BASIL & DAHLIA

Siblings Basil and Dahlia, orphaned and concerned about their futures, go from the frying pan into the fire.

While aboard a train to Philadelphia, Basil, 12, and Dahlia, 11, learn that their social worker plans to separate them and place them in different homes. Determined to stay together, Dahlia jumps off the moving train, followed by a hesitant Basil. From there, they have a wild series of adventures before arriving in New York City, where, hungry and tired, they cross paths with celebrity baker Laurel Fox, who takes them home and feeds them. It should be a sweet ending, but Ms. Fox has truly nefarious plans. This twist on “Hansel and Gretel” is relayed by a comically arch third-person narrator: “It had been a blissful childhood thus far, but the blissful phase was over and a distinctly less blissful phase was poised to begin.” The narrator addresses readers directly, cautioning them and coaxing them through some of the more uncomfortable issues, such as the guilt each sibling carries over the death of their parents. Laurel Fox is a pleasingly over-the-top villain surrounded by ridiculously self-serving sycophants. The cast, which primarily reads white, is captured in edgy, stylish, black-and-white illustrations that have a retro feeling and enhance the drama.

A deliciously satisfying romp.