THE TILTERSMITH

Four friends combat climate change in this follow-up to The Time Fetch (2013) that is laden with a history of weather-related lore.

Edward, Feenix, Danton, and Brigit were Brooklyn eighth graders preventing the unraveling of time when last readers met them. Their save-the-world challenge this round is a winter that won’t end. When a snowstorm marks the first day of spring, science enthusiast Edward finds an odd cocoon that he swipes for research. Much like the Time Fetch stone in Herrick’s earlier volume, each of the four friends happens upon a mysterious talisman, all while trying to understand why the slimy new school superintendent is so darn creepy (those tiny feet of his), where the flocks of robins are coming from, and what haze is keeping them all from remembering just what they’re supposed to be doing. Vacillating between scientific reasoning and lore from worldwide cultures, the descriptions of beautiful legends of seasons and the sobering study of climate change are so rich they nearly overshadow the central characters. Chapters present the rotating third-person perspectives of the quartet, giving each equal airtime. The structure gives readers the pieces to complete thoughts on their own without spoon-feeding them answers. The rich and creepy fantasy element offsets the familiarity of forgetfulness caused by a thick shroud of archaic magic. The protagonists are cued as White, Black, and Latinx.

A chosen-ones fantasy for readers befuddled by climate change.