Cheshire Moon

Still aching over her cousin Timothy's death and furious at her parents' insistence that she speak rather than sign, a deaf 13-year-old named Miranda expects an unfulfilling summer at her aunt's house in Maine. This seemingly familiar summer-in-New-England odyssey is enhanced by debut author Butts's deft exploration of Miranda's irritable isolation and her prickly friendship with Boone, a local boy. The plot turns mystical when both teens start having identical dreams about Timothy and a mysterious island. If they're only dreams, why do the teens wake to sand and shells in their beds? ""Dreams have a way of coming real on Summerhaven,"" intones shopkeeper Mr. Leach, attributing the dreams to the smiling face of the full ""Cheshire"" moon. ""Didn't say they come true.... Said they come real."" When Miranda is impelled to canoe across the windswept bay in the middle of the night toward a Brigadoon-like island that arises out of the mist, Boone must risk his life to head off disaster. The author has a sharp ear for dialogue and shows equal perception in observing Miranda's deafness. But with the confusing combination of reality and dreams, it's hard for readers to know when they should take stated dangers seriously. Even magical events must possess their own logic and continuity; although promising, this story breaches that caveat. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)