The House in Poplar Wood

In Boone Ridge, Tenn., 13-year-old twins Lee and Felix Vickery live at opposite ends of the same house. Per the Agreement, Lee lives with his mother and Memory in the warm west end, where he jars and labels memories (“sealed tight”) before he leaves the house for school. Felix has it harder; he lives with his father in the frigid east end, serving Death and stirring healing broths (“brewed right”), but never leaving the house except for one day each year: on Halloween, Death takes a holiday, and Felix can finally venture beyond their home and adjacent wood. After Gretchen Whipple, sworn enemy of the Vickerys and daughter of the town’s most powerful family, stumbles into the brothers at a Halloween bonfire, she strikes a deal with them: if they help her investigate a mysterious death, she’ll help them break the Agreement. With expert pacing and detailed worldbuilding, the story unfurls into a smart, thrilling mystery, equal parts dark and gentle, that explores questions about freedom, power, and choosing one’s master. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker. (Aug.) [/em]