Everton Miles is Stranger Than Me. (The Night Flyer’s Handbook, Book 2). Philippa Dowding. Toronto, ON: Dundurn, 2016. 228 pp., trade pbk., pdf & epub, $12.99 (pbk.), $12.99 (pdf), $8.99 (epub). ISBN 978-1-4597-3527-9 (pbk), ISBN 978-1-4597-3528-6 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4597-3529-3 (epub). Grades 8-11 / Ages 13-16. Review by Lacey Hall. *** /4 Reviewed from Advance Review Copy.

excerpt:

For once I manage a graceful take-off. Martin laughs and watches….I get a little giddy and decide to show off.

I zoom really high, really fast, but not so high that he can’t see me. He’s below me, a little dot on the road, just past my left toe, waving. I hear him laugh. Far below me, the light in Mr. McGillies’ cabin shines, and I smell wood smoke from the chimney.

Then the Rogue walks out of the corn.

He stands behind Martin, so Martin doesn’t see him. Martin raises his hand in a wave, and the feathered man copies him and raises his hand, too. His eyes are golden, his wings outspread, his darkness complete.

I try to scream, to tell Martin to run, but no words come out. Then the Rogue puts his head back in a silent, mocking laugh, and I hear the corn whisper my name.

Gwendolyn…

Gwendolyn Golden is a night flyer and is in great danger. All summer long, Gwendolyn is drawn to the edge of the cornfield by Mr. McGillies cabin, and she finds herself being called to by a fiery, black-feathered man – a Rogue Spirit Flyer. With the help of Everton Miles, the new night flyer who just moved into town, and her friends Martin and Jez, Gwendolyn will have to face the mystery of her father’s death, the beginning of high school, and the Rogue Spirit flyer, all while the Midsummer Party approaches – and, with it, a tough decision.

     Everton Miles is Stranger Than Me is the sequel to The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden and stretches across almost an entire school year. The book follows Gwendolyn’s family and social life while the added danger of the Rogue Spirit Flyer increases the suspense. The story’s climax is where its true success lies as the stakes are high and Gwendolyn must face the sad truth of her father’s death in order to defeat her enemy. Dowding describes the setting extremely well, and this adds to the overall enjoyment of the reading as the town of Bass Creek, and the spirit worlds Gwendolyn is pulled into are integral to the story.

Recommended.

Lacey Hall is a Master’s of Children’s Literature student at the University of British Columbia and currently works in the School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

Next Review | Table of Contents For This Issue - October 21, 2016
CM Home | Back Issues | Search | CM Archive | Profiles Archive