Amy Butler Greenfield (A Perfect Red) makes a smooth transition to young adult literature with this coming-of-age tale set in an alternate 17th-century Britain.
Fifteen-year-old narrator Lucy lives alone on an island with her aging guardian, Norrie, who's explained that Lucy lost her mother in a shipwreck eight years ago. Norrie has one rule: that Lucy never sing. But on Allhallows' Eve, when Lucy detects a song on the wind, and Norrie's convinced she hears Lucy humming, Norrie shuts Lucy in the house while she finishes up the night's preparations. A tree crashes through the window, bearing a letter written by Lucy's mother that suggests Norrie has not been honest with Lucy. So Lucy allows the song to possess her, begins to sing, and she's transported to England, to the private library of Lord Scargrave, who serves the king. There she discovers she's a Chantress, a line nearly extinct, and hunted by those in power.
Greenfield sets up an England in which the enchantments of King Arthur's day live on, through the songs of the Chantress. The author melds a British history absent a Civil War with the natural-born gifts over which Lucy has no control. The strong subtheme of what can happen when one tries to thwart her instinctive talents makes this an unusual storytelling approach to historical fantasy. The lyricism of the narrative appropriately evokes Lucy's gift of song. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness