The Tower by the Sea
by Meindert DeJong

I have written before about one of my all-time favorite children’s authors, Meindert DeJong, and try to pick up one of his titles now and then. Though The Wheel On the School and The House of Sixty Fathers are among my most beloved books, I am never disappointed in his stories. His intriguing settings and characters, usually unique from the typical juvenile fiction, are probably one of the draws for the imagination.

I was a little skeptical when I began this one—an eccentric old lady who befriends a cat with one blue eye and a raven? But, as with all his books, if you hang on for a few pages, you will get drawn in. This is a story of a superstitious little village in Holland whose inhabitants  are tested to gain wisdom when some rather fantastical events take place. This short book is perfect for your fantasy-crazed or mystery hound readers. In addition, it would be good reading as a fictional supplement when your children from six to twelve or so are studying early colonial America, when witch hunting was at its peak. Even your sensitive children will be gratified with the satisfactory ending, a hallmark of DeJong’s books.

For the joy of reading,

Liz