Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell - ADVISABLE

Mitchell, Saundra Mistwalker, 310 p. Harcourt, 2014.  $17.  Language: PG (25 swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: PG (shooting); Mature Content: G.  

Willa’s gentle brother is dead and its all her fault.  She should have stayed out of the war between her father and another lobsterman.  Instead, she escalated things to the point of violence.  Now she is waiting to testify to the grand jury and wishing she were anywhere but where she is.  Even her best friend Bailey and her boyfriend Seth can’t distract her grief.  Willa seems to keep making mistake after mistake.  The only answer may be the mysterious Grey man who haunts a lonely island and its lighthouse.  The legend is that he can fulfill wishes.  He is rarely seen and is really considered a myth – until one day catches a glimpse through the fog.  Is he really the answer, or is he just another trap?  

With the loneliness and the fog and the ancient mystery, this feels like a gothic novel.  Mitchell brings it into the 21^st century, though.  I especially love that Mitchell doesn’t tie things up in neat little bows.  Instead, she leaves some things with their messy, very human, endings.  This won’t be a runaway hit, but the kids who find it will love it.  

MS, HS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher