Thirteen-year old Gregory’s eccentric adopted uncle invites
him and a friend to spend their school holiday at his house in Vermont. When
Gregory and his best friend, Brian, arrive at the old mansion in the woods,
they find that Uncle Max is even stranger than they’d thought. He and his home
seem to exist in a different century, and Uncle Max insists that the boys dress
in tweed knickers and stiff-collared shirts while they are visiting. Meals are
quiet, formal affairs attended by servants at a big dining room table with
Uncle Max and Gregory’s cousin, Prudence.
The boys poke around the deserted nursery and decide to ease
their boredom with an old board game they find, The Game of Sunken Places. This
game, though, is like none they’ve ever played before, and as they explore the
area around the mansion, more and more spaces on the board become visible. This
strange game takes them far beyond the game board and nursery, as they explore
the woods around the house and discover things they never dreamed existed in
real life – trolls, spirits, and other fearsome creatures – all locked in an
age-old battle that now includes the two friends.
The tone of this novel, especially at the beginning,
reminded me very much of old Nancy Drew
and Hardy Boys mysteries – two
old friends discovering a mystery. It’s an us-against-the-world feeling, with
plenty of good-natured joking between the boys (Gregory is especially prone to
wise cracks). Then, the action turns more toward fantasy, as the mysteries
surrounding Uncle Max and the old house turn out to involve all sorts of
otherworldly beings, unseen worlds, and ancient conflicts.
I’m not a huge fan of fantasy normally (my son is), but I
enjoyed this fast-paced and thoroughly unique story. It is filled with action,
suspense, a good dose of humor to lighten the mood, and surprises around every
corner. Kids who enjoy fantasy stories about strange creatures and other worlds
will love this novel.
260 pages, Scholastic
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