Henry & Eva and the Castle on the Cliff

July 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-After the death of their parents, Henry and his sister Eva, who narrates, must now reside with Uncle "Claude the Clod" and his shallow girlfriend "Terri the Terrible." Strange happenings result in the appearance of ghostly ancestors who reveal that the death of their parents was purposely caused by foul play for financial gains. Eva and Henry are determined to track down the killer. Portes weaves a traditional mystery with a ghostly twist. The chapters are short, with cliff-hanger endings that will encourage page turning. Challenging vocabulary will keep readers on their toes. The Big Sur setting is fully realized and one can almost feel the spray of the ocean from the house on the cliff. The cover doesn't do the book any favors; it features kids who look as if they are from the first half of the previous century and offers no hint of the ghosts within. VERDICT An entertaining mystery for children who like their chills seasoned with laughs; purchase where not-too-scary tales circulate well.-Kate Nafz, Fair Lawn Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
Sometimes, even perfect things can fall apart.Two months ago, Eva and Henry's loving, playful parents--their environmentalist father and oceanographer mother--died in a boating accident off the coast of California. Now, 12-year-old Eva and Henry, almost 11, are theoretically being cared for by their Uncle Claude, aka "the Clod," and his girlfriend, Terri "the Terrible." These grown-ups are, not to put too fine a point on it, "jerk-faces. First class, grade A." The pair are more concerned with image and money than they are in taking care of two children. Things take a paranormal turn when the ghosts of Eva and Henry's great-great-great-great-grandfather and his kooky family appear with a message: Their parents' deaths were the result of foul play. Eva and Henry begin investigating, and it soon becomes clear that someone wanted their parents out of the way, but why? And who? And are the children next? Eva directly addresses readers with introspection and irony. Her first-person, present-tense direct address pulls readers in from the scene-setting first page and carries them throughout the story. Inquisitive, high-IQ Henry is "high-functioning something-or-other," according to Eva, but the family never allowed him to be labeled, nurturing his curiosity instead. Cleverly, the story feels like Gothic historical fiction, but it's set in the present. Henry, Eva, and their relatives are default white; the children's nanny, Marisol, is Guatemalan.A delightful mystery tinged with heartache. (Paranormal mystery. 8-13)

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October 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 Two orphans solve the case of their parents' death in this macabre mystery. Precocious Eva and ultraprecocious Henry are reluctantly living with their preoccupied uncle and gold-furniture-loving aunt while grieving the loss of their parents, who died in a boat accident. But then strange, supernatural things begin to occur, such as the ghostly incarnations of Eva and Henry's ancestors. The colorful group of spirits, including a frisky gold miner and a nihilistic flapper, tell Eva and Henry that their parents' death was no accident. The kids investigate, leading up to a bittersweet conclusion. The premise?intelligent orphans living with potentially nefarious relatives?will appeal to Lemony Snicket fans, and Eva's humorous first-person narration is reminiscent of E. Nesbit's classic narrator, Oswald Bastable. Eva's grief, sensitive caretaking, and thoughtfulness add an emotional layer to the mystery. Young readers may puzzle over certain cerebral lines, as when a ghost guesses that what the children found in a sunken boat was an antiquated idea of the dominant paradigm. Still, they will root for the smart, resourceful protagonists. A funny and bittersweet mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)