Senf, Lora. The Nighthouse Keeper (The Clackity #2)
October 17, 2023 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After dealing with The Clackity, Evie is back in Blight Harbor, where there is a new problem; ghosts are going missing from their longtime homes. She's particularly worried about her friend Maggie Seong's ghost, Florence. If Blight Harbor is a safe place for all sorts of paranormal creatures, Evie wants to make sure that it continues to protect them. When her Aunt Desdemona meets with Pastor Mike, Chief Mary, the Mayor's husband Steve, and Irv (who runs the local pottery shop and is hard to remember), it comes to light that perhaps the ghosts are going through a door into the Dark Sun Side, where they get caught. If they are there, they can't move on to their eventual destination. Evie doesn't feel that they are going there on their own, and sets out to investigate. She meets a young girl who invites her through, but once on the other side, the girl turns out to be Portia, who does not have Evie's best interests at heart. Luckily, she also meets Lark, who has a family connection to Chief Mary, and wants to help Evie find out how to get ghosts like her back to the other side of the Dark Sun. Evie has a tiny bird familiar, and Lark has a spider named Clyde. When the two discover that there are soul eaters who are luring the ghosts and taking their soul light, the two realize that Evie needs to steal Portia's necklace in order to free the ghosts. Traveling into the Nighthouse and dealing with the Radix, the root of evil that tethers the house, isn't easy. Evie is encouraged when she finds some belongings of her parents on this other side, and finds that her mother's glasses are a big help. Will Evie be able to defeat Portia, free the ghosts, and go on in the next book to find her parents?
Strengths: It's interesting to see the community of Blight Harbor, and understand how Evie's family is instrumental in keeping the psychic balance in order. Despite her harrowing experiences in the first book, she is dedicated to making sure that all of the citizens in her town, ghost or not, are safe. She's fearless and determined, makes good use of her allies, and works with the otherwordly elements to insure that Blight Harbor can continue. I really enjoyed the fact that her aunt and the other local adults are not portrayed as being ineffectual; I wouldn't have minded seeing them help her more in her quest. Lark is also a good character, but Evie ends up completely the quest on her own, which is somewhat unusual in a middle grade book. I'm curious to see how her parents figure in the next book, now that she has more clues that they did not die in a house fire.
Weaknesses: This is a good horror book for people who don't necessarily like horror, so I can understand why a lot of teachers and librarians REALLY liked The Clackity. Both books have quests involving loved ones, and focus on community and understanding the past in order to fix problems while having a few elements of horror. This volume didn't have the grusome aspects of the first, which I appreciated, but which would make it less successful with my students, whose idea of a good scary book is ones with murderous ghosts or deadly paranormal creatures. (Like Henderson's Scarewaves.)
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like a good dose of spirituality with their horror stories and were fond of Malinenko's This Appearing House or Marks' Grounded for All Eternity.
After dealing with The Clackity, Evie is back in Blight Harbor, where there is a new problem; ghosts are going missing from their longtime homes. She's particularly worried about her friend Maggie Seong's ghost, Florence. If Blight Harbor is a safe place for all sorts of paranormal creatures, Evie wants to make sure that it continues to protect them. When her Aunt Desdemona meets with Pastor Mike, Chief Mary, the Mayor's husband Steve, and Irv (who runs the local pottery shop and is hard to remember), it comes to light that perhaps the ghosts are going through a door into the Dark Sun Side, where they get caught. If they are there, they can't move on to their eventual destination. Evie doesn't feel that they are going there on their own, and sets out to investigate. She meets a young girl who invites her through, but once on the other side, the girl turns out to be Portia, who does not have Evie's best interests at heart. Luckily, she also meets Lark, who has a family connection to Chief Mary, and wants to help Evie find out how to get ghosts like her back to the other side of the Dark Sun. Evie has a tiny bird familiar, and Lark has a spider named Clyde. When the two discover that there are soul eaters who are luring the ghosts and taking their soul light, the two realize that Evie needs to steal Portia's necklace in order to free the ghosts. Traveling into the Nighthouse and dealing with the Radix, the root of evil that tethers the house, isn't easy. Evie is encouraged when she finds some belongings of her parents on this other side, and finds that her mother's glasses are a big help. Will Evie be able to defeat Portia, free the ghosts, and go on in the next book to find her parents?
Strengths: It's interesting to see the community of Blight Harbor, and understand how Evie's family is instrumental in keeping the psychic balance in order. Despite her harrowing experiences in the first book, she is dedicated to making sure that all of the citizens in her town, ghost or not, are safe. She's fearless and determined, makes good use of her allies, and works with the otherwordly elements to insure that Blight Harbor can continue. I really enjoyed the fact that her aunt and the other local adults are not portrayed as being ineffectual; I wouldn't have minded seeing them help her more in her quest. Lark is also a good character, but Evie ends up completely the quest on her own, which is somewhat unusual in a middle grade book. I'm curious to see how her parents figure in the next book, now that she has more clues that they did not die in a house fire.
Weaknesses: This is a good horror book for people who don't necessarily like horror, so I can understand why a lot of teachers and librarians REALLY liked The Clackity. Both books have quests involving loved ones, and focus on community and understanding the past in order to fix problems while having a few elements of horror. This volume didn't have the grusome aspects of the first, which I appreciated, but which would make it less successful with my students, whose idea of a good scary book is ones with murderous ghosts or deadly paranormal creatures. (Like Henderson's Scarewaves.)
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like a good dose of spirituality with their horror stories and were fond of Malinenko's This Appearing House or Marks' Grounded for All Eternity.
The Clackity has been on my TBR for a while, and I will add this one too! Thanks for the review!
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