cover image A Witch Across Time

A Witch Across Time

Gilbert B. Cross. Atheneum Books, $14.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-689-31602-9

Hannah is 15 when she is discharged from the Reach Out Academy in Ohio and sent to stay with her great-aunt on Martha's Vineyard. Slowly recovering from the death of her mother and her own depression, Hannah feels out of place and homesick. She soon makes friends, though, and discovers that her great-aunt's house is haunted by a witch. The ghost reaches out for Hannah's help, and while the reader is never certain if its presence is real, Hannah is able to help herself and others through aiding the spirit. The novel's oblique beginning may confuse readers not usually attracted to gothics, but persistence will be rewarded by Cross's well-realized setting and satisfying resolution. Ages 11-14. (Mar.)