The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins
Chewins, Hayley The Sisters of Straygarden Place. Candlewick, 2020 [208p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536212273 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781536216158 $16.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8
Mayhap Ballastian and her sisters, Winnow and Pavonine, have lived alone in magical Straygarden Place since their parents left them with their beloved droomhunds (dogs who enter their minds and enable them to sleep) and a note bidding them stay inside and "sleep darkly." When Winnow falls ill after venturing outside, Mayhap sets out to unravel the house's secrets to save her sister. There's more to life at Straygarden Place than she knew: a strange girl, the Mysteriessa, is the power behind the house's magic, and Mayhap herself is not who she thought she was. The revelation of Mayhap's true identity is utterly heartbreaking when the Ballastian parents reappear with the real Mayhap in tow, and the bonds of sisterhood are tested as years' worth of secrets come to light. Though some plot points are underdeveloped, Chewins (The Turnaway Girls, BCCB 10/18) employs captivating, atmospheric prose that smoothly draws the thread of the story. Readers who enjoyed the imaginative variety and scarier elements of Valente's Fairyland series will be drawn to this darkly, gloriously weird tale with sisterhood at its heart. [End Page 76]
