The Wolf of Cape Fen

Debut author Brandt’s atmospheric, genre-bending middle grade novel brings grim fairy tale magic to a small peninsular town in the early 20th century. Eliza is just shy of her 12th birthday, yet since her mother’s disappearance four years ago she has acted as both mother and sister to her incorrigible eight-year-old sibling, Winnie. A tourist mecca in the summer, Cape Fen has a dark secret: those born there can never leave, and many are tied up in uncanny bargains with the larger-than-life winter visitor Baron Dire and his fearsome companion, the Wolf. When the Wolf returns early and pursues Winnie, Eliza is pulled deep into the mythos of the bargains, determined to save the girl but learning that not all bargains end well for the bargainers. Eliza’s courage and devotion to her sister form the nucleus of this tale, which finds a girl quickly growing both as a human and something other. Though the motivations of certain characters may feel nebulous, this fabulist middle grade effectively employs a dream-fueled magic system that reckons with consequences. Ages 8–up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Apr.)