stranger in the garden. Henry's dreams and visions allow him to share in the experiences of Dottie's long-ago beau (also named Henry), who died during WWII. Like a homespun cousin to the Ouija board, the Scrabble game conveys otherworldly, thematically-related messages through its tiles. More cozy than frightening, these supernatural goings-on provide a counterpoint to the day-to-day events of Henry's new life: an amusing scheme to smuggle him into the village school for the last days of term, his prickly relationship with the grumpy girl next door, and a thrilling victory for Henry and his new friends in the village's annual fete. An abundance of small satisfactions await readers attuned to this novel's gentle cadences. Ages 10-up.